Roofing Contractors

Re-roofing a period building

Establish how much of the existing covering can be re-used. On many roofs the slates or tiles outlast their fixings; a re-roof then means stripping, salvaging sound units, re-battening and re-laying with matching seconds making up the shortfall. A contractor who plans to skip everything into a lorry is the wrong contractor.

Match the covering properly: material, size, thickness, coursing (including diminishing courses on many older roofs) and colour all show from the ground. On listed buildings a change of roofing material almost always needs consent.

Ask what happens under the covering. Old roofs often lack underlay and rely on ventilation; adding modern membranes and insulation changes how the roof breathes, and the wrong build-up causes condensation in the loft. Vapour-permeable detailing designed for old buildings is the norm now.

Finally, check scaffold, leadwork and carpentry are included in the price, and that the firm employs or directly engages its leadworkers rather than leaving flashings to whoever is available.