New roof installations

Roof replacements are our bread and butter. Whether your roof has reached the end of its life, you have had one problem after another with it, or you simply want the peace of mind that comes with a professionally installed new one, this is the work we do more of than anything else.

Roof replacements to suit your property

Every property is different, so there is more than one way to do this. Most people assume a new roof means new tiles. It does not always have to, and the difference in price is worth knowing about before you decide.

A completely new roof with new tiles

The whole covering comes off and a new one goes on. You get a consistent colour across the roof, a fresh manufacturer guarantee on the material, and the chance to change the look of the house if you want to. It is the right answer when the existing tiles are spent, porous or too broken to salvage.

A strip and replace reusing your existing tiles

On a lot of roofs the tiles are still perfectly sound and what has actually failed is the membrane, the battens or the nails holding everything up. We strip the covering off carefully, stack and sort the tiles, renew everything underneath, and relay what came off with new tiles making up the shortfall for breakages. You keep the weathered look of the original property, which matters on an older house or in a conservation area, and you are not paying for a covering you did not need.

We work with concrete tiles, clay tiles, natural and artificial slate and most other roofing systems. The roofing membrane and the battens are renewed on every re-roof whichever route you take, and other roofing components are upgraded where they need to be to meet current standards. We tell you which of the two your roof is a candidate for at survey, and price both where it is a genuine choice rather than steering you at the bigger job.

Building Control compliance

Where a full roof replacement needs Building Regulations approval, we carry the work out in accordance with the current Building Regulations and arrange the Building Control inspections and sign-off that go with it.

That means the work is not simply finished and forgotten about. It is inspected, the relevant requirements are checked, and there is a record to show for it. It is worth having on file when you come to sell the house.

What a new roof from us includes

Scaffolding and access

Scaffold wherever the job needs it, priced in from the start rather than added once we are on site.

Strip and disposal

We take the old covering off, keep a skip on site, clear up as we go and dispose of the waste responsibly. Nothing gets left in your garden over the weekend.

Timbers checked and repaired

Once the roof is open we can see the rafters properly. Any rotten or split timber gets replaced before the new covering goes on, and we show you what we found.

New breathable membrane and battens

Modern breathable membrane lets moisture out of the roof space while keeping weather out. Battens are treated and set to the correct gauge for the tile or slate you have chosen.

New covering, ridge and verge

Quality materials from manufacturers we trust, laid to their specification by experienced roofers, with dry ridge and dry verge systems so there is no mortar to crack and drop out in a few years.

Leadwork, flashings and rainwater goods

Chimneys, valleys and abutments are re-leaded as part of the job. We replace guttering at the same time where it makes sense, since the scaffold is already up.

Clean up and warranty

The site gets a thorough clean on completion, and the work comes with a warranty in writing rather than a promise on the phone.

How the job runs

1. Survey. We come out, get up on the roof or fly the drone, and look at what is actually there rather than guessing from the ground.
2. Written report and quotation. Before anything starts you get a detailed written report and a fixed price with the specification set out, so you know exactly what is included and can compare it properly against anyone else.
3. Scaffold and strip. Scaffold goes up first. We only strip what we can make watertight again the same day.
4. Recovering. Membrane, battens and covering, working in sections so the house is never left open to the weather.
5. Building Control inspections. Arranged and attended where the work requires them.
6. Sign off. Scaffold comes down, the site is cleared, and you get your written guarantee.

Materials

Interlocking tiles

The covering on most Norfolk houses built since the war, and the one we lay more of than anything else. An interlocking tile sheds water down a moulded joint at its edge rather than relying on a double lap, so the roof takes fewer tiles, goes on quicker and costs less per square metre than plain tile or slate. They come in concrete and in clay, in flat, low and pantile profiles, and in enough colours to match what is already on the street or to change the look of the house completely.

Plain tiles and clay pantiles

The traditional coverings on the older properties around the county. Plain tiles are laid double lapped, so a plain tile roof takes roughly three times as many tiles as an interlocking one and prices accordingly. Clay pantiles are what a lot of Norfolk village property was built with and often what a conservation officer will insist on.

Slate

Natural and artificial, covered in more detail on our slate roof replacements page.

Whichever covering you go with, the dry ridge and verge systems go on with it. If you are in a conservation area or your house is listed, we will tell you what you are allowed to use before you fall in love with something you cannot have.