Roofer in Lancaster: Reroofs, New Roofing and Roof Repairs

A reroof replaces everything above the rafters. We scaffold the house, strip the old tiles or slates along with the felt and battens beneath them, and check every rafter and the wall plate while they are exposed. The roof then goes back in layers: breathable membrane, new treated battens, your choice of tile or slate fixed to current standards, and ridges, hips and verges finished so they stay put in a gale. Leadwork around chimneys and walls is renewed at the same time, so the new roof is not relying on old flashing.

Not every new roof replaces an old one. We roof new-build houses, extensions, dormers, garages and conversions for homeowners, builders and developers. Working from the bare rafters or trusses, we fit the membrane and battens, set out the covering so the courses run true, form the valleys and fit rooflights, then finish the ridges, hips and verges. On an extension we take care to tie the new roof into the old one, matching the covering where we can so the join does not shout.

Water rarely comes through the ceiling directly under the fault. It runs down the felt or along a rafter first, which is why a stain in one corner can start from a cracked tile two metres away. We find the real entry point before we touch anything, then fix that: slates and tiles replaced to match, ridge and hip tiles re-fixed, valleys cleared or relined, and flashing renewed where it has split or pulled out of the wall. If the roof is past the point where repairs are money well spent, we will say so and show you why.

Slate is the roof this area was built with, and a good one outlasts the nails that hold it. When those nails rust the slates start to slide, and the answer is often to strip and re-lay rather than replace: sound slates go back on new battens with new fixings, topped up with matching ones. We also lay new natural slate, slate laid in diminishing courses on older and rural properties, and clay and concrete tile roofs of every profile.

Old felt flat roofs fail at the joints and edges, and by the time a stain appears indoors the boards underneath are often soft. When we replace a flat roof we strip it back to the deck, replace any boards that have taken in water, check the falls so rain runs to the gutter and not into a puddle, and then lay a modern waterproofing system with proper edge trims and upstands. Smaller problems, such as a split, a lifted edge or a failed joint against the house wall, can often be repaired without replacing the whole roof.

A chimney is the most exposed part of the house and the place where a roof is most often breached. Lead flashing seals the join between the stack and the slates. When it splits, or the mortar holding it in the brickwork washes out, rain tracks straight down the inside of the stack. We renew flashing, soakers, back gutters and valleys in lead, repoint stacks, re-bed loose pots and fit cowls, and we look at the chimney as a matter of course on every reroof.

The roofline is what gets the rain from the roof to the drain. Fascia boards carry the gutter, soffits close the eaves underneath, and gutters and downpipes do the rest. When a joint leaks or a board rots, water runs down the wall instead, and the first you may know of it is a green streak on the render or damp in a bedroom corner. We replace the full roofline or any part of it, and we check the rafter ends and the bottom edge of the roof while the old boards are off.