When your roof needs attention in Sprowston, Poringland Roofers will assess the damage honestly, explain exactly what needs doing, and carry out the repair properly from start to finish.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Most homeowners only call a roofer when something has already gone wrong - a damp patch on the ceiling, a tile they spotted from the garden, or damage after a night of strong wind. That is perfectly normal. What matters at that point is knowing what the repair process looks like so you can judge whether the work you are being offered is thorough or just a quick patch.
This page walks you through a roof repair from beginning to end: what we look at, what we look for, how we carry out the work, and what you should expect when we leave. We cover the main types of repair along the way, so you can come to the job with a clearer head.
The first job is to get eyes on the whole roof, not just the spot that has caused the problem. A missing tile is obvious. A failed flashing, a cracked ridge mortar bed, or a small split in the felt beneath the tiles is not something you can see from the ground. A thorough look means getting on the roof or using a ladder and camera to check every section properly.
We look at the tile or slate covering first - checking for slipped, cracked, or missing pieces, and for any signs that mortar on the hips or ridge is crumbling away. On a typical pitched roof, ridge mortar works loose over time as the roof expands and contracts with temperature changes. Once it begins to go, individual ridge tiles can lift or shift, which leaves the top of the roof exposed to water.
We check flashings next. These are the lead or code-metal strips that seal the joint between the roof covering and a wall, chimney, or dormer. A flashing failure is one of the most common causes of internal damp because water tracks down behind the flashing and into the wall cavity before anyone notices anything inside the house. The flashing itself often looks intact from a distance but has lifted or split at the upstand.
We also check the felt underlay where it is visible at the eaves, look at the condition of the fascias and soffits for rot or damage that could affect water run-off, and check the gutters are seated correctly and draining away from the roof line. All of this takes time to do properly, and a roofer who gives you a quote after a two-minute look from the pavement has not done this stage of the job.
Slipped tiles are the most visible fault. On older roofs, the nibs (the small hooks that hold a tile on the batten) can wear or break, and the tile slides down or falls. On concrete interlocking tiles, the nibs are more robust but the tiles are heavier, so when they do come loose there is more risk of further damage below. Replacing a slipped tile sounds simple but the surrounding tiles must be carefully lifted and re-bedded without cracking them.
Cracked or broken slates are common on older properties. Natural slate is durable but brittle. A single broken slate is straightforward to replace if matching material is available. A roof that has a dozen cracked slates spread across it is a different job - at some point re-slating a section or the whole roof becomes more cost-effective than ongoing individual repairs.
Ridge and hip mortar failure is extremely common on any roof that is more than fifteen or twenty years old. The mortar becomes porous, then cracks, then washes away in heavy rain. Repointing a ridge means removing the old mortar completely, re-bedding each ridge tile in fresh mortar, and pointing the joints. Some roofers now use a dry-fix ridge system instead - a mechanical fixing with a ventilated cap - which removes the need for mortar entirely and is generally more durable long-term.
Chimney stacks need particular attention. A stack goes through the roof line and has multiple potential failure points: the flaunching (the mortar cap around the pots), the lead or code-metal flashings around the base, and the pointing in the brickwork itself. Water can enter at any of these points. A damp chimney breast inside the house is not always a chimney pot problem - it is often the flashing or the pointing on the stack itself.
Flat roof sections on extensions and bay windows are a separate consideration. Felt flat roofs have a finite lifespan and will eventually need replacing rather than patching. EPDM rubber membrane is now widely used as a replacement because it is more flexible and handles ponding water better than felt. When a flat roof section starts to blister or crack, a temporary patch buys time but not much of it.
After the inspection we will tell you exactly what we have found in plain terms. That means the problem itself, what is causing it, and what will happen if it is left. We will separate out what needs doing now from what might need attention in the next year or two. You should never feel pressured to sign up for more work than you need at that moment.
A common problem is that homeowners are told there is storm damage or widespread felt failure when in fact there are only one or two tiles to fix. If a roofer tells you the whole roof needs replacing after a brief look, ask them to show you the specific evidence for that on the roof itself. A reputable roofer will have no problem doing that.
We will also be honest if a repair is not the right answer. If the covering is very old, the felt beneath is failing across a large area, and the battens are showing rot, then a partial repair may not hold for long. In that situation we will tell you so that you can make an informed choice about whether to repair now and plan for a full re-roof in the near future, or whether to go straight to a replacement.
Before any work starts on the roof, the right access equipment needs to be in place. For most standard repairs on a two-storey house, a ladder and roof ladders (crawling boards) are sufficient. For a larger job - a full ridge re-point, a re-slate section, or a chimney repair - scaffold may be needed for safe and proper access. We will tell you at the quote stage whether scaffold is required and factor that into the cost.
Roof work carried out without proper access equipment is a risk to the roofer and to the roof itself. Walking directly on tiles without crawling boards can crack or dislodge them. If a roofer is not using crawling boards on a tiled roof, that is worth questioning.
The method depends on the job. For slipped or broken tiles we carefully lift the surrounding tiles using a slate ripper or lifter, remove the damaged tile, replace it with a matching piece, and re-seat the surrounding tiles. Matching the tile is important - a different profile or colour tile stands out, and on a front elevation that matters. We carry a stock of common profiles but for less common tiles it may be necessary to source a match, which can add a day or two to the job.
For ridge and hip repointing, we remove all the old mortar back to clean masonry, re-bed each ridge tile in a cement-based mortar mix appropriate for external use, and point the joints. We work along the ridge systematically rather than patching individual sections, because a patched ridge tends to fail again at the joints between old and new mortar. Where a dry-fix system is being fitted, the old mortar and bedding is removed, the ridge tiles are replaced with the appropriate ventilated units, and the mechanical fixing is applied.
Flashing repairs vary in complexity. A simple re-dressing of a lead flashing that has just lifted at the upstand can be done quickly. A flashing that has split, corroded, or been incorrectly installed in the first place needs to be cut out and replaced. We use lead or code-metal depending on the location. The new flashing is dressed into the mortar joint on the wall and weighted with lead wedges (or mechanically fixed), then pointed. A poorly fitted flashing that is just pushed into a joint and stuck with sealant will fail again quickly.
Chimney work often involves a combination of flaunching repair or replacement, re-pointing the stack brickwork, and renewing or re-dressing the flashings. The flaunching - the mortar cap that holds the pots in place and channels water away from the stack - deteriorates from frost and weathering. When it cracks, water gets under it and accelerates the deterioration. Replacing the flaunching means hacking off all the old material, cleaning the top of the stack, and casting a new mortar cap with the correct fall to shed water.
For flat roof repairs, a small blister or split in a felt section can be cut open, dried out, and patched with a compatible torch-on felt layer. If the flat roof is beyond economic patching, we strip the old covering back to the deck, check the deck boards for rot and replace any that are soft, then lay a new covering. EPDM rubber is laid in a single sheet where the size allows, which eliminates most of the seam joints that are the main weak points in a felt roof.
Once the repair is done, we check the surrounding area of the roof - not just the immediate repair zone - to make sure nothing has been disturbed in the process and that the work has been completed cleanly. Ridge mortar is checked that it is fully pointed with no voids. Flashings are checked that they are seated correctly along their full length. Replaced tiles are checked that they are locked in correctly and that the surrounding tiles are properly re-seated.
Debris from the job - broken tile pieces, old mortar, packaging - is collected and taken away. We clear the gutters in the immediate area of the repair if any material has dropped in, because a blocked gutter at the base of a freshly repaired section defeats the purpose of the repair. We will also tell you if we noticed anything else during the work that warrants a closer look in the future.
A straightforward tile replacement on a two-storey pitched roof typically costs between £150 and £300, depending on access and the tile type. Ridge repointing for a full ridge run on a semi-detached house is usually in the range of £400 to £900. Flashing repairs vary widely - a simple re-dress of an existing lead flashing might be £150 to £250, while a full flashing replacement on a chimney stack, including pointing, can be £400 to £700 or more. Chimney flaunching replacement typically runs from £250 to £500 depending on the size of the stack and the access needed. These are typical UK market ranges and individual jobs vary based on roof pitch, access requirements, and material costs at the time.
Scaffold, where it is needed, adds cost but is sometimes the only way to do the job safely and properly. We will always tell you upfront if scaffold is part of the scope.
A repair is the right answer when the problem is isolated and the rest of the roof covering is in reasonable condition. If the tiles or slates are generally sound, the felt is intact, and the battens are not rotting, a targeted repair will see the roof right for many more years.
A replacement is worth considering when the roof is old enough that a repair is likely to be followed by another repair in short order. On a concrete tile roof that is thirty years old with widespread mortar failure, cracked tiles, and degraded felt, successive repairs become expensive and frustrating. A full re-roof gives a clean start. We will give you an honest assessment of where your roof sits on that spectrum.
We carry out roof repairs across Sprowston and the wider Norwich area. Jobs vary from a single tile on a bungalow to a full chimney stack overhaul on a larger detached property. The process is the same regardless of the size of the job: look properly, explain honestly, carry out the work to a standard that will hold.
If you have noticed a damp patch, spotted a tile out of place, or just want a roof checked over after a period of bad weather, call us for a roof survey and we will tell you exactly what we find.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
