When your Cambridge home needs a full re-roof or a brand-new roof on a self-build or extension, Newmarket Roofers handles every stage from strip-off to ridge.
A full re-roof is not simply laying new tiles over old ones. The existing covering comes off first, the deck and timbers are inspected, and any damaged battens, rafters or felt underlay are replaced before a single tile goes on. Cutting corners at this stage is the most common reason a roof fails within a few years of being done.
We work with natural slate, concrete tiles and clay tiles. Each material has different fixing requirements, weight loadings and ridge details, and each suits different property types. On a self-build or extension the specification is agreed before work starts so the right materials arrive on site at the right time.
Natural slate is the most durable option and the one most period properties in and around Cambridge suit best. A good Welsh or Spanish slate roof, properly fixed with the right gauge and lap, can last 80 to 100 years. The trade-off is cost: natural slate typically runs from around £70 to £110 per square metre installed, depending on the slate origin and the complexity of the roof.
Concrete tiles are the most widely used material on post-war housing and are considerably cheaper, usually £40 to £65 per square metre installed. They are heavier than slate, so the roof structure must be checked before re-roofing older properties with them. Colour and texture choices are wide.
Clay tiles sit between the two in cost and are the traditional choice for many older properties across East Anglia. Plain clay tiles need close batten spacing and careful fixing at eaves and verges, but they weather to a natural finish that blends well with existing brickwork and stonework.
Stripping a roof back to the timbers routinely exposes problems that were invisible from the outside. Sarking felt that has become brittle and split, battens that have rotted where water has tracked under a broken tile, and rafters where woodworm or damp have reduced the bearing strength are all common findings. A responsible roofer will photograph these before making good and explain what was found and why it needed attention.
On chimneys and party walls, the lead flashings are often the first thing to fail. Re-roofing is the right time to replace old mortar-pointed flashings with properly dressed lead, which is far more durable and less likely to lift in wind.
Extension roofs are often where budgets are squeezed, but they connect to the main dwelling and any leak tracks straight into the house. The junction between the new roof and the existing one needs a correctly formed and dressed lead soaker or flashing, not just a fillet of mortar. The pitch also matters: a low-pitch extension roof needs a different system to a steeper main roof, and the tile manufacturer's minimum pitch must be followed.
Self-build projects require the roof to be weathertight before internal trades can start. Getting the specification and material lead times agreed early avoids hold-ups on site. We cover Newmarket, Cambridge and nearby towns including Ely and Haverhill, so lead time from enquiry to site start can be discussed when you call.
New roof costs in Cambridge and the surrounding area vary with roof size, pitch, access, material choice and the extent of timber repairs found. As a rough guide for a typical three-bedroom semi-detached house, a concrete tile re-roof runs from around £5,500 to £9,000, a clay tile re-roof from around £7,000 to £12,000, and a natural slate re-roof from around £9,000 to £16,000. Larger or more complex roofs will cost more. Any quote should be itemised enough to show materials, labour and disposal separately.
Always get more than one price, and check that all quotes are covering the same scope. A quote that omits timber repairs, new felt or ridge work is not a fair comparison to one that includes them.
A new roof is a significant investment. The difference between one that lasts its full life and one that develops problems within a decade often comes down to what happens in the years after installation, not just how well it was fitted. The good news is that the maintenance involved is straightforward and inexpensive compared with reactive repairs.
You do not need to get onto the roof yourself. A pair of binoculars or a phone camera with zoom is enough to check for lifted, slipped or cracked tiles, open ridge joints, moss build-up around verges and valleys, and lead flashings that have started to lift or crack. The best times are late autumn, once any leaves have cleared from the gutters, and late spring after winter frosts have done their work.
Write down what you see and the date. If you call a roofer twelve months later, that record tells them whether something has changed quickly or been there a while, which affects how it is diagnosed and priced.
A blocked gutter does not just overflow. It holds water against the fascia board, which rots, and can back up under the first course of tiles, saturating the felt and the top of the wall below. Clearing gutters every autumn, and again in spring if there are trees nearby, is the single most cost-effective thing a homeowner can do to extend the life of the roof below the eaves line.
Check that downpipes are fixed firmly and discharging into the drain rather than puddling against the wall. Where a downpipe has pulled away from the wall, water runs behind it and saturates the mortar over years without being noticed.
Some moss on a roof is normal and does not mean the roof is failing. The problem comes when moss builds up in valleys, at verges and around chimney bases, where it holds moisture against the tile surface and can lift the leading edge of tiles in frost. Those areas are worth treating.
Biocide sprays applied by a roofer are the appropriate method. Pressure washing is not: it drives water under tiles, strips the granules from concrete tiles and can dislodge pointing and ridge mortar. If someone quotes you for a pressure wash as part of a roof treatment, treat it as a warning sign.
Mortar-pointed ridges and verges are the areas that deteriorate fastest on a tiled roof because the mortar is fully exposed. Cracking usually starts within fifteen to twenty years even on a well-built roof. Small cracks let water in, which freezes and levers the mortar away, and within a few seasons the ridge tile can be loose enough to move or fall.
Catching this early means re-pointing rather than full ridge replacement. If the ridge tiles themselves are still sound, re-bedding and pointing them is a fraction of the cost of replacing the whole ridge. On a new roof, ask whether the ridge is mortar-bedded or mechanically fixed with a dry-fix system. Dry-fix ridges need no mortar and are less likely to need attention.
After any significant wind, scan the roof from the ground before going inside the loft. In the loft, look for daylight, fresh damp patches on the felt, or debris that has come through. If you see lifted or missing tiles, do not delay: an open tile lets water onto the felt, which was not designed as a primary weathering layer and will not hold indefinitely.
A few slipped tiles are a repair job, not a sign that the whole roof has failed. But if a large area has moved, or if ridge tiles have lifted, it is worth getting a roofer to inspect the whole plane rather than just patching what is visible.
If your roof is over 30 years old and repairs are becoming regular, or if the felt is failing and water is reaching the ceiling, a survey that assesses the full condition of the roof is worth arranging. A survey should look at the tile condition, the state of the battens and felt visible from the eaves and any inspection hatches, and the condition of flashings and ridge. It gives you an informed choice between further repairs and a planned re-roof before an emergency makes the decision for you.
We cover Cambridge and nearby areas including Ely, Haverhill and Newmarket. Call us to arrange a roof survey and we will tell you honestly what the roof needs now and what it is likely to need over the next five to ten years.
These are not trick questions. Any experienced roofer will answer them without hesitation, and the answers will tell you a great deal about how the job will be run.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
