Wymondham Roofers carry out roof repairs in Costessey and the surrounding area, covering everything from slipped tiles and cracked ridge mortar to lead flashing replacements and felt flat roof repairs.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
When something goes wrong with a roof, the first question is usually "how much will it cost?" The more useful question is "what are my options, and what is each one actually worth?" The material you choose for a repair - and whether you patch or replace - will determine how long that fix lasts and whether you're back on the roof in three years or fifteen.
This page sets out the main materials used in roof repair work, what each one is suited to, and the honest trade-offs between them. A good roofer should be willing to talk through these options with you before you commit to anything.
The vast majority of pitched roofs use either concrete interlocking tiles, clay plain tiles, or natural slates. Each has different repair implications.
Concrete tiles are available in a wide range of profiles and colours, but matching an existing concrete tile exactly is not always straightforward. Profiles change over time and manufacturers discontinue ranges. A tile that's a close match but slightly different in profile or shade will be visible, especially on a front elevation.
When replacing concrete tiles, the key check is the condition of the battens and felt beneath. Battens rot if felt has failed and water has been sitting on them. Replacing the tile without checking the batten means the new tile may not be held securely.
Concrete tiles are generally cost-effective for repair work. Individual tiles cost £1 to £4 each for standard profiles. The labour to access, remove and replace a small number of tiles typically exceeds the material cost, so the minimum job cost applies regardless of how few tiles are involved.
Clay plain tiles are used on older properties and on newer builds that want a traditional appearance. They are smaller than concrete interlocking tiles - typically 265mm x 165mm - and each one hooks over a batten and may be nailed or torched. Because each tile is small and plain, matching them is somewhat easier than matching a complex profiled concrete tile, and reclaimed clay tiles are available through specialist merchants for older properties where exact colour matching matters.
Clay tiles are generally more durable than concrete over the long term, and a good quality clay tile that's properly fixed can last 60 to 100 years. The tile itself is rarely the problem on an old clay roof - it's the nails, the felt, and the mortar bedding on the ridge that deteriorate first.
Natural slate is used on older and period properties. Welsh slate is the traditional choice in Britain and is still available new, though the cost is higher than for concrete or clay. Spanish and Brazilian slates are also widely available and considerably cheaper, but they vary in quality and some grades are more porous than others.
For repairs, matching the thickness and surface texture of existing slates matters as much as matching the colour. A new slate that's significantly thicker or thinner than the surrounding ones will either sit proud or lie in a dip, both of which affect weathertightness at the lap.
When slates slip because the nails have corroded (a condition called nail sickness), the slate itself is usually re-usable if it's undamaged. A roofer should check the condition of the slate before discarding it - salvaged slates re-fixed with new nails or copper clips are a practical and cost-effective solution.
The traditional method of fixing ridge tiles is to bed them in sand and cement mortar. Mortar bedding works well when it's properly mixed and applied, but it does degrade over time. Frost attack and thermal movement open small cracks in the mortar, water gets in, and the process accelerates. A ridge that was re-bedded 15 to 20 years ago is probably due for attention.
Dry-fix ridge and hip systems are now widely used as an alternative. Instead of mortar, the ridge tiles are secured with a mechanical fixing and a ventilated foam filler. The advantages are genuine: there's no mortar to crack, the system allows movement without opening gaps, and ventilation at the ridge can benefit the roof void. Dry-fix systems are now common on new roofs and re-roofing projects.
The honest trade-off is cost. Dry-fix components cost more than sand and cement, so the upfront price for dry-fixing a ridge is higher than for re-bedding it. If you're dealing with a ridge that has failed once and you plan to stay in the house for another 20 years, dry-fix is worth the extra cost. If you're preparing to sell and the ridge simply needs to be serviceable, re-bedding in mortar is a practical short-term solution at lower cost.
Lead is the standard and best-practice material for flashings around chimneys, dormers, skylights and abutment walls. It is malleable, long-lasting and, when properly installed, will outlast the roof covering beneath it. Code 4 lead (1.8mm thick) is the minimum suitable weight for most flashing applications; Code 5 is used for wider flashings and parapet gutters.
Lead alternatives exist - aluminium flashing tape and self-adhesive bitumen-based strips are sold in builders' merchants and used by some roofers as a quicker, cheaper repair option. They can be appropriate for a temporary repair or on a very low-value outbuilding, but they don't have the longevity of lead and they don't dress as neatly into mortar chases. On a chimney stack on a main house, lead is the right answer.
When assessing a flashing failure, the cause matters. If the lead itself has cracked or torn, it needs replacing. If the lead is intact but has pulled away from the brickwork, the problem is in the pointing that holds it in the chase, and re-pointing that chase is the repair. Don't pay to replace lead that only needs re-dressing and re-pointing.
Standard built-up roofing felt (3-layer systems) has been used on flat roof extensions and outbuildings for decades. It works, but it has a finite life. Once the surface layer starts to blister and crack, water tracks under the laps and the whole system fails progressively from that point.
EPDM rubber membrane is now a common replacement option when a felt flat roof reaches the end of its life. It is a single-ply membrane bonded to the deck. EPDM is more flexible than felt in cold temperatures, less prone to blistering, and typically carries a longer expected lifespan. A felt flat roof might last 10 to 20 years; EPDM is generally expected to last 25 to 30 years with proper installation, though that figure depends on the quality of the installation and the condition of the deck underneath.
EPDM costs more per square metre than a standard felt re-cover, typically £50 to £80 per square metre for a small flat roof, compared to £35 to £60 for felt. The extra upfront cost is usually worthwhile if the flat roof is over a habitable room or an area you use regularly. For a rarely-used garden shed, a felt re-cover is perfectly sensible.
Patching is appropriate when damage is localised and the surrounding roof covering is in good condition. If two or three tiles have slipped or cracked but the rest of the slope is sound, replacing those tiles is the right answer. Similarly, if a short section of flashing has failed but the rest of the lead is intact and well-bedded, re-doing that section is reasonable.
Patching becomes poor value when the cause of failure is age and general deterioration across a large area. Replacing ten slates on a slope where the nails are corroding across the whole surface will simply mean more slates slipping in the next year or two. At that point, a full re-slate of that slope is a more honest recommendation and better value in the long run.
A roofer who only ever recommends full replacement is not giving you honest advice. Neither is one who patches everything regardless of the wider condition. The right answer depends on an honest assessment of what you're looking at.
We carry out roof repairs in Costessey, nearby Norwich and across South Norfolk including Wymondham, Attleborough and Long Stratton. If you're unsure which repair option is right for your roof, call us to arrange a proper look. We'll tell you what we find and what your options are before asking you to commit to anything.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
