Ely Roofers installs new roofs in Upwell and the surrounding area, covering pitched tiled roofs, natural slate, and flat roof systems for extensions and outbuildings.
A new roof is not just a change of tiles. It involves stripping the existing covering back to the bare timbers, inspecting and repairing the roof structure, laying a new underlay, re-battening, fitting the new covering, and finishing the ridge, hips, flashings, and roofline. Each stage matters. A well-built roof on sound timbers, with properly dressed lead and correctly fitted guttering, should give you decades of trouble-free performance.
At Ely Roofers we cover Upwell and nearby places including Ely, March, Littleport and Soham. This page explains what a new roof involves from start to finish, what options you have on materials, what things typically cost, and then focuses on the practical question most homeowners face while the job is being arranged: what to do right now, and what to leave well alone.
Pitched roofs commonly use concrete or clay interlocking tiles, or natural slate. Concrete tiles are the most common and the most affordable. Clay tiles are slightly lighter, hold their colour better and suit older or more traditional properties. Natural slate is the premium option: it has a thinner profile, lasts longer than most manufactured tiles when properly installed, and suits period homes well.
A new tiled roof for a typical semi-detached house runs from roughly £6,000 to £12,000. Natural slate adds to this, often bringing the total to £8,000 to £14,000 depending on the size of the roof. These are general UK ranges; your actual cost depends on roof pitch, the condition of the structure beneath, chimney work, and access. The only way to get an accurate figure is for a roofer to inspect the roof in person.
On a new tiled roof, breathable felt underlay is laid across the rafters before battening. This underlay is the secondary barrier if a tile is ever damaged. It also helps manage moisture in the roof void. Tile clips are fitted on exposed sections to hold tiles down in wind. Ridge and hip tiles can be mortar-bedded or dry-fixed; dry-fix systems are generally preferred now because mortar ridges crack and need repointing every fifteen to twenty years.
Garages, extensions and outbuildings often have flat or low-pitch roofs. Traditional torch-on felt is still used but has a limited lifespan, particularly at laps and edges. EPDM rubber membrane is now a widely used alternative: it is a single large sheet with minimal joints, which means fewer potential entry points for water. EPDM handles frost and UV exposure well and typically outlasts felt by a considerable margin.
Any flat roof must be laid with a proper fall - at minimum 1:80, which works out at roughly 1.25 cm drop per metre of run. Without adequate fall, water ponds on the surface. Standing water breaks down any membrane faster and puts weight on the structure. A good roofer will confirm the planned fall before work starts.
Flat roof replacement costs vary with size and system. As a general guide, EPDM on a standard garage or small extension typically ranges from around £1,500 to £3,500. Larger or more complex areas will cost more.
Lead flashings seal the joints where your roof meets vertical surfaces: chimney stacks, parapet walls, dormers and skylights. Lead is the material of choice for this work because it is malleable, durable and, when correctly installed, will last fifty years or more. A new roof should always include new or refurbished flashings - leaving old lead on a new tile installation is short-sighted, because the lead will fail first and you will be back up on the roof.
Chimney flashings typically include step flashings up the sides, a back gutter behind the stack and a front apron below it. Each piece needs to be correctly lapped and tucked into the mortar joint. Poorly dressed lead at chimney abutments is one of the most common sources of ceiling water stains, even when the tiles themselves are in good order.
While the scaffold is in place, it makes sense to look at the roofline as well. Fascia boards carry the gutter and support the bottom course of tiles; a rotten fascia allows the gutter to sag and overflow, sending water down the wall and into the eaves. UPVC fascias and soffits are the standard choice now because they do not rot and need no painting.
Soffits close the eaves gap. They may be solid or vented, depending on the type of insulation in the roof space. Replacing soffits is a good opportunity to confirm that ventilation is correctly provided, as a blocked or missing vent in a cold roof space leads to condensation on the timbers.
Gutters should be matched to the roof area they drain. Correct fall to the downpipe is as important as the gutter size. Blocked or slow-running downpipes overflow back into the gutter and defeat the whole system.
No reputable roofer should price a new roof without getting on the roof itself. A ground-level assessment misses timber condition, hidden felt failures and the state of the flashings. Inside the loft, dark staining on the timbers or felt indicates past or active leaks. Soft or springy timbers mean rot. Daylight visible through the felt is an obvious fault. All of these affect what work is needed and what the job will cost.
Chimney stacks should be checked as part of any new roof project. Pointing deteriorates over time, and the flaunching - the sloped mortar collar around the base of the pots - cracks and allows water in. Repointing and re-flaunching while the scaffold is already up is practical and cost-effective.
Getting a new roof arranged takes time: surveys, quotes, scheduling and scaffolding all have to align. If your existing roof is showing signs of wear or damage while that process is underway, there are practical things you should do to limit the harm, and things you should leave well alone.
If water is coming in, your priority is to protect the interior. Put containers under drips and move anything valuable out of the affected area. Lay down old towels or sheets of plastic to protect floors and ceilings from staining. If water is pooling on a ceiling, it can be worth making a small hole at the lowest point to let it drain rather than allowing it to spread along the joists and bring down a larger section of plasterwork. This sounds counterintuitive but a controlled drip is better than a sagging wet ceiling that fails without warning.
Keep a note of where water is appearing, when it appears (during rain, after rain, or constantly) and whether the volume changes. This information is useful to the roofer: a leak that appears only during driving rain from one direction suggests a flashing problem; one that appears every time it rains suggests the main covering has failed.
If you have loft access, go up with a torch after the next bout of heavy rain. Look at the felt underlay for dark damp patches, drips or runs. Look at the timbers for dark staining, which indicates past water ingress even if it has dried out. If insulation is wet, move it to one side so the timber can dry: wet insulation sitting against timber accelerates rot. Do not attempt to seal anything from inside the loft with mastic or tape - temporary fixes applied to the wrong surface rarely work and can actually trap moisture in the structure.
From ground level, look up at the roof after any severe weather. A displaced tile or ridge tile is something you can identify without going anywhere near the roof. If a tile has come down completely, pick it up and keep it: the roofer may be able to reuse it or at least match it more accurately.
Check gutters and downpipes for blockages. A blocked gutter in wet weather can be cleared safely from a ladder if you are confident doing so. Clear any visible debris from valley gutters (the channels where two roof slopes meet) if you can see them from the loft and they are accessible without walking on the roof covering. Blocked valleys cause water to back up and overflow into the structure beneath.
This is important. The following are common mistakes that cause more damage than the original problem, or that put the homeowner at serious risk:
In some situations, a roofer can fit a temporary cover over a badly damaged section while a full replacement is arranged. This typically involves tarpaulin or temporary sheet material fixed over the affected area. It is not a long-term solution and it needs to be fitted by someone with the right access equipment: a tarpaulin thrown over a roof by an untrained person and not properly secured will cause more damage in wind than it prevents.
If you need emergency cover while waiting for a survey, call a roofer rather than attempting it yourself. Describe the damage clearly: where on the roof, how large an area, and whether the ceiling inside is already affected. That information helps the roofer assess what is needed before arriving.
Concrete tiles typically last forty to fifty years; clay tiles and natural slate can last considerably longer when the roof is properly maintained. EPDM flat roof membranes are generally rated for several decades by manufacturers. The lifespan of any roof covering depends heavily on the quality of the installation and whether basic maintenance (clearing gutters, catching minor damage early) is carried out.
Concrete tiles are the most affordable pitched roof option. If the existing structure is in good condition, the cost is lower because no timber work is needed. Phasing work (replacing the roof covering in one visit and addressing fascias and soffits separately) can spread the cost, though it means two rounds of scaffolding, which is not always cheaper overall.
Water ingress causes timber rot, which turns a covering replacement into a structural repair. It also causes damage to insulation, plasterwork and in serious cases to wall structures. A roof that looks worn but is not yet leaking is worth attending to before it starts.
Like-for-like replacement in the same materials generally falls within permitted development. Changing roof profile or materials significantly may require consent. If your property is listed or in a conservation area, check with your local planning authority before starting work.
To book a roof survey for your Upwell property, call Ely Roofers and we will talk through what your roof needs and what is worth doing now.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
