Roofing Services

Everything else — your kitchen, your bathroom, your carefully chosen wallpaper — depends on having a sound roof over it. A failing roof doesn't just leak. It rots timbers, damages plasterwork, ruins insulation, and creates the conditions for mould that can affect your family's health. By the time you see a damp patch on the ceiling, the damage behind it has been building for months.

We're builders first and foremost, not a dedicated roofing firm that only does tiles. That matters because roof problems rarely exist in isolation. A leaking roof often means damaged joists, compromised wall plates, rotten fascia boards, or failed flashing around chimneys and dormers. We deal with the whole picture — strip the roof, repair or replace the structural timbers, re-felt, re-batten, re-tile, sort the leadwork, and hand you back a roof that'll do its job for the next 40–60 years.

We work across the UK — from Victorian slate roofs in London to concrete-tiled semis in Manchester and Birmingham. Whether you need a handful of slipped tiles replaced or a complete strip-and-reroof with new insulation to current Building Regulations, we handle it properly. No cowboy roofers knocking your door with leftover materials from another job. No pressure selling. Just honest assessments and fair prices.

Scaffolding — The Hidden Cost Nobody Mentions

Every roofing job needs scaffolding. It's a legal requirement under the Work at Height Regulations 2005 — you cannot safely strip or re-tile a roof from ladders alone. Scaffolding costs £500–£1,500 per elevation, and a typical terraced house needs one elevation while a detached property might need two or three.

Scaffolding hire is usually for a set period (typically 4–6 weeks). If your project overruns or you need it extended, there's a weekly hire charge of £50–£100. We factor scaffold into every quote and coordinate the erection and dismantle around the build programme. If you're planning other external work — repointing, painting, window replacement — it makes sense to do it while the scaffold is up rather than paying for it twice.

Ridge Tiles

Ridge tiles run along the apex of your roof. Traditionally they were bedded in sand and cement mortar, which cracks and deteriorates over time. Modern practice uses a dry ridge system — mechanical fixings with ventilated ridge tiles that don't rely on mortar. Replacing mortar-bedded ridges with a dry ridge system costs £500–£1,200 for a standard terraced or semi-detached house. It's often done as part of a re-roof but can be done independently.

Roof Materials Compared

The material you choose has a massive impact on both cost and longevity. Here's what we're fitting in 2026 and the realistic costs per square metre of roof coverage:

Concrete tiles (£25–£35/m²): The workhorse of UK roofing. Marley, Redland, and Russell brands dominate. Available in a huge range of profiles — plain, interlocking, bold-roll. Lifespan of 40–60 years. Heavy, so roof structure needs to be adequate, but most UK houses were designed for concrete tiles. Best value for money.

Clay tiles (£40–£60/m²): Premium look, warmer colour tones that improve with age. Lighter than concrete. Handmade clay tiles from suppliers like Keymer or Spicer can hit £80–£100/m² and are used on heritage properties and high-end new builds. Machine-made clay tiles from Marley or Sandtoft are the sweet spot at £40–£60.

Natural slate (£60–£100/m²): Welsh slate (Penrhyn, Ffestiniog) is the gold standard — distinctive blue-grey colour, lasts 100+ years, and is required on many listed buildings and conservation area properties. Spanish slate is cheaper (£45–£70/m²) but quality varies wildly. We only use graded Spanish slate from trusted quarries. Chinese slate is cheapest but we don't recommend it — delamination issues within 10–15 years are common.

Synthetic slate (£30–£50/m²): Lightweight composite materials that mimic the look of natural slate at a fraction of the weight and cost. Products like Tapco, EcoSlate, and Envirotile are popular for extensions and conversions where you want a slate aesthetic without the structural requirements. Lifespan claims of 50+ years but the products haven't been around long enough to verify.

The Roof Structure

Your roof sits on a timber frame — rafters running from the ridge to the eaves, with purlins supporting them mid-span. On older properties (pre-1960s), these are typically cut-timber roofs — each rafter individually measured and nailed in place. Post-1960s properties usually have factory-made trussed rafters (fink trusses) which are lighter and faster to install but harder to modify if you want to convert the loft later.

When we strip a roof, we inspect every rafter, purlin, and wall plate for rot, woodworm, and structural movement. Softened or cracked timbers get replaced or sistered (a new timber bolted alongside). Wall plates — the horizontal timbers sitting on top of your walls that the rafters bear on — are a common failure point because they're in the splash zone where rain runs off the tiles.

Breathable Membrane

Traditional roofing felt (hessian-reinforced bitumen) has been standard since the 1930s. It works, but it traps moisture — warm air from below condenses on the cold underside of the felt and drips onto the insulation. Modern breathable roofing membrane (brands like Tyvek, Permavent, Klober Permo) allows water vapour to pass through while remaining waterproof from above. This dramatically reduces condensation in the roof space and is now the standard approach under BS 5534:2014+A2:2018.

Ventilation

Even with breathable membrane, roof spaces need ventilation. Building Regulations require a 10mm continuous gap at the eaves (typically via over-fascia vents or soffit vents) and 5mm at the ridge (via ridge ventilation tiles or continuous dry ridge ventilators). Without proper ventilation, moisture builds up and rots the timbers from the inside. It's invisible until it's serious.

Fixings

BS 5534 now requires every tile and slate to be mechanically fixed — not just friction-held in place by gravity and the tile nibs hooking over the battens. The standard was updated after storms in 2013–2014 blew tiles off thousands of roofs. In practice, this means every tile gets a clip or nail, and perimeter tiles (at eaves, verges, and ridges) get additional fixings. It adds labour time but the roof stays put in a storm.

Slipped and Cracked Tiles

Wind, frost, and age cause tiles to slip from their battens or crack. A few slipped tiles is a minor repair (£150–£400 including scaffold access). But if tiles are slipping across the whole roof, the battens are likely deteriorating and a full re-roof is the sensible option rather than chasing individual tiles every winter.

Failed Valley Gutters

Where two roof slopes meet at an internal angle, the valley gutter carries all the water from both slopes. Traditionally formed in lead or mortar-bedded tiles, valleys are a major source of leaks when the mortar cracks or the lead corrodes. Modern GRP (fibreglass) valley troughs or lead-lined valleys are the standard repair. A valley replacement typically costs £400–£1,200 per valley depending on length and access.

Flat Roof Failures

Felt flat roofs (traditional 3-layer built-up felt) have a lifespan of 10–20 years. If yours is blistering, splitting, or pooling water, it's time for a replacement. We fit EPDM rubber membrane (brands like ClassicBond or Firestone) or GRP fibreglass — both carry 20–25 year guarantees. For larger flat roofs, single-ply membrane systems (Sarnafil, IKO) offer even longer lifespans. A flat roof replacement on a typical rear extension (15–25m²) costs £1,500–£3,500.

Condensation in the Loft

If your loft has black mould on the timbers, wet insulation, or dripping from the underside of the felt, you have a condensation problem. This is usually caused by inadequate ventilation, blocked soffit vents, or a bathroom/kitchen extract fan venting into the loft space instead of through the roof. We solve this by installing proper ventilation (soffit vents, tile vents, ridge vents) and rerouting any extract ducting to terminate outside. If the timbers are already affected, we treat them with fungicidal wood preserver before improving the ventilation.

Storm Damage

High winds strip tiles, snap ridge tiles, and blow flat roof membranes. If your roof has been damaged by a storm, check your home insurance — most policies cover storm damage. We can provide a detailed scope of works and quote for your insurer, and carry out the repairs once the claim is approved. Emergency tarpaulin cover is available within 24 hours to prevent further water damage while the claim is processed.