When your roof has reached the end of its life, Ely Roofers carries out full roof replacements in Willingham and the surrounding villages, stripping back to the bare timbers and starting again properly.
Not every roofing problem needs a full replacement, but some roofs reach a point where patching is throwing good money after bad. If slates or tiles are cracking, slipping and breaking faster than they can be replaced, if the felt underlay beneath has rotted and water is tracking into the roof space, or if the timbers underneath have started to soften, a replacement is usually the more sensible choice.
A common problem is that homeowners spend several hundred pounds on repairs over a few years without realising the roof as a whole has failed. A straightforward inspection from roof level will tell you which situation you are in. If you are unsure, call us and ask for a roof survey before committing to anything.
Understanding the process helps you know what to expect and gives you the questions to ask any roofer before they start. Here is how a properly run job unfolds.
Before any work is priced or planned, the roof needs to be inspected properly - not just a glance from the ground. A good roofer will get up to ridge level and look at the condition of the tiles or slates, the ridge and hip mortar, the valleys, the flashings around any chimneys or roof windows, and the felt underneath where it is visible at the eaves. The timbers in the loft should also be checked from inside, looking for sagging rafters, signs of water ingress, or any previous patchwork that may affect the new roof.
From this inspection you should receive a clear explanation of what needs to come off, what can stay, and why. If a roofer quotes without going up on the roof, treat that as a warning sign.
A full roof replacement requires proper scaffolding. It is needed for safe working at height and for handling the volume of materials going up and waste coming down. Scaffolding is typically erected on the day before work begins or on the morning of the first day. For a standard semi-detached or detached house, a scaffold is usually in place for the duration of the job, which on a straightforward roof runs from one day to around a week depending on size and complexity.
Check whether scaffolding is included in any quote or costed separately. Some contractors quote the roofing labour and materials only, then add scaffold hire on top. Ask explicitly so there are no surprises.
All the existing tiles or slates come off first, loaded into a skip or onto a flatbed for disposal. As the old covering is removed, the condition of the felt underlay becomes fully visible. Old-style bitumen felt, common on roofs laid before the 1990s, often becomes brittle and tears easily. Modern breathable membranes perform better, but even these have a finite life.
Once stripped, the roofer can see the full state of the timber structure - the rafters, ridge board, purlins and wall plates. Any timbers that are soft, split or have dropped need to be replaced or sistered (where a new length of timber is fixed alongside the damaged one) before the new roof goes on. This step cannot be properly assessed until the old covering is off, so a small contingency budget for timber repairs is sensible.
Modern breathable roofing membrane is laid horizontally from eaves to ridge, each course overlapping the one below. Unlike the old impermeable bitumen felt, breathable membrane allows water vapour from inside the house to escape while preventing rainwater from getting in. This reduces the risk of condensation building up in the roof space and rotting the timbers from the inside out.
The membrane is fixed with timber battens, which are nailed across the rafters to create the fixing points for the new tiles or slates. Batten spacing is determined by the gauge of the chosen tile or slate, so this is calculated carefully before any battens go down.
Tiles and slates are fixed from eaves to ridge, each course overlapping the one below it. Natural Welsh slate and concrete or clay tiles are the most common choices for pitched roofs. Natural slate has a long lifespan - manufacturers typically quote 80 to 100 years or more for Welsh slate - and suits period properties well. Concrete interlocking tiles are heavier but cover more area per tile, meaning faster fixing and lower labour cost per square metre. Clay plain tiles sit in the middle ground: lighter than concrete, longer-lasting than most concrete tiles, and well-suited to older properties.
Every tile is mechanically fixed according to the pitch of the roof. On steeper pitches or exposed positions, every tile is nailed rather than relying on nib and batten alone. Lead soakers and step flashings are fitted around chimneys and abutments as the tiling progresses - these are not an afterthought.
Once the main roof slope is tiled, the ridge and any hips are finished. On modern work, dry-fix systems using a ventilated ridge system and mortar-free clips are now widely used. They remove the risk of mortar cracking and falling away over time, which is one of the most common causes of ridge tiles lifting or blowing off in wet and windy weather. Traditional mortar bedding is still available for like-for-like replacement on certain property types.
Valleys - the internal angles where two roof slopes meet - are either cut into the tiles (a swept or laced valley) or lined with lead, which gives a clean, long-lasting finish.
When the roof is complete, a thorough check from roof level should confirm every tile is fixed correctly, all flashing laps and upstands are properly dressed, ridge and hip fixings are secure, and guttering is reconnected. Any debris from the strip-out and installation is cleared from the garden and loaded for disposal. Scaffolding comes down once the roofer is satisfied everything is sound, and the area should be left clean and tidy.
Ask to be shown any timber replacements or notable findings before the roof is closed back up. A reputable roofer will point these out during the job rather than presenting them as a surprise at the end.
In most cases, replacing a roof with the same or similar materials on a standard residential property does not require planning permission. However, if your property is listed, or if it sits within a conservation area, you should check with the local planning authority before changing materials. Replacing clay tiles with concrete, for example, may not be permitted in a conservation area even on an unlisted house.
We work in Willingham and throughout the surrounding area, including nearby villages and the towns of Ely, Waterbeach and Soham. If there is any doubt about consent, it is always worth checking before materials are ordered.
If you think your roof may be due for replacement, or if you have had repairs that keep coming back, call us and ask for a roof survey. We will tell you honestly whether a replacement is necessary or whether the roof has more life in it with targeted repair. There is no point in replacing a roof that does not need it, but there is equally no value in continuing to patch one that has failed.
Call Ely Roofers to arrange a survey of your roof in Willingham.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
