Cambridge Roofers installs new roofs in Great Shelford, covering everything from clay and concrete tiles to natural slate on homes of all sizes.
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The price most homeowners want to know first is a fair one to ask. A new pitched roof on a typical three-bedroom semi in the Great Shelford area generally falls somewhere between £6,000 and £12,000 for materials and labour combined. A larger detached property with a complex roof shape, multiple hips or a steep pitch can push that closer to £15,000 to £20,000 or beyond. These are honest working figures, not marketing promises, and your own quote will depend on a specific survey of your roof.
Flat roofs sit in a different bracket. A garage or single-storey extension roof using a quality EPDM rubber membrane typically costs £70 to £120 per square metre installed, depending on access, the condition of the decking beneath and which system you choose. Felt built-up systems are cheaper to buy but shorter-lived than EPDM, so the lower upfront figure does not always mean the better value over time.
Access is one of the biggest variables. A detached property where scaffolding needs to wrap around two or more elevations costs more to set up safely than a terraced house where the scaffold only covers the front or rear. Scaffolding on a restricted plot, or where a neighbour's garden must be accessed, adds time and cost before a single tile has been touched.
Roof shape matters too. A simple gable roof with a single ridge is the most straightforward to strip and re-cover. Add in hips, valleys, dormers or a chimney stack and the number of junction points multiplies. Each one needs careful flashing work in lead or an appropriate alternative, and those details take time to do properly.
Choosing a concrete interlocking tile instead of natural slate reduces material costs significantly. Modern concrete tiles have improved considerably over older versions, and many carry long manufacturer finish warranties on colour and texture. They suit a wide range of residential properties.
Timing the job outside the peak summer season can occasionally give you more flexibility on scheduling, though pricing tends to be relatively stable year-round for established roofers. The bigger saving usually comes from getting the job scoped accurately upfront so there are no surprises mid-project. A proper survey before work starts means the quote reflects what is actually there.
Where a roof is being stripped anyway, it is also worth having the loft insulation assessed at the same time. Adding or upgrading insulation between or over the rafters when the roof is already open costs a fraction of what it would if done as a separate project later.
Natural slate - sourced from Wales, Spain or Portugal - is the premium option for pitched roofs. Welsh slate in particular has a lifespan that, on a well-built roof, can exceed a century. Spanish and Portuguese slate is less expensive and still performs well, but varies in quality between suppliers. Any roofer quoting natural slate should be able to tell you the origin and grade of the slate they intend to use.
Concrete interlocking tiles are the workhouse of modern residential roofing. They are heavier than natural slate, so the roof structure must be able to carry the load, but they install faster and require less cutting on complex shapes. Many manufacturers offer profiles that replicate the look of traditional clay plain tiles or pantiles.
Clay plain tiles and clay pantiles are the traditional choice for older properties and in areas where the local authority wants original materials maintained. They cost more than concrete and are more labour-intensive to lay, but they are genuinely the most sympathetic material on period homes.
For flat roofs, EPDM rubber has become the material of choice for quality installations. It bonds to the deck in a single sheet with very few seams, which is where older felt systems most often fail. A properly installed EPDM roof typically performs for 25 years or more before any significant maintenance is needed.
A new roof starts with stripping everything back to the timber. That means removing all existing tiles or slates, stripping out old felt underlay, and inspecting every rafter and batten for rot, insect damage or inadequate sizing. Anything structurally compromised gets replaced at this stage rather than covered over.
New breathable membrane underlay goes on next, followed by treated timber battens fixed at the correct gauge for the chosen tile or slate. The tiles or slates are then laid from the eaves up, with each course bedded and fixed according to the manufacturer's specification and the pitch of the roof. Ridge tiles and hip tiles are bedded in mortar or, increasingly, mechanically fixed using a dry-fix system that does not shrink or crack over time the way mortar can.
Flashings around chimneys, abutments and valleys are cut from lead or a high-quality lead alternative and stepped and dressed carefully into the masonry. This is the detail work that separates a roof that lasts from one that leaks within a few winters.
We carry out new roof installations across Great Shelford and the surrounding villages, as well as Cambridge itself and nearby towns including Royston, Saffron Walden and Newmarket. Whether you have a straightforward pitched roof needing a full re-cover or a more complex job with dormers, chimneys and flat roof sections, we can survey the property and give you a clear breakdown of what the work involves and what it will cost.
Call us to arrange a roof survey in Great Shelford and get a written breakdown of costs before you commit to anything.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
