Haverhill Roofers handles new pitched roof installations in Fulbourn, covering every stage of the work from the initial inspection through to final clean-up, using concrete tiles, clay tiles, natural slate and Suffolk pantiles.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
A new roof project begins with a proper look at what is already there. Before any material is ordered or scaffolding erected, the roof structure needs to be assessed. On an extension this means confirming the ridge height, rafter size, wall plate fixing and the proposed tile's compatibility with the roof pitch. On a re-roof of an existing building it means checking the rafter and purlin condition, identifying any rot or beetle damage in the timber, and deciding whether any structural repairs are needed before the new covering goes on.
It is at this stage that decisions about insulation are best made. If the loft space below is accessible storage or living space, the appropriate position for insulation changes how the underlay must be specified. A breathable membrane is required where insulation sits between and over the rafters. Sorting this out before ordering saves the cost of undoing work later.
Material quantities are measured from the roof area, adjusted for pitch, wastage and the specific tile format. Underlay, batten lengths, ridge tiles, hip tiles, valley liners, soaker blanks and fixings are all calculated separately. Ordering short causes delays; ordering significantly over wastes money. On a typical extension roof of 30 to 50 square metres, getting the quantities right at the start keeps the job running without unnecessary trips back to the merchants.
On most residential roof replacements and new builds, scaffolding is required rather than optional. A properly erected scaffold provides a safe working platform and edge protection at eaves level, and it allows materials to be stacked at roof level rather than manhandled up ladders throughout the job. The scaffold should be erected before stripping begins, and it should remain in place until the roof is fully complete, flashings dressed and ridge bedded or mechanically fixed.
On smaller outbuildings a tower scaffold or mobile platform may be sufficient. The choice depends on the eaves height and the complexity of the roof shape. Never let a roofer work off a ladder alone on a pitched roof of any significant size.
On a re-roof the existing covering is stripped first. Tiles are removed and lowered by hand or passed down chutes to a skip or waste area at ground level. Ridge tiles, hip tiles and valley liners come off separately. Once the covering is stripped, the old underlay and battens are removed and disposed of.
This is when the full condition of the roof structure becomes visible. Any rafter ends that have rotted at the eaves, any purlins with beetle damage, and any sections of sarking board or decking that have taken on moisture are identified and replaced before the new covering goes on. Skipping this step and covering over structural problems is how roofs fail prematurely.
On a new-build extension the frame is inspected before any work proceeds. Rafter centres, ridge board fixing and wall plate levelling are all checked. A ridge that is not true results in a roofline that looks wrong from the street and can cause tile courses to run out of line.
The first layer to go on is the underlay. On a pitched roof this is a breathable membrane for most modern applications, rolled out horizontally from eaves to ridge with a consistent overlap at each course. The underlay is draped slightly between rafters rather than pulled tight, which ensures any water that gets past the tiles runs down to the eaves rather than sitting in a depression. The bottom edge of the underlay laps into the eaves gutter or over the fascia board to direct water away from the wall.
At abutments, chimneys and any penetrations, the underlay is cut and turned up against the vertical surface and taped or dressed under the flashing. Getting this right means the underlay acts as a secondary barrier if the outer flashing is ever compromised.
Pressure-treated battens are fixed through the underlay into the rafters at the gauge set by the tile specification. The gauge is calculated from the tile's maximum and minimum exposure at the design pitch. Getting the gauge wrong by even a small margin means water can track back under the tiles at the head lap, particularly in wind-driven rain. Battens are checked for level across the slope before any tiles go on.
At the eaves the first batten is set to give the correct overhang into the gutter. At the verge the batten ends are covered by a dry-fixed verge system or bedded mortar, depending on the finish specified.
Tiling starts at the eaves with the starter course. On most concrete and clay tiles this involves a half-tile or a proprietary eaves course tile to set the bond correctly for the courses above. Plain clay tiles use a double eaves course. Each course is laid with the joints staggered to avoid straight lines of water ingress up the slope.
Fixings at the eaves and on every tile in exposed positions are required by the BS 5534 standard. The number of nailed tiles per course and the use of clips varies by pitch, exposure zone and tile type. In practice this means more fixings than would have been used on older roofs, which makes the finished roof more resistant to wind uplift.
Hip tiles and ridge tiles are fixed last. Modern installations increasingly use dry-fix ridge and hip systems rather than traditional mortar bedding. Dry-fix avoids the cracking and washing-out that affects mortar over time and reduces maintenance further down the line. Where mortar is used, it should be properly mixed and coloured to match the tile.
Lead flashings are dressed at every junction between the roof and a vertical surface. Step flashings are cut and fixed course by course up a brick wall, with each piece tucked into the mortar joint and turned down over the soakers below. A back gutter at the top of an abutment wall is dressed with a lead apron. Valley gutters are lined with lead or with a preformed valley liner depending on specification.
Lead needs to be correctly fixed without over-pinning, which restricts its thermal movement and causes splitting. Code 4 is standard for step and cover flashings; Code 5 for valleys and gutters carrying a significant water load. Each piece of lead should have a patination oil treatment on completion to prevent white carbonate staining.
Once the tile work and flashings are complete, any dry-fix ridge or hip cappings are snapped into position and mechanical fixed caps fitted at the ends. The roof is walked to check for any tiles sitting proud, any displaced fixings or any gaps in the verge detail. Gutters are checked to confirm they run to fall and that debris from the work has been cleared.
Scaffold is struck once all work is signed off. Skips or waste bags are removed and the working area is cleared. At this point the customer should be able to walk around the building and inspect the ridge, verge, eaves and flashings. Any questions about the finished detail should be answered by the roofer before they leave site.
If you are planning a new roof on an extension, outbuilding or new build, call us to arrange an on-site assessment before you commit to materials or start any groundwork.
No obligation · We'll call you to arrange a free visit
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
