Ely Roofers carries out roof repairs in Sutton and the surrounding villages, working through each job methodically from the first inspection to the final tidy-up so you know exactly what has been done and why.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
A roof repair is not just climbing up and swapping a tile. Done properly it is a structured process: identify the actual problem, understand what caused it, carry out the repair to a standard that lasts, and leave the property as you found it. Knowing what that process looks like helps you judge whether a roofer is doing the job correctly - or cutting corners.
Below is a step-by-step account of how a roof repair should be carried out, from the first visit to clearing up on the last day. We follow this process on every job in Sutton and across the area.
Before any work is priced or planned, the roof needs to be inspected properly. A good inspection covers both the outside and, where accessible, the inside of the roof space.
From the outside, a roofer should look at the full slope, not just the area of the obvious damage. A tile that has slipped may be the only visible sign, but the tiles around it need checking too - for cracked nibs, missing nails or early delamination that will cause the same problem again soon. Ridge and hip lines need checking for loose mortar or rocking tiles. Flashings around the chimney, any skylights and at abutments are examined for cracking, lifting or gaps in the pointing.
Inside the loft, timber condition matters. Damp rafters, stained felt or sagging insulation all point to a leak that has been running longer than the visible damp patch inside the room would suggest. Daylight visible through the felt is a sign of a more significant failure. Any of these findings change the scope of the repair and the materials needed.
A thorough inspection on a typical house takes fifteen to thirty minutes. If a roofer gives you a price without getting onto the roof, treat that with caution.
Fixing the symptom without addressing the cause is one of the most common reasons a roof repair fails. A damp patch on a bedroom ceiling might be caused by a slipped tile, a cracked flashing, a failed valley, a blocked or overflowing gutter, or a combination of more than one. Each has a different fix.
Leak tracing is sometimes straightforward and sometimes not. Water enters at one point and can travel several metres along a rafter or across the felt before it drips. Where the source is not obvious from the outside, a methodical approach is needed - checking each potential entry point in sequence rather than guessing. We explain what we find at this stage before any repair work begins.
Once the cause is identified, the repair is scoped and priced. A clear explanation of what needs doing, which materials will be used and what the cost will be should come before any work starts, not after. This is the point to ask questions: whether alternative materials are available, whether any adjacent work is worth doing at the same time while access is set up, and what the likely lifespan of the repair is in general terms.
On a straightforward tile or slate replacement, that conversation can happen on the day of inspection. On a more complex job - a leak that has been running a while, a chimney that needs both flashing and brickwork attention, or a flat roof section with multiple issues - it may take a day to get a clear picture and produce a proper breakdown.
Typical cost ranges for common repairs in Sutton: replacing a small number of slipped or broken tiles costs around £150 to £400. Ridge repointing for a short section runs from £200 to £600. Chimney flashing repairs typically fall between £200 and £500. Chimney brickwork repointing and new flaunching adds to that, usually bringing the total to £400-£700 for a standard stack. Flat roof repairs to a small section start at around £150 and rise depending on the area affected and the condition of the existing covering.
Safe access to the roof is not optional. For most domestic repairs, this means either roof ladders hooked over the ridge, a scaffold tower or a short-term scaffold depending on the height and pitch of the roof and the complexity of the work. The right access makes the job safer for the operative and means the repair can be carried out properly rather than at a stretch.
Most straightforward tile and mortar repairs on a standard two-storey house can be done from roof ladders and do not need full scaffold. A chimney repair, a valley replacement or anything requiring sustained work at ridge height usually warrants a scaffold tower or short-term scaffold. We will tell you at the scoping stage what access is needed and factor that into the price.
What the repair involves depends entirely on what needs fixing. Below is what a careful approach looks like for the most common jobs.
Tile and slate replacement: The surrounding tiles are lifted carefully to avoid cracking them. The damaged tile is removed and the batten and felt beneath are checked before the replacement goes in. If the felt is split, a repair patch is applied. The replacement tile is nailed where fixings are needed, and the surrounding tiles are relaid and checked for stability. A replacement that is simply dropped in without checking what is underneath is not a proper repair.
Ridge and hip repointing: Loose or crumbling mortar is cut out thoroughly - not just pointed over. The tiles are cleaned, any cracked ones replaced, and fresh mortar is applied in the correct mix and profile. Pointing over old loose mortar traps moisture and fails quickly. Where a dry-fix system is appropriate, clips and end caps are fitted to the manufacturer's specification.
Lead flashing repairs: Where a flashing has lifted or cracked, the mortar joint in the masonry is raked out, the lead is dressed back into the joint and re-pointed with mortar or lead wedges. If the lead is too thin, has cracked through or is extensively corroded, the right solution is to replace the section rather than dress it back. Lead patch repairs using the correct lead grade and solder can be effective for small cracks, but self-adhesive tape used as a permanent fix on a chimney flashing is not.
Flat roof repairs: For felt roofs, the damaged area is cut back to sound material, any wet insulation beneath is removed and replaced, and a new layer of torch-on felt is applied with laps sealed fully. Upstands and edge trims are checked and made good. For EPDM rubber, a puncture or lifted edge is cleaned, primed and bonded with the correct EPDM adhesive. Using silicone or general sealant on an EPDM membrane does not bond reliably and the repair fails.
Before access is taken down, a finished repair should be checked. That means walking the relevant section of roof, confirming tiles are sitting level and flush, mortar is properly profiled and the surface sheds water correctly, and flashings are seated flat with no lifted edges. If there is a flat roof section, the outlets and perimeter are checked to confirm water can clear freely.
Broken tiles, old mortar, off-cuts of lead and any other debris come off the roof and off your property. Gutters that were disturbed during access are checked and cleared of debris before we leave. The garden or driveway where ladders or a tower were standing is left clean. This is not an extra - it is part of finishing a job properly.
Like-for-like repairs generally do not need planning permission. Listed buildings and properties in conservation areas are the exception - check with the local planning authority before work starts if your property falls into either category, particularly if the material is changing.
Where a storm has left a roof open to the weather, the priority is making it safe and weathertight as quickly as possible.
Yes. We will assess what is there, tell you honestly what we find and explain what the correct repair involves.
Damp patches on upstairs ceilings, slipped or cracked tiles visible from the ground, crumbling ridge mortar, lifted chimney flashings, staining on chimney brickwork and debris collecting in gutters are all signs worth acting on. The sooner a problem is caught, the less repair it typically needs.
We cover Sutton and the surrounding area, including Ely, Haddenham, Witchford, Soham, Burwell, Waterbeach, Cottenham, Over and Chatteris. If you have a repair that needs looking at, call us to arrange a survey and we will tell you plainly what your roof needs.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
