Cambridge Roofers carry out full new roof installations in Milton, handling every stage from the initial inspection through to final clean-up.
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Most homeowners have never watched a roof being replaced from start to finish. The process takes several days on a standard house, involves more stages than most people expect, and the quality of each stage affects the reliability of the one that follows. This page walks through the entire job in sequence so you know what to expect and what questions to ask.
A proper survey before any work starts is not a formality. It determines what the job actually involves and what it will cost. A thorough inspection covers three things: the roof covering itself (tiles, slate, mortar), the underlay beneath them, and the structural timber underneath that.
From outside, the inspector looks at the overall line of the ridge and hips (any sag or wave suggests structural movement), the condition of mortar on ridge tiles, verges and chimney flashings, the state of any valleys, and whether tiles or slates are slipping, cracking or missing. From inside the loft, the inspection checks for daylight coming through, staining or damp patches on rafters and sarking boards, and whether the ridge board, wall plates and rafter feet show any sign of rot.
The inspection should produce a clear picture of what needs to be replaced as part of the standard job, and what additional structural repairs are likely once the covering is stripped. On older properties, rotten sections of timber are often only fully visible once the tiles are off. A good roofer will price the standard job and give you a clear explanation of how additional structural work will be priced if it is found during the strip.
Safe scaffold is non-negotiable on a full re-roof. Working from ladders alone is neither safe nor practical for a job that takes multiple days and involves stripping and re-covering an entire roof. On a standard house, scaffold is typically erected around the affected elevations and will include a working platform at eaves level and, for taller properties, a higher-level platform along the ridge.
Scaffold is usually erected the day before the main roofing team arrives. A skip or builders bags for the stripped material are positioned on the drive or roadside. If the work is in a road with parking restrictions or the skip needs to go on the public highway, a permit is required from the local authority - this should be arranged before work starts, not on the morning.
Stripping starts at the ridge and works down to the eaves. Ridge tiles are removed first, then the main field tiles or slates are taken off course by course. Old underlay is stripped out and the battens are removed from the rafters.
Everything that comes off goes straight into the skip or bags. Old concrete tiles are particularly heavy, and the disposal cost is included in a properly itemised quote - watch for quotes that omit it.
Once the covering is off, the bare rafters are fully visible. This is when the true condition of the structural timber becomes clear. Any sections showing rot, insect damage or cracking are assessed. Minor damage to the ends of rafters at the eaves is common and is cut back to sound timber and spliced. More extensive damage requires longer sections to be sistered alongside the existing rafter.
This stage only applies where the inspection or stripping reveals damage. Structural repairs on a new roof installation typically involve one or more of the following:
Once the timbers are sound, new breathable roofing membrane is fixed to the rafters. Breathable membrane (as distinct from the traditional impermeable sarking felt used on older roofs) allows water vapour from inside the house to escape through the roof structure. This reduces the risk of condensation building up in the roof space, which in turn protects the new timber and the underside of the tile battens.
The membrane is laid horizontally from the eaves upward, each course overlapping the one below. The overlap at joins must be sufficient to prevent wind-driven rain from getting under the lap. At the eaves, the membrane should drain into the gutter, not behind it. At abutments, it is dressed up behind the flashing.
Treated softwood battens are nailed to the rafters over the membrane. The spacing between battens (called the gauge) is calculated from the tile specification - each tile or slate manufacturer publishes the correct gauge for their product at different roof pitches. Using the wrong gauge means tiles do not overlap correctly, which affects both weathertightness and appearance.
A tile batten is typically 25mm by 50mm, fixed to the rafter with galvanised or stainless steel nails. Stainless steel fixings cost slightly more but resist corrosion far longer, which matters because the battens are not accessible again without stripping the roof.
Tiles or slates are loaded onto the scaffold and worked from the eaves upward. The bottom course (eaves course) uses shorter tiles or an undercloak to maintain the correct angle of the first full course. Each tile is fixed - the amount of mechanical fixing depends on the tile type, the roof pitch and the exposure of the property. On steeper pitches or more exposed positions, every tile should be individually nailed.
At the verges (the edges of the roof at the gable ends), tiles are either mechanically fixed using a dry-verge system or bedded on mortar with a pointing finish. Dry-verge is now standard practice on new installations because mortar pointing at verges is a known failure point - frost opens hairline cracks, water gets in, the mortar loosens and verge tiles blow off in wind. Dry-fix systems use interlocking plastic or aluminium components that do not rely on mortar.
Valleys - where two roof slopes meet - are formed using lead valley gutters or purpose-made valley troughs. Lead is the premium option and, correctly dressed, will outlast the tiles around it. Valley troughs are a reliable and less expensive alternative and are widely used on standard domestic work.
Ridge tiles and hip tiles sit on the highest points of the roof. The traditional method uses sand-and-cement mortar to bed them in place. Frost and thermal movement gradually open the mortar joints, allowing water in and eventually loosening the tiles. Dry-fix ridge and hip systems, using mechanical clips and a continuous ventilated cap, are now the standard approach on new roofs and eliminate this failure point.
Flashings are the junctions between the roof covering and any vertical surface - chimney stacks, parapet walls, dormer sides, soil pipe penetrations. Lead is the standard material and is hand-dressed on site to fit each junction precisely. A flashing that is correctly stepped into the mortar joints of a brick chimney and sealed with chase mortar will remain watertight for decades. A flashing that is simply stuck against the brickwork with sealant will not.
Once the tiling is complete, the gutters are checked. Blocked or misaligned gutters are one of the causes of rafter-end rot in the first place, because overflowing water runs down the fascia and into the eaves. New fascia boards and guttering can be fitted as part of the roof job if needed.
The roofer should carry out a final visual check from the scaffold before it comes down, looking for any misaligned tiles, open joints at the verge or ridge, and any flashing details that need dressing. Once the scaffold is down, the chance to correct small issues without extra cost disappears.
Clean-up includes removing all stripped material from the skip, sweeping the drive and removing any tile debris from the garden. The site should be left as it was found.
The roofing work itself typically takes several working days on a standard house. Scaffold erection and dismantling adds a day at each end. More complex roofs with multiple hips, valleys, dormers or chimney stacks take longer. Weather will affect the programme - tiles should not be fixed in ice or heavy frost, and scaffold must meet safety requirements in high winds before workers can go up.
If you would like a detailed survey of your roof and a clear quote for a new installation, call us to arrange a visit. We will inspect both the covering and the structure, and give you a written breakdown of exactly what the job involves.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
