The restoration work on the Heritage listed house in Norwood, SA is underway. The scaffolding is almost completed and the contractor has started to remove the existing welsh slate roof.
As with any building of this age, we expected to run into issues while restoring the existing roof. The existing fascia boards are barely holding on, they are all warped, rotted, or buckling away from the roof structure. The contractor found a few existing roof structural members to be barely connected to anything and a few will need repair to ensure they continue to do their job. The roofing contractor was surprised that the roof was still functioning as the roof slate was estimated to be original (150+ years old) and was in desperate need of replacement (which luckily we are doing)
When working on renovation or restoration project it is vital to keep these surprises in mind and set aside a contingency amount so that you do not blow your budget. It also shows the importance of regular maintenance.