For homeowners in Sturmer facing a full roof replacement, here is exactly what the job involves from the first inspection to the final clean-up.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
A roof replacement is not a job you can oversee easily once scaffolding goes up and work starts. That puts you in a position where you are relying on the roofer to do things correctly in the right order, out of sight. Understanding what a properly done job looks like - step by step - means you can ask the right questions before work begins and know what to look for when it is finished.
Before any price is discussed, someone needs to look at the roof properly. That means getting eyes on the covering from above, checking the loft space from inside, and looking at the condition of the fascias, soffits, gutters and any flashings around chimneys or abutments.
From the loft, a good inspection checks whether daylight is visible through the underlay or boards, whether there is any staining on the timbers that indicates past or current leaks, and whether the rafters and purlins are straight and sound. Sagging timbers or evidence of rot changes the scope and cost of the job significantly.
From outside, the inspector is looking at whether tiles or slates are cracked, slipping, or spalling, and whether the overall roof plane is still flat and true. A roof that has visibly moved or dipped has a structural problem that needs addressing before the covering goes back on.
Any roofer who quotes for a full replacement without physically inspecting the roof - either from a ladder or from inside the loft - is guessing at what is underneath. That guess tends to become your problem later.
Safe working at height on a domestic roof requires proper scaffolding. Towers or hop-up boards are fine for gutter and fascia work, but a full re-roof needs a scaffold that goes around the building and provides a working platform at eaves level.
Before stripping begins, the area below the roof line is protected. Skips or bags are positioned for the old tiles, and any plants, conservatories or features close to the building are covered or boarded. Old tiles and slates are heavy and the stripping stage produces a lot of debris quickly.
Stripping starts at the ridge and works downward. Ridge tiles come off first, then the field tiles or slates, then the old underfelt, then the battens. Everything comes off - there is no value in leaving old battens in place under a new felt and new tiles. Old battens are often partially rotted, unevenly spaced for the original tile profile, and not treated to current standards.
The stripped material goes off the roof into the skip. On most houses, stripping a full roof takes one to two days depending on size and the material being removed - natural slate is slower to strip carefully than interlocking concrete tiles.
With the roof bare, every timber is checked by hand and eye. Rafters are inspected for rot, splits and any sections that have taken water damage. The ridge board, purlins and any hip or valley timbers are checked the same way. Any timber that is soft, crumbling or structurally compromised is cut out and replaced with new treated timber.
This stage is not optional, and it should not be hurried. A new roof covering on top of failing timbers will not last, and the failure will not be visible from inside the house until water has already spread. If a roofer is not building timber repairs into the price or at least flagging the possibility, that is worth questioning.
Any existing insulation is also assessed at this point. With the structure exposed, it is straightforward to add or upgrade loft insulation before the new covering goes on - and doing it now is much more cost-effective than revisiting it later.
Modern roofs use a breathable underlay rather than the old bitumen felt. Breathable membranes allow moisture vapour to escape from the roof space while still keeping wind and rain out. The old black bitumen felt becomes brittle and tears over time - it is one of the main reasons older roofs need full replacement rather than just a new covering.
The membrane is laid horizontally from eaves to ridge, with each course overlapping the one below. It is then fixed with new treated timber battens at the correct gauge for the tile or slate being used. Gauge simply means the spacing of the battens - get this wrong and the tiles do not sit at the right angle, which affects both the appearance and the weathering performance.
The new covering goes on from the eaves upward. On a plain tile or natural slate roof, each tile or slate is individually nailed - in exposed positions, or on steeper pitches, every one is nailed; on more sheltered lower pitches some systems allow for alternate nailing. Interlocking concrete tiles are typically nailed at the edges and rely partly on their interlocking profile to hold them in place, though again exposed positions require more fixings.
Valleys - where two roof planes meet - are formed with lead or a purpose-made valley trough. Lead is the traditional and most durable method. Hip and ridge tiles are bedded and pointed in the same operation. All of this is done as a continuous run with the tiling, not as an afterthought.
Any chimney, skylight, roof window, or point where the roof meets a wall needs a flashing. Lead is the material of choice for this work - it forms to the shape, bonds to the brickwork with a sealant and wedge, and when fitted correctly will outlast the roof covering. Stepped flashings, soakers, and aprons around chimneys all need to be fitted properly or they will be the first point of failure on an otherwise new roof.
Verge details - the exposed edges of the roof at the gable ends - are either pointed in mortar (traditional) or finished with dry verge clips (which do not need repointing). Both are acceptable; dry verge is generally more durable as mortar can crack and lift over time.
Once the covering is complete, gutters and downpipes are checked and cleared of any debris from the job. The scaffolding is struck and the site is cleared of all waste. A visual check from ground level should confirm that the roof lines are straight, the ridge is true, the pointing is neat, and there are no raised or out-of-line tiles.
At the end of the job you should be left with a clean site. Any skips or bags used during the stripping phase should be collected before the scaffolding comes down.
We cover roof replacements in Sturmer and across the wider area around Haverhill, including Withersfield, Steeple Bumpstead, Kedington, Great Wratting, Horseheath, Castle Camps, Linton, Stoke by Clare, Ridgewell, Poslingford and Great Sampford.
If you think your roof may need replacing, call Haverhill Roofers to arrange a proper inspection. We will tell you what we find and what the job involves before you decide anything.
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.
