Wymondham Roofers installs new roofs in Attleborough and the surrounding area, and here is exactly what that process looks like from the first inspection to the final clear-up.
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Every new roof installation starts from the roof itself, not from the pavement. A ground-level look tells you something is wrong but not what or why. A proper survey means getting on the roof with a ladder and physically inspecting the tiles, ridge, hips, flashings, and felt. From inside the loft, we check the rafter condition, the batten spacing, whether there is any sign of previous water damage to the timbers, and whether existing insulation needs to come out before the work starts.
This survey determines the scope of the job. It tells us whether any timber needs replacing before the new covering goes on, what pitch we are working with and what tile or slate is suitable for it, and whether there are complications such as chimneys, soil vent pipes, rooflights, or dormer windows that need careful detailing. You should not accept a price for a new roof from a contractor who has not been onto the roof to check it.
A new roof requires safe working access, which means scaffolding for almost all pitched work on a two-storey property. The scaffold should be designed to give full coverage of the roof perimeter, not just one elevation. This matters for both safety and practicality - materials need to be lifted and old tiles need to come down without being thrown from the ridge. Ask whether the scaffold is included in your quote, who is responsible for erecting and striking it, and how long it will be in place.
On smaller single-storey work such as garages or extensions, a tower scaffold or heavy-duty podium steps may suffice, but on a main house roof, full perimeter scaffolding is the standard.
The existing tiles, slates, or felt are stripped back to the bare rafters. Old tiles are loaded into a skip or rubble bags and removed from site. This is not optional: laying new materials over old ones shortcuts the job and stores up problems. The stripping phase also gives a proper view of the timber structure underneath.
Stripping generates a significant amount of material. A typical semi-detached house roof produces enough old tiles and felt to fill a good-sized skip. Make sure waste disposal is included in any quote you receive and ask whether the skip is on the public highway (which requires a permit) or on your property.
This is the stage that separates a thorough installation from a quick one. Once the roof is stripped, every rafter is checked for rot, insect damage, or movement. Battens are always replaced on a new installation - reusing old, weathered battens under new tiles is poor practice and will shorten the life of the new roof. Any rafter sections showing rot are cut out and spliced in with new treated timber.
The timber should be pressure-treated to resist rot and insect attack. This is now standard on new installations but worth confirming in your specification. If the rafters themselves have moved or are at inconsistent centres, this is also the point at which that is corrected before the new covering goes on.
A breathable underlay is laid over the rafters, starting at the eaves and working up the roof, with each course overlapping the one below by at least 150mm. The underlay is the secondary line of defence if any water gets past the tiles, and it also forms part of the ventilation strategy for the roof void. Modern breathable membranes allow water vapour to pass through from the loft side while stopping liquid water coming in from above.
The underlay is fixed with clout nails or staples and then covered by the battens, which press it into place. Getting the tension right matters: underlay draped too slack between rafters can pool water; pulled too tight it can split when the timbers move in warm weather.
Treated timber battens are fixed across the rafters at the correct gauge for the tile or slate being used. The gauge - the distance between battens - is calculated from the tile's headlap specification. Get this wrong and water will work its way up between the tiles in wind-driven rain. The batten size also matters: battens that are too thin will flex when walked on during installation, which can crack tiles and affect the finished line of the roof.
Tiles or slates are fixed from the eaves upward, with each course overlapping the one below. Every tile is checked as it goes on - a cracked tile found now costs seconds to replace; the same tile found in two years means stripping the course. Ridge tiles, hip tiles, and valley details are measured and cut on site as the work reaches them.
Verge tiles at the gable ends are bedded and pointed in mortar or fixed with a dry verge system. Dry-fix systems are more reliable in the long run because mortar-bedded verges are a common source of maintenance work - the mortar cracks, lifts in frost, and eventually needs repointing. A dry verge is worth asking about if it is appropriate for your tile.
Wherever the roof meets a vertical surface - a chimney, a party wall, a dormer, a soil pipe - a flashing is needed to seal the joint. Lead is the traditional and most durable material for step and soaker flashings. It is dressed into the mortar courses of brickwork and folded down over the tile surface so that no water can get behind it. Flashings cut from lead sheet on site and properly dressed will outlast several roof coverings.
Some contractors use pre-formed aluminium or lead-effect flashing tape. For straightforward details on a budget project this can be acceptable, but lead remains the benchmark for quality and longevity.
The ridge is the topmost line of the roof and one of the most exposed points. Ridge tiles can be bedded in mortar or fixed with a dry-fix system using mechanical clips and a continuous ventilation unit. Mortar ridges need to be checked every few years and will eventually need repointing; dry-fix ridges are maintenance-free and also improve ventilation at the apex of the roof. Both are compliant with current standards when installed correctly.
Once all tiles, slates, ridges, flashings, and verges are complete, the roof is walked and checked. Gutters are cleared of any debris from the installation, and the scaffold is inspected before it is struck. All off-cuts, old materials, and packaging are removed from site. The loft should be inspected from inside to confirm daylight is no longer visible and no felt is lifting or torn.
We cover Attleborough and the surrounding area including Wymondham and villages such as Long Stratton and New Buckenham. If you want to know what a proper new roof installation involves for your specific property, call us to book a roof survey and we will walk you through it.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
