Haverhill Roofers carries out full roof replacements in Saffron Walden, taking the job from first assessment through to final clean-up in a logical, structured order.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Homeowners often ask what they should expect when a roofer arrives to replace their roof. The steps involved are the same whether the house is a bungalow, a semi or a detached, and knowing the sequence helps you ask the right questions and recognise good work from poor work.
Before any material is ordered or a price given, the roof needs to be assessed properly. A good assessment covers the visible covering from the ground, then a loft inspection to look at the underside of the rafters, the condition of the felt underlay, the battens and the ridge board. This is where problems hidden from the outside show themselves: soft timber, damp staining on the felt, or daylight visible between tiles.
Signs that a replacement is the right course rather than further repairs include: tiles failing or slipping across multiple sections of the roof, not just one area; mortar pointing crumbling along the full length of the ridge; felt underlay that is wet or torn in several places; and rafters or battens that show signs of rot. A competent roofer will point these things out to you and explain what they mean.
Do not let anyone quote for a replacement based solely on a ground-level look. The loft inspection is not optional; it is where the real condition of the roof structure is revealed.
Once the assessment is done, you and your roofer should agree on what the job covers. That includes the tile or slate material, whether the underlay will be replaced (it should be on a full replacement), whether battens will be replaced throughout or only where damaged, and what will happen to the ridge, hips, valleys and any flashings.
For pitched roofs the main material choices are natural slate (Welsh or Spanish), plain clay tiles, and concrete interlocking tiles. Each has different cost, weight and lifespan characteristics. Where a property has a flat or low-pitch section, EPDM rubber membrane or torch-on high-performance felt are the standard options. The right material depends on the pitch of your roof, the capacity of the structure to carry it, and sometimes planning requirements for your area.
Get the scope in writing before work starts. You should know exactly what is included: stripping the old roof, disposing of the waste, underlay, battens, tiles or slate, ridge and hip work, flashing, guttering if relevant, and the condition of the work area when they leave.
A full roof replacement requires full perimeter scaffolding. There are no shortcuts here. Scaffold should be erected before any stripping begins, not added partway through. Check that the scaffold is stable, properly tied to the building and fitted with toe boards and edge protection. If a contractor proposes to work from ladders alone on a full replacement, that is a serious safety concern.
Stripping means removing everything down to the bare rafters: tiles, slate or existing covering, all old battens, and the old underlay. Old battens are removed even if some look sound, because the nail holes left from the original fixing compromise their strength when re-used. The stripping process generates significant waste; a professional job includes proper removal and disposal, either by skip or by bagging and removing by hand where skip access is difficult.
Once stripped, the rafter faces are exposed and this is the correct point for the timber inspection. Any rafter showing rot, movement or damage is addressed now, before anything goes back on top. Sistering (attaching a new rafter alongside a damaged one) is a standard repair method. The ridge board is also checked at this stage.
Modern breathable underlay membrane is fixed to the rafters across the full roof, lapped at the joins and turned into the gutters at the eaves. Breathable membrane allows water vapour from inside the loft to escape, reducing condensation risk. Counter-battening may be used to create a ventilated cavity between the underlay and the tile batten on some specifications. Tile battens are then fixed at the gauge (spacing) that suits the chosen tile or slate, calculated precisely so each course overlaps correctly.
Tiling or slating starts at the eaves and works upward to the ridge. Eaves tiles and the verge details are set out first because they fix the starting line for the whole roof. Tiles are laid in broken bond (staggered joints) to prevent water tracking down a continuous joint. Valleys between roof slopes are lined with lead or a proprietary valley liner before the tiles around them are cut and fitted. Hip tiles are fixed and bedded as the work reaches the hips, and finally the ridge is completed.
Lead flashings around chimneys, dormers and abutments are dressed, lapped and fixed at this stage. Flashings that have failed are a common cause of roof leaks; a full replacement is the right time to renew them regardless of their apparent condition.
Before scaffolding comes down, the finished roof should be walked and checked: every ridge tile bedded and pointed, all flashings dressed correctly, no loose or cracked tiles, valleys and hips properly finished. This is also the point to check that gutters are re-hung at the correct fall and that no tile debris has been left in them.
A professional job leaves the site tidy. That means waste removed, paths and drives cleared of tile debris, mortar droppings swept up and scaffold struck and taken away promptly. Leaving scaffolding up after the work is done adds to the cost and is a security concern.
How often should a roof be inspected? Every two to three years is a sensible interval for a ground-level inspection, plus after any severe storm. You can check a great deal from an upstairs window or with binoculars: ridge condition, tile faces, mortar, and gutters.
Should moss be removed before a survey? No. Moss shows how long moisture has been present and helps a roofer judge how far the damage goes. Leave it until after the assessment.
Does roof cleaning damage tiles? Pressure washing can displace fragile tiles and strip surface coatings. On a roof approaching the end of its life, cleaning rarely adds meaningful extra service life. Where cleaning is appropriate on a sound roof, low-pressure biocide treatment is gentler than pressure washing.
Can insulation be improved at the same time? Yes, and replacement is the ideal opportunity. With the roof stripped, adding or upgrading loft insulation is straightforward and avoids the need to organise a separate job.
We are based in Haverhill and cover the surrounding area on both sides of the Suffolk and Essex border. Villages and towns we work in include Linton, Horseheath, Castle Camps, Steeple Bumpstead, Kedington, Great Wratting, Withersfield, Sturmer, Poslingford, Stoke by Clare, Ridgewell and the wider area around Saffron Walden.
If your roof is showing signs of wear or you want to know where it stands before a problem develops, call Haverhill Roofers to arrange a proper inspection. We will go through what we find and explain clearly what needs to happen next.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
