Scroll through the ten stages. The drawing builds up as you go and points out each part of the roof.
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Step 1 · Before we start
A proper look first
Before anyone talks prices, we get up close. We check the tiles, the ridge along the top, the felt underneath and the timbers holding it all up, and we measure so the price is right. Then you get a fixed price in writing that says exactly what's included.
- Ridge
- The line along the very top of the roof.
- Felt or underlay
- The sheet under the tiles: the roof's second line of defence.
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Step 2 · Day 1
Scaffolding goes up
A full scaffold goes up front and back, with guard rails and toe boards so nothing (and nobody) comes off the edge. It's our safe working platform at gutter height, and somewhere to keep materials off your drive. It usually goes up a day or two before we start, and it's often the noisiest part of the job.
- Toe board
- The plank along the edge of the platform that stops tools and tiles rolling off.
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Step 3 · Days 1 to 2
Off with the old roof
We strip the old tiles, battens and felt a section at a time, rather than opening the whole roof at once. It all goes down a rubbish chute into the skip. There will be some dust in the loft, so it's worth covering anything you keep up there.
- Battens
- The thin strips of timber the tiles hang on.
- Stripping
- Taking the old roof covering off, down to the timbers.
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Step 4 · Day 2
Checking the bones
With the tiles off we can see the timbers properly. Anything rotten or split gets put right, usually by fixing a new length of timber alongside the old one, which is called sistering. If we find something we didn't expect, we show you and agree the cost before we do it.
- Rafters
- The sloping timbers that carry the roof.
- Purlin
- The big beam that props the rafters halfway up.
- Wall plate
- The timber along the top of the wall that the rafters sit on.
- Ridge board
- The board along the top where the rafters meet.
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Step 5 · Days 2 to 3
Membrane and battens
Next comes a breathable membrane: a tough sheet that stops any rain that gets past the tiles, but lets damp air out of the loft so the roof doesn't sweat. New treated battens are nailed on top, spaced to suit the tile. Along the bottom, eaves trays guide any water into the gutter, and vents keep air moving through the roof.
- Eaves
- The bottom edge of the roof, where the gutter is.
- Gauge
- The spacing between the battens, set by the tile you've chosen.
- BS 5534
- The British Standard for fixing battens and tiles. It's what we work to.
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Step 6 · Days 3 to 5
The tiles go on
Tiling starts at the eaves and works up to the ridge, each row overlapping the one below. Every tile is nailed or clipped to the battens to meet today's wind rules, so they stay put in a storm. This is when your house starts to look different, and it moves quickly.
- Headlap
- How far each row of tiles overlaps the row below.
- Interlocking tiles
- Tiles with grooves down the sides that lock into their neighbours.
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Step 7 · Day 5
Ridge and hips
The ridge tiles go on last, fixed with a dry ridge system: screws, clips and a vented roll instead of mortar. With no mortar to crack and wash out, they stay put and need far less looking after. Hips and verges get the same dry-fixed finish.
- Hips
- The sloping edges where two roof slopes meet, on a hipped roof.
- Verge
- The edge of the roof at a gable end.
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Step 8 · Days 5 to 6
Leadwork
Anywhere the roof meets a chimney or a wall needs flashing, and we use lead, cut and dressed by hand. A chimney gets an apron across the front, step and cover flashings up the sides, and a back gutter behind it to carry the water round. Valleys, where two slopes meet in a dip, are lined in lead too.
- Flashing
- A strip of lead that seals the joint where the roof meets something.
- Code 4 lead
- The standard thickness of lead for flashings.
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Step 9 · Day 6
Fascias, soffits and gutters
If you're having the roofline done, this is when it happens: new uPVC fascia boards along the ends of the rafters, vented soffits underneath so air can get into the roof, and new gutters and downpipes. No more painting, and the rain goes where it should.
- Fascia
- The board along the bottom edge of the roof that the gutter is fixed to.
- Soffit
- The board underneath that closes the gap back to the wall.
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Step 10 · Day 7 and after
Signed off and tidied up
We clear up, sweep the drive and garden with a magnet for stray nails, and check every gutter runs. The scaffold comes down soon after. A re-roof needs Building Regulations sign-off, so we sort that, and you get the certificate along with your 10-year written guarantee.
Days are for a typical 3-bed semi in reasonable weather. Bigger or more complicated roofs, and wet weeks, take longer.
How you can help
- Move cars off the drive if the scaffold or skip needs the space.
- Cover or move anything stored in the loft. Dust gets in when the old roof comes off.
- Let your neighbours know. Semis and terraces share a roof line, and the scaffold may need to go near their side.
- Keep children and pets away from the scaffold and the skip.
- You don't need to be in all day, but we'll need to reach you if we find something unexpected.
Next time it rains, just listen.
A new roof, done properly, with a fixed price before we start.