Cambridge Roofers carries out roof repairs across Soham and the surrounding area, fixing leaks, broken tiles, failed flashings and repointed ridges with targeted work that gets the problem solved properly.
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A roof repair can mean anything from lifting a single slipped slate and re-bedding it, to stripping a section of ridge, repointing it in fresh mortar and re-laying the ridge tiles on a flexible bedding system. The scope of the job depends entirely on what has failed and why. Common repairs we carry out include replacing cracked or missing tiles, re-fixing loose lead flashings at chimney stacks and abutment walls, patching felt underlays where water has tracked through, and clearing blocked valleys that are causing water to back up under the tiles.
A slipped tile, a loose flashing, or a failed mortar haunch on a ridge is not a reason to replace the whole roof. If a targeted fix will resolve the problem, that is what we quote.
The most obvious sign is a water stain on a ceiling or in a loft space, but by the time water shows inside the house the problem outside has usually been present for a while. Other signs worth acting on include:
Granule loss on concrete or clay plain tiles is a sign the tiles are reaching the end of their serviceable life. It does not always mean the roof needs replacing immediately, but it is a useful indicator of overall condition and worth factoring into your decision about how much repair work is sensible.
Replacing a small number of broken or slipped tiles, including lifting and relaying the surrounding tiles carefully, typically costs in the region of £150 to £350 for most domestic properties, depending on the number of tiles and the pitch and access involved. Repointing a ridge or hip in new mortar, or replacing a ridge section with a dry-fix system, usually runs from £300 to £800 depending on the length of the run. Flashing repairs at a chimney stack commonly fall in the range of £200 to £500. These are typical UK figures for standard pitched roofs; a complex chimney, an unusual tile type or difficult access will move the price accordingly.
Flat roof patch repairs on felt systems are generally in the range of £150 to £400 for a small area. EPDM rubber repairs, where a seam or membrane edge has lifted, typically fall in a similar bracket.
This is where a lot of homeowners come unstuck. Roofing is not a regulated trade in the way that gas or electrical work is. Anyone can call themselves a roofer. That means the standard varies enormously, and choosing the wrong contractor can cost you considerably more than the original problem was worth.
Here is what to look for, and what to ask, before you agree to any work.
A good roofer should be able to tell you plainly what has failed, what caused it and what they plan to do about it. If the answer is vague - along the lines of "it all needs doing" or "you'll have problems if we don't sort the whole thing" - ask them to be specific. What tiles exactly? Which section of ridge? Where is the flashing failing?
If they cannot or will not explain the problem in plain terms, that is a warning sign. Likewise, if they offer to get up and look at the roof but then produce a quote without showing you any photos or describing what they saw, be cautious. A professional should be able to show you the problem, either in person or with photographs from the roof.
Push back on any quote that involves more work than seems necessary for the symptoms you have described. If you have a single water stain in one corner of a bedroom, the cause is almost certainly localised. Ask the contractor directly: could this be fixed with a targeted repair rather than a larger section of work? A straightforward roofer will tell you yes if that is the case, and give you a price for the smaller job. If the answer is always "we need to do the whole roof", seek a second opinion.
That said, do not dismiss a recommendation for more extensive work without understanding the reasoning. If the tiles are aged and brittle, if the mortar bedding on the ridge is failing across its full length, or if the felt underlay has deteriorated, doing a patch repair may mean returning within a year with the same problem in a different spot. A good contractor should explain the cost and risk of different options honestly, and let you decide.
For any repair job above a couple of hundred pounds, getting two or three quotes is sensible. Not because the cheapest is always wrong - sometimes it is simply that one contractor has lower overheads - but because comparing quotes helps you understand whether the scope of work being described is consistent. If one contractor is quoting to replace a section of ridge and two others are quoting to repoint it, that difference is worth exploring before you sign anything.
For jobs involving lead work or chimney flashings, the price difference between contractors can be significant. Make sure quotes cover the same specification - new lead versus resealing existing lead makes a real difference to longevity and to cost.
Any contractor working at height on a residential roof should be using appropriate access equipment. For most houses that means a properly footed ladder at minimum, and for larger or more complex jobs, scaffold. If a contractor proposes to inspect or carry out work from a ladder only on a roof with significant work to do, that raises questions both about safety and about how thoroughly the roof can be inspected.
Ask whether scaffold is included in the price, or whether it will be an additional cost. On many straightforward repairs, a ladder will be perfectly adequate. On a chimney stack repair or a ridge reline, it almost always makes sense to have a platform to work from safely.
It is reasonable for a contractor to ask for a deposit on larger jobs, particularly where materials need to be ordered. A deposit of 25 to 30 percent of the job value is typical. Paying the full amount before work begins leaves you with very little recourse if something goes wrong. For small repairs in the £150 to £350 range, most established contractors will expect payment on completion.
Be wary of any contractor who requires the full payment in cash before starting, or who cannot give you a clear written breakdown of what the price includes. A simple written quote specifying the work to be done, the materials to be used and the total price gives you something to refer to if there is a dispute.
Matching tiles matters more than many homeowners realise. If you have reclaimed clay plain tiles, handmade clay tiles or a less common concrete profile, a roofer needs to know where to source a match and how to handle them correctly. Lifting and re-laying brittle or aged tiles without breaking neighbouring ones takes care and experience. Ask whether they have worked with your tile type before and, if you are concerned about matching, ask them to source a sample before committing.
When the work is done, you should not be able to see a visible join between new and old tiles unless the tiles could not be matched - and if they could not be matched, the contractor should have told you beforehand. Ridge pointing should be smooth, without large blobs of mortar on the tile faces. Lead flashings should be dressed neatly into the joints in the brickwork and secured with lead wedges, not just pointed over with mortar. If a flashing has been resealed rather than relaid, the sealant should be applied cleanly to the joint, not smeared across the tile surface.
After any roof repair, go into the loft space during or after the next heavy rain and check that the area around the repair is dry. This is the simplest and most reliable way to confirm the work has resolved the problem.
From Soham we cover the surrounding villages and also work across Cambridge and nearby towns including Ely, Histon, Milton, Girton, Impington, Fen Ditton, Comberton, and Papworth Everard. If you are not sure whether we cover your area, call us and we will tell you straight.
When you want a roof survey and an honest assessment of what needs doing, ask the roofer to explain what they found and what it will cost to fix before you agree any work. We will tell you what we found, what caused it and what it will cost to fix - without pressure to commit to more work than is necessary.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
