Roof repairs
Repairs that fix the cause, not the symptom
Most repairs are a handful of components: a slipped tile, a length of failed flashing, mortar that has let go at the ridge. The work is straightforward. Identifying which one is causing the damp patch is the part that takes experience.
Common repairs
- Slipped and broken tiles or slates
- Usually a failed nail or a broken nib rather than a failed tile. Replacing one properly means lifting the courses above it, not sealing it down from on top.
- Failed flashing
- Where the roof meets a wall, a chimney or an abutment. Cracked mortar fillets and lifted lead are among the most common causes of an internal damp patch.
- Ridge and hip mortar
- Bedding mortar cracks and lets go over time. Ridges can be re-bedded, or dry-fixed with a mechanical system that does not rely on mortar at all.
- Valley repairs
- Valleys carry more water than any other part of a roof. Corroded metal, blocked debris and poorly cut tiles all show up as a leak halfway down a wall.
- Verge and bargeboard repairs
- The exposed edge of a roof takes the wind. Failed verge mortar lets water track along the underside of the tiles.
- Roof windows and penetrations
- Flashing kits around a roof window, a vent or a soil pipe are a frequent leak source, particularly where a window was fitted into an older covering.
How a repair job runs
Step 1: Inspection
We look at the roof and at the inside of the property where the damp shows. Photographs of anything you cannot see from the ground.
Step 2: Written findings
What we found, what is causing it, and what else is close to needing attention. In plain language, with the photographs attached.
Step 3: A fixed quotation
Itemised, so you can see what each part of the work costs and decide what to include.
Step 4: The work
Access set up, the repair carried out, debris cleared, and photographs of the finished work.
What changes the price
Two repairs that sound identical can differ by a factor of five, and it is almost always access rather than materials. The things that move a roof-repair price are:
- Access. A ladder job, a tower, or a scaffold. Scaffolding on a terraced street with no side access is a different job from a bungalow.
- Height and pitch. A steep third-floor slope needs edge protection that a garage roof does not.
- How much has to come off to reach the fault. Replacing one slate in the middle of a slope means lifting the courses above it.
- Matching materials. Reclaimed slate or a discontinued concrete tile takes sourcing.
- What is found underneath. Rotten battens or perished felt turn a tile replacement into a small area of re-covering.
A quotation should show those separately rather than as one number, so you can see what you are paying for.
Repairs we have carried out
Case studies are published here as jobs finish, with photographs taken on site before, during and after the work.
Roof repair questions
Can you repair a roof in the rain?
Temporary make-safe work, yes — sheeting a roof or sealing an active leak is often done in bad weather because that is when it is needed. Permanent repairs generally are not: mortar will not cure, adhesives will not bond and slate is dangerous to walk when wet. We will make it safe and come back to finish properly.
How long does a repair take?
Most single-fault repairs are half a day to a day once access is up. Scaffolding, if it is needed, is usually erected the day before and struck a day or two after.
Do I need scaffolding for a small repair?
Not always. A ladder or a tower is appropriate for short work at low level. It becomes a scaffold question at height, on a steep pitch, or where the work takes long enough that working from a ladder stops being reasonable. We will tell you which applies and why before quoting.
Will a repair invalidate the rest of my roof?
No. Repairing part of a roof does not affect the rest of it. What is worth knowing is whether the repair is buying you two years or fifteen — that is the question the inspection answers, and it is the one that decides whether repairing is still the sensible choice.
Not sure what your roof needs?
An inspection ends with a written report and photographs, whether or not you go ahead with the work.
Inspection fee: £99.00.