Ely Roofers installs new roofs in Wimblington and the wider area, handling everything from full pitched roof replacements in tile and slate to flat roof systems on extensions and outbuildings.
Not every roof problem needs a full replacement. But when repairs start to outpace the value of the roof, when the underlay has broken down across a wide area, or when the structure beneath is compromised, a new roof is the more sensible investment. This page covers what a new roof involves, what it costs, what to look for in terms of materials and process, and then goes into the detail that matters most for a homeowner in Wimblington: the warning signs that tell you a roof is failing, and what causes them.
Ely Roofers works in Wimblington and across the surrounding area, including Ely, March, Sutton, Soham and nearby villages.
A full roof replacement begins with stripping the existing covering: tiles, underlay, and usually the battens too. The exposed timbers are then inspected. Any rotten or damaged rafters, purlins or wall plates are repaired or replaced before anything goes back on. New breathable felt underlay is laid over the rafters, new battens are fixed to it, and the new covering - tiles, slate, or flat roof membrane - is installed.
The ridge and hips are finished last. Dry-fix ridge systems are now widely preferred over mortar-bedded ridge tiles because mortar cracks with movement and requires repointing after fifteen to twenty years. Dry-fix systems use a mechanical clip and a ventilated ridge unit, which also helps manage moisture in the roof space.
A new tiled roof for a typical semi-detached house costs roughly £6,000 to £12,000. Natural slate typically adds to this, with prices often starting around £8,000 to £14,000 for a mid-sized house. These are realistic UK ranges; the actual figure for your roof depends on its pitch, area, the condition of the structure and any chimney or roofline work needed alongside.
Concrete tiles are the most common and most affordable option for pitched roofs. They are durable and widely available in profiles that suit most property types. Clay tiles are lighter and hold their colour better over the years; they are the right choice for older or more traditional properties where matching the original appearance matters. Natural slate is the premium pitched roof material: it has a thin, clean profile and, when properly fixed, will outlast almost any manufactured tile.
For flat roofs on garages, outbuildings and extensions, EPDM rubber membrane is a popular and well-proven system. It is a single-piece sheet with very few joins, which reduces the number of potential leak points. Traditional torch-on felt is still used and can give good results when installed well, but has a shorter working life, particularly at the laps. A flat roof must be installed with a correct fall - at minimum 1:80 - to drain properly. Ponding water on a flat roof breaks down any membrane faster and risks structural loading.
Lead flashings are the strips of metal that seal the junction between your roof covering and any vertical surface: chimney stacks, parapet walls, skylights and dormer cheeks. Lead has been used for this work for centuries because it is soft enough to dress tightly to irregular surfaces and durable enough to outlast most other materials when correctly installed.
A new roof should always include new or properly refurbished flashings. Step flashings run in overlapping sections up the side of a chimney; a back gutter sits behind the stack to catch water running down from above; an apron flashing sits in front. Each needs to be lapped correctly and tucked into the mortar joint. If the lead is not dressed tightly, or if the mortar joint deteriorates and the lead pulls free, water tracks down the back of the chimney breast inside the house.
Lead also oxidises to a grey colour over time, which is normal and protective. Black residue washing from lead flashings onto brickwork below indicates the surface is weathering, not failing. Actual failure looks like cracking, splitting or a section that has pulled away from the wall.
The fascia board runs along the eaves and carries the gutter. The soffit closes off the eaves gap between the fascia and the wall. On older houses both are often timber and may be rotten by the time a roof replacement is due. UPVC replacements are now standard: they do not rot, need no maintenance painting, and carry guttering securely for many years.
Guttering should be sized to the roof area it drains. The fall of the guttering must be set correctly so water flows to the downpipe without pooling. A gutter that holds standing water will overflow during even moderate rain and eventually cause damage to the wall beneath. Half-round and square-profile gutters both work well; what matters more is the quality of the bracket fixing and the correct setting of the fall.
When scaffolding is already in place for a new roof, replacing the fascias, soffits and guttering at the same time avoids the cost of a second scaffold for those elements later.
Chimney stacks are among the most exposed parts of any house and almost always need some attention when a roof is being replaced. Mortar pointing between the bricks erodes over time; once it is soft or missing, frost forces water in and the brickwork can fracture. The flaunching - the sloped mortar collar at the base of the chimney pots - also cracks and can allow water to run down inside the stack itself.
Repointing and re-flaunching while the scaffold is in place is straightforward and adds relatively little to the overall cost. Leaving it means a separate scaffold call-out later, which is almost always more expensive than doing both jobs at once.
This is the section that matters most if you are trying to decide whether your roof needs repair or replacement. Every symptom on a roof has a cause, and understanding the cause helps you assess the urgency.
A brown or yellow stain on a ceiling below the roof is almost always water. The question is where it is coming from. A stain that appears directly below a chimney stack is likely a flashing failure or deteriorated flaunching. A stain near an external wall often points to blocked or overflowing guttering rather than the roof covering itself. A stain in the middle of a ceiling is more likely to be the covering or underlay. The location of the stain is useful information but it can be misleading: water travels along timbers and felt before dropping, so the visible stain may not be directly below the entry point.
Individual tiles slip or crack for several reasons. Nibs - the small projections on the back of a tile that hook over the batten - break off over time, particularly on concrete tiles that have become brittle with age. Battens rot and can no longer hold the tile. Mortar-bedded verge or ridge tiles lose their bed as the mortar cracks and crumbles. A single slipped tile is usually a straightforward repair. Multiple slipped tiles across a roof indicate that the nibs or battens are generally failing and the roof is approaching the end of its serviceable life.
Missing tiles - where the tile has come off the roof entirely - allow direct water entry. Rain can also drive under the exposed section even before it starts dripping into the loft. In windy weather, the exposed underlay can be damaged, widening the problem quickly.
If you can see daylight through the roof when standing in the loft, the covering has an obvious gap. This might be a missing tile, a split in the underlay, or a section where the felt has deteriorated and pulled apart. Felt underlay has a finite life - typically twenty to thirty years for standard mineral felt, longer for modern breathable membranes. When it degrades, it becomes brittle and tears rather than flexing. You may not see active water ingress in dry weather but the protection is no longer there.
A roof that looks wavy or has a visible sag when viewed from the end is telling you something is wrong with the structure. This could be a rafter that has cracked or been damaged, a purlin that has deflected, or timber that has rotted and can no longer carry the load. A sagging roof plane is not a cosmetic issue: it means the structure is compromised and needs a roofer's assessment before the covering is replaced. Installing new tiles on a structurally unsound roof is a waste of money.
Lead expands and contracts with temperature. Over many years this movement can work a flashing out of the mortar joint it is tucked into. Once a flashing has pulled free by even a centimetre, water enters during rain and tracks down the inside of the wall. This often shows up as damp appearing high on an internal wall, sometimes with salt deposits or paint peeling. The cause is not always obvious because the entry point is at roof level and the water may travel some distance before appearing inside.
Moss grows fastest on north-facing slopes and in shaded areas. A thin covering of moss is largely cosmetic but a thick mat retains moisture, raises the edges of tiles slightly, and over time can force its way under them. It also adds weight to the roof. Moss on older concrete tiles often indicates the tile surface has roughened with age - smooth new tiles shed moss more easily. The presence of heavy moss does not automatically mean the roof needs replacing, but it is worth having it assessed: a roofer can tell you whether the tiles beneath are still sound or have become porous and brittle.
If your gutters overflow during rain even after you have cleared them, the gutter fall is probably wrong. Over time, brackets loosen and the gutter sags. A low point that sits below the level of the downpipe will always hold standing water and overflow. This is a roofline issue, not a roof covering issue, but it causes real damage: persistent overflow saturates the wall, gets behind the fascia and into the rafter feet, and can cause rot that is only discovered when the roof is eventually stripped.
Before agreeing to a new roof, ask the roofer to show you or describe specifically what they found during the inspection. You want to know which timbers, if any, need replacing; whether the ridge will be dry-fixed or mortar-bedded; what will happen to the flashings; and what roofline work is included. A quote that covers only the tiles and nothing else should prompt questions about how the edges, flashings and ridge are being handled.
If the damage is isolated - a single broken tile, a small section of lifted flashing - repair is almost always the right answer. When tiles are failing in multiple places, the underlay has deteriorated across large areas, or the timber structure is compromised, a full replacement becomes more cost-effective than repeated repairs. A roofer who inspects from the roof itself (not just from the ground) can give you an honest answer on this.
A standard semi-detached house typically takes three to five working days for a full tiled roof replacement once the scaffold is in place. Scaffold erection and removal adds time either side. Structural timber work, chimney repairs or complex roof shapes all extend the programme.
A flat roof on a garage or single-storey extension can usually be replaced in one or two days. The main decisions are the choice of membrane system, the condition of the deck beneath, and whether the falls are correct. If the deck is soft or rotten, it needs replacing before a new membrane goes on.
Replacing a roof like-for-like in the same materials generally falls within permitted development. Changing materials significantly, altering the roof shape, or working on a listed building requires consent from the local planning authority. When in doubt, check before starting.
If you have noticed any of the warning signs described above on your Wimblington property, call Ely Roofers to arrange a roof survey. We will give you a straight assessment of what the roof needs and what it will cost.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
