A damaged roof in Hethersett can let water into your home faster than you might expect - and the repairs that follow a leak are nearly always more expensive than fixing the roof itself.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
A single slipped tile, a crack in the ridge mortar or a failing flashing might look minor from the ground. In wet Norfolk conditions, water finds its way through small gaps quickly, soaking into roof timbers and insulation before you notice a stain on the ceiling. By the time a damp patch appears inside, the damage above is often already significant.
Acting early keeps repair costs down. A small pointing repair to a ridge typically costs £150-£300. Leave it until mortar is missing in sections and ridge tiles are loose, and you are looking at a full ridge re-bed and re-point at £500-£900 or more, depending on the length of the ridge. The cost of ignoring it is always higher than the cost of the call.
Roof repairs cover a wide range of problems, not just broken tiles. Common repairs include:
Each problem has its own cause and its own fix. A leaking valley, for example, is not just a mortar issue - it may be that the underlying lead has cracked due to age and thermal movement, or that the original installation used the wrong profile of tile. Identifying the real cause matters, because patching the symptom without fixing the cause means the leak returns.
You do not need to get on the roof to spot early warning signs. A visual check from the ground with binoculars, or from an upstairs window if you have a dormer or a nearby roof section you can see clearly, will often show you what you need to know. Look for:
Inside the loft is also worth checking. Daylight showing through is an obvious sign, but so is a musty smell, damp insulation or staining on the felt or sarking boards.
A proper repair starts with an assessment of the roof, not a guess from the ground. We access the roof safely using appropriate ladders or scaffolding and check not just the obvious fault but the surrounding area. Tiles that have slipped in one section often indicate that the nibs are worn or the battens below are failing, and it is worth knowing that before we leave.
We carry out the repair, clear the site and talk you through what we found and what we did. If we spot anything else worth monitoring, we will tell you - that is part of giving you a useful service rather than just a quick fix.
Some repairs need scaffolding, particularly chimney work above a certain height or repairs on steep roofs. Where a scaffold is needed, we will confirm that at the survey stage so there are no surprises on cost. Scaffold hire typically adds £300-£600 to a job, depending on size and duration.
Roofing costs vary with access, materials and the extent of the damage, but the following ranges give a realistic starting point:
These are typical current UK figures and your actual cost may differ. The only way to get an accurate figure is to have the roof assessed properly.
A repair fixes what is broken today. The smarter question is: what can you do after the repair to push the next problem as far into the future as possible? This is the part most homeowners are never told, and it makes a real difference to how long your roof stays sound between visits.
Blocked gutters are one of the most common causes of roof-edge and fascia damage. When a gutter overflows, water runs behind the fascia board and soaks into the rafter feet. Rafter feet are expensive to replace and the job usually requires scaffolding. Clearing gutters twice a year - after leaves have fallen in autumn and again in spring - is one of the cheapest forms of roof maintenance there is. A gutter cleaning service costs £60-£150 for a typical semi-detached house.
Moss on tiles holds water against the surface and works its way into the joints between tiles over time. Once it is thick, it can lift tiles slightly, allowing wind and rain to get underneath. A biocide treatment applied by a roofer will kill the moss and allow it to weather off naturally - this is safer than pressure-washing, which can dislodge mortar and damage softer tiles. Treatment typically costs £200-£500 for a standard roof and is worth doing every five to ten years depending on how much shade and moisture the roof receives.
Mortar is vulnerable to freeze-thaw cycles. Water gets into hairline cracks, freezes, expands and opens the crack wider. After a hard winter, it is worth looking at the ridge from the ground - white or missing mortar, or ridge tiles that look like they have shifted slightly, are worth getting checked. Catching it at the re-pointing stage costs a fraction of what it costs once ridge tiles start sliding.
Lead and other metal flashings expand and contract with temperature. Over years, the pointing that holds them into the wall joint (the raglet or chase) cracks and allows the flashing to lift slightly at the edge. After a stormy period, it is worth a ground-level check around chimneys and where the roof meets a wall. A flashing that has lifted even a centimetre can let in a significant amount of water in driving rain.
If you have a flat roof section - common on extensions and bay windows - leaves and debris collecting in corners hold moisture against the membrane and accelerate its deterioration. A soft brush-off twice a year and checking that outlets are clear takes ten minutes and can extend the life of the roof noticeably.
There is no fixed rule, but many roofers suggest a visual inspection every three to five years on an older roof - say one that is more than 25 years old. On a newer roof in good condition, you can extend that. After any significant storm, a check is worth doing sooner. The cost of a survey visit is small compared to the cost of dealing with damage that has gone unnoticed for a year or two.
We cover this in more detail on other pages, but it deserves a mention here too. Clearing gutters from a ladder is usually manageable if you are careful. Getting onto the roof itself to investigate or repair is not - and not just because of the fall risk. Walking on tiles in the wrong place can crack them, disturb mortar or shift flashing, creating new problems in the process. If something on the roof looks wrong, the right step is to get it assessed by someone with the right access equipment, not to investigate it yourself.
Before any repair work goes ahead, it is reasonable to ask:
A roofer who can answer these clearly and specifically is worth trusting. Vague answers or pressure to make a decision on the spot are worth treating with caution.
If you are not sure whether a roofer covers your postcode, just call and ask - you should expect a straight answer.
To arrange an inspection and get an accurate picture of what your roof needs, call us for a roof survey. We will assess the problem properly, explain what we find and give you a clear quote before any work starts.
No obligation · We'll call you to arrange a free visit
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
