Newmarket Roofers installs new roofs for homeowners in Lakenheath, covering everything from full re-roofs on existing properties to new builds and extensions.
A new roof covers everything from stripping off the old covering right through to fixing the last ridge tile. On a re-roof, that means removing all existing tiles or slates, pulling off the old battens and felt, inspecting the timbers, and starting again with a properly specified build-up. On a new build or extension, we work from the structure up: membrane, battens, tiles or slates, and all the associated lead and flashing work at junctions and terminations.
We work with natural slate, concrete tiles and clay tiles. Each one suits different pitches, structures and budgets. Concrete tiles are the standard for most pitched roofs and are available in a wide range of profiles. Clay tiles suit older or traditional-style properties and hold their colour well over time. Natural slate is the premium option and, when correctly fixed, outlasts both tile types by a significant margin.
We cover Lakenheath and work across the surrounding area, including Newmarket, Bury St Edmunds and the villages in between. If you're unsure whether we reach your location, a phone call is the quickest way to find out.
Not all re-roof quotes are built the same way. When you're comparing prices, make sure each quote specifies the same scope. A complete re-roof should include:
A quote that omits scaffold or waste disposal is not a like-for-like comparison with one that includes them. Ask for everything to be listed before you sign anything.
A full re-roof on a standard semi-detached house in the Lakenheath area typically costs between £5,000 and £10,000. The main variables are the size of the roof, its pitch and complexity, the material chosen, and what condition the timbers are in once the old covering comes off. Roofs with hips, valleys or multiple slopes cost more to strip and re-tile than a simple duo-pitch.
Natural slate sits at the top of the cost range per square metre but carries the best expected lifespan of the three main materials. Concrete tile is the most cost-effective for most properties. Clay tile falls between the two. All three are sound choices when installed to the correct standard.
The roofing trade has a higher proportion of cowboy operators than most building trades, largely because the work is hard to inspect while it's happening and problems can take months to show up. Some practical ways to protect yourself:
A legitimate, established roofer will not object to any of these questions. Reluctance to answer is itself a signal.
Once you've spotted a problem - missing tiles after a storm, a damp patch on the ceiling, a section of ridge that looks wrong from the ground - there is usually a gap before a roofer can get to you. What you do in that window matters. Done correctly, a few simple steps protect your home from further damage. Done wrong, they can make the problem worse or put you in danger.
First, establish whether water is actively getting in. Go into the loft with a torch and look for wet felt, dripping, or staining on the timbers. If the felt is wet but holding, the water is not yet reaching the ceiling below. If there are active drips, place containers underneath and check them regularly. Felt can hold a surprising amount of water before it gives way, but it will not hold indefinitely.
If water is already coming through to the ceiling, clear the area below. Move furniture, roll back rugs, and cover anything that can be damaged with plastic sheeting. A wet ceiling is under stress from the weight of water above the plaster. Do not poke a hole in it to relieve the pressure - the whole section can come down at once. A small, careful cut at the lowest visible point of a bulge, using a screwdriver into a waiting bucket, is safer than leaving a large body of water sitting above the plaster.
In some cases a roofer can apply a temporary covering - a tarpaulin properly battened down or a temporary membrane over the worst-affected section - to buy time before the full job is scheduled. This is not a repair and should not be priced or treated as one. A tarpaulin will shift in wind if not fixed correctly, and it reduces but does not eliminate water ingress. Ask the roofer to be clear about what a temporary fix will and will not achieve before you agree to it.
If the problem is a few slipped or missing tiles, a roofer can often make a safe temporary fix quickly by replacing those tiles and checking the surrounding area. This kind of targeted repair can make a roof weathertight again without a full scaffold setup, depending on access. It will not address underlying issues if the battens below are rotten or the felt has failed across a wider area.
This is worth being direct about. Some homeowners, faced with a missing tile and a roofer who cannot come for a few days, consider getting up there themselves. Do not do this.
Domestic pitched roofs are not designed for foot traffic and most tiles will crack or slip under body weight unless you are standing on the batten line. Wet tiles - and after any weather event that displaces tiles, the roof will be wet - are extremely slippery. Falls from roofs kill people every year, and a domestic roof with no scaffold, no safety line and no harness has none of the protection a professional brings to the job.
The same applies to flat roof sections on a bay window or a rear extension. The surface may look solid but the decking below can be wet, partially rotted or simply not rated for a person's weight at a given point. A foot through the roof creates a much larger and more expensive problem than the original one.
What you can safely do yourself is inspect from the ground with binoculars, check the loft, manage water coming through internally, and photograph any visible damage to share with the roofer when they arrive. That information is genuinely useful and helps the roofer plan and quote more accurately.
If there is a known breach in the roof covering and rain is forecast, take these steps inside the loft before the weather arrives:
If the structural integrity of the roof is compromised - a large section of covering has come off, a chimney stack has shifted, or a ceiling is showing signs of imminent collapse - this is an emergency, not a job to schedule. Call us as soon as it is safe to do so. Keep people out of rooms directly below the affected area until a roofer has assessed the structure.
Before a roofer starts work on a new roof in Lakenheath or anywhere nearby, it is worth taking a few minutes to go through these points:
A straightforward roofer will answer all of these without hesitation. If any question is met with deflection or impatience, treat that as useful information about how the job will be managed.
We are based in Newmarket and work across Lakenheath, Bury St Edmunds, Haverhill and the surrounding towns and villages. If you have a new roof project to discuss - whether it is a full re-roof, a new build or an extension - call us to arrange a survey. We'll look at the job properly and give you a clear picture of what it involves before any work is agreed.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
