A 1950s 4-bed detached in SK9 with a failing concrete tile roof at the end of its natural life — stripped back to rafters and replaced in three weeks with 185m² of natural Spanish slate, breathable membrane, replacement softwood battens, new lead flashings to all abutments, and seamless aluminium gutters.
A 1950s 4-bed detached in Wilmslow, owned by the same family for the past nineteen years. The original interlocking concrete tile roof had reached the end of its natural life: brown patches were appearing on the upstairs ceilings after heavy rain, two slates had slipped during the previous winter's storms, and a roofer's quote for repair work had concluded the felt was perished and recommended a strip-and-replace.
The clients wanted a roof that would outlast them. They asked for three quotes, all for like-for-like concrete tile replacement. Our quote was the only one that included natural slate as a costed alternative, with a comparative life-expectancy table and a 25-year workmanship warranty against the slate option.
They chose the slate. Three weeks later they had a roof that should not need to be touched again in their lifetime — and they had every fascia, soffit and gutter replaced while the scaffold was up, on the principle that scaffolding is the expensive part.
The brief was short and clear:
Budget ceiling was £20,000 inclusive of VAT. Fixed price, with timber replacement priced separately at agreed per-metre rates against actual measured quantities.
Re-roofing looks like a single operation. It's actually five trades stacked into a tight scaffold-up window where the weather is the enemy of every one of them.
An open roof in October is the worst possible weather exposure. We sequenced the strip-and-cover so no more than half the roof was open at any point: front pitch stripped and recovered with breathable membrane on day 4 before the rear pitch was touched. A 60m² tarpaulin reserve was on site every day in case of unforecast rain.
A drone survey before scaffold-up identified two damaged purlin ends at the rear gable and a perished cement undercloak detail. Both were costed into the quote rather than discovered as a variation mid-build. The client received a marked-up photo set with the quote, not after acceptance.
The original 1950s roof had no eaves or ridge ventilation. Modern Building Regulations and BS 5250 require both to manage cold-roof condensation. We installed continuous eaves vents at soffit level and a dry-fix ridge ventilation system delivering 5,000mm²/m of free airflow at both levels.
Lead flashings are where most re-roofs fail in five years. Old flashings get re-used to save cost, then split where they've been worked to fit. We removed and replaced every piece of lead on this roof — Code 4 to abutments, Code 5 to valleys — cut and bossed on site to fit, with proprietary lead clips and patination oil applied on completion.
A quiet residential street in SK9 with weight-restricted access to the cul-de-sac. Skip lorry deliveries and slate pallet drops were timed for 09:30 after the school run, with the slate pallets craned over the front hedge directly onto the scaffold lift — not stacked on the driveway. Two days of skip presence, not two weeks.
Re-roofs succeed on three things: weather management, lead detail, and replacing what you cannot get back to.
Half the roof, never the whole roof. The strip-and-recover sequence was planned so that one pitch was always weatherproofed on the breathable membrane before the opposite pitch was opened. No 24-hour exposure window. A run of unforecast wet weather on day 7 cost us a half-day on the rear pitch but didn't get water inside the building.
Spanish slate, not Welsh, not concrete. Welsh slate is the gold standard at roughly twice the cost. Concrete tiles are the budget choice with a 50-year life. Spanish slate, properly graded (Heavy 3 or better, ASTM C406 Grade S1), gives a 75–100 year service life at a price point between the two. Right-sizing the spec to the property type was the single most important commercial decision on this job.
Replace the lead. All of it. Old lead flashing is the false economy of the re-roofing trade. We removed every piece, sheet-cut new Code 4 and Code 5 lead on site, dressed it to the specific brick coursing and applied patination oil to prevent the early-life white staining. The flashings will outlast the slates.
Don't scaffold twice. Replacing fascia, soffit, gutters and chimney pointing while the scaffold was already up added £1,860 to the project. Re-scaffolding to do the same work in five years would have cost £3,800 by itself before any actual works. We made the case in writing and the clients agreed.
Fifteen working days. Sequenced to keep at least one pitch weatherproof at all times.
Independent scaffold erected to all four elevations, fan boards fitted at first lift to protect the garden and pathway from falling debris. Final pre-strip drone survey to confirm the two pre-priced timber items identified at quote stage. Skip delivered for day 3.
Front pitch stripped of concrete tiles, perished felt and old battens. Two damaged purlin ends replaced as costed. Breathable Type LR membrane installed and lapped. Battens fitted to BS 5534 spacing. Front pitch weathertight by close of day 4.
Rear pitch stripped, inspected, membrane and battens installed. Cement undercloak detail at gables removed and replaced with a slate-and-mortar undercloak per current best practice. Rear pitch weathertight by close of day 6.
185m² of Spanish natural slate laid in traditional double-lap pattern, copper nail fixings, ridge tiles dry-fixed to BS 5534. New Code 4 and Code 5 lead flashings cut, bossed and dressed on site to all chimney abutments, valleys and rear extension junctions. Patination oil applied.
Existing UPVC fascia and soffit removed. New cellular PVC fascia (anthracite grey) installed with continuous eaves vent. Vented PVC soffit to all elevations. Seamless aluminium 125mm half-round gutters installed in single runs, no mid-span joints to fail.
Both chimney stacks repointed in lime mortar matched to the original colour. Chimney pots checked and reseated. Snagging walk-around with the homeowner from the scaffold. Final photographs of every flashing detail recorded for the project file.
Scaffold dismantled, garden cleared and final clean. Project file delivered: drone surveys before and after, materials warranties (slate, membrane, lead, fascia, gutters), 25-year workmanship warranty, and as-built photographs of every flashing and ventilation detail.
The materials and detail behind a roof designed to last beyond the homeowners' tenure.
Natural Spanish slate, 500 x 250mm x 6mm, ASTM C406 Grade S1, riven texture. Traditional double-lap pattern, 100mm headlap, copper nail fixings. 75-100 year service life.
Klober Permo Air Type LR breathable underlay. BBA-certified. Lapped 150mm minimum, taped at all penetrations, dressed into eaves gutter line.
38 x 25mm graded softwood battens to BS 5534, treated to UC3 against rot and insect attack. Fixed at 240mm gauge for double-lap slate.
Code 4 to all abutments, Code 5 to valleys. Cut and bossed on site to brick coursing. Proprietary lead clips at exposed edges. Patination oil applied within 24 hours of fitting to prevent staining.
Continuous 10mm eaves vent strip and dry-fix ridge ventilation system. Combined free airflow 5,000mm²/m at eaves and ridge, eliminating cold-roof condensation per BS 5250.
125mm seamless aluminium half-round gutters in anthracite grey, installed in single runs without mid-span joints. 80mm aluminium downpipes. 30-year manufacturer warranty.
185m² of natural Spanish slate roof on a kitchen-eye level reveal that should not require any structural attention in the homeowners' lifetime, with new lead flashings rated for a 100-year service life and seamless aluminium gutters carrying a 30-year manufacturer warranty. Brown ceiling patches gone. Dry attic. Cold-roof void ventilated to current standards.
Final account £18,650 against the contract sum of £18,650. The two pre-priced timber items came in at the lower end of their costed range. No variations beyond what was visible in the drone survey on day one.
We had three quotes and Building Group's wasn't the cheapest. They were the only ones to ask whether we wanted concrete or slate, the only ones to talk us through the difference between Welsh and Spanish, and the only ones to point out that doing the gutters and fascias at the same time would save us another scaffold in five years. The drone survey before they started meant we knew about the two damaged purlin ends in advance, not as a surprise on a Tuesday morning. Three weeks, no fuss, and a roof we won't think about again.
If your roof is leaking, slates are slipping, or the felt has finally given up, we'll come out for a free drone survey and fixed-price quote — with concrete, slate and tile costed comparatively so you can decide on the right material for your property and your timeframe.
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