Newmarket Roofers provides roof repairs in Clare and the surrounding area, covering everything from cracked ridge tiles and slipped slates to flashing failures and flat roof issues.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Finding someone competent and honest to repair your roof is often harder than the repair itself. The roofing trade has no single compulsory licensing body, which means almost anyone can set up and call themselves a roofer. Knowing what to ask before you agree to any work is the best protection you have.
This page covers the full range of roof repairs we carry out for homeowners in Clare and nearby, and then goes into real detail on how to assess any contractor before you hand over a deposit.
Most domestic roof repairs fall into a handful of categories: tile or slate replacement, ridge and hip work, chimney and flashing repairs, valley repairs, and flat roof patching or re-covering. The work itself is straightforward when it is done properly, but "properly" matters a great deal when it comes to waterproofing.
Slipped or cracked tiles are the most visible problem, but the damage they cause is often hidden. Water tracking under broken or displaced tiles can saturate the underlay and the battens before it shows on the ceiling. By the time you see a damp patch inside, water may have been sitting on the roof structure for weeks.
Flashings, particularly around chimneys, dormer cheeks and abutments, are another common failure point. Mortar-pointed flashings look neat when they are done but crack over time as the lead expands and contracts with temperature. Properly dressed lead flashing, cut into a raked joint in the brickwork, lasts far longer than anything stuck to the face of a wall with mortar or sealant.
Whether you call us or anyone else, these are the questions worth asking before any work starts.
A written quote should name every material that will be used, the quantity, the method and the price. Vague quotes such as "fix roof, allow £X" give you no basis to check the work has been done as agreed. If a contractor declines to put the detail in writing, that tells you something.
Ask specifically what tiles or slates will be used, where they come from, and how the match was sourced. For flashing work, ask whether the quote includes cutting back the brickwork joint for lead or whether they intend to mortar it on the surface only.
Most roof repairs above a single storey require scaffold or a tower. A roofer who proposes to lean a ladder against your guttering and work from the top of it is cutting corners in a way that can damage your guttering and puts them at risk. Ask upfront whether scaffold is included in the quote or charged separately. For most domestic repairs, you should expect scaffold to add £300 to £800 to the total, depending on the height and extent of the roof.
Old ridge mortar, broken tiles and lead offcuts need to go somewhere. Ask whether skip hire or waste removal is included or whether you will be billed separately. A contractor who plans to leave the waste on your drive for you to deal with is not presenting a complete price.
If your property is listed, or within a conservation area, there may be restrictions on what materials you can use for like-for-like replacement. In some cases, permitted development rights are removed for properties within such designations, meaning you may need to speak to the local planning authority before work starts. Ask the roofer whether they have worked on similar properties nearby and whether they can advise on this. The responsibility ultimately lies with you as the owner, so it is worth checking before any materials are removed.
Flashing repairs are one of the most commonly under-quoted elements of roof work. Ask the roofer to confirm whether the lead will be code 4 or code 5 (heavier lead lasts longer on exposed sections), whether they will be cutting the joint or pointing on the surface, and whether the price includes making good the pointing around the chimney afterwards.
A roofer doing a tile repair may find rotten battens underneath. A flat roof patch repair may reveal that the deck beneath the felt has delaminated. Ask how additional work will be handled: will you be told and shown before any extra work is done, or will you just receive a higher invoice? The answer should always be that you are informed and given the chance to decide.
Flat roofs on extensions, garages and outbuildings are a frequent source of problems. Felt roofs have a practical lifespan of around 10 to 20 years depending on the specification and exposure. Once the felt starts to crack, blister or pond water without draining, patch repairs become less cost-effective and a full re-cover is the better answer. EPDM rubber systems, properly installed with bonded seams, tend to outlast standard felt and are worth asking about when a flat roof needs replacing rather than patching.
If water is coming in now, call us directly rather than waiting. Temporary weatherproofing, such as a properly fitted torch-on patch or a waterproof membrane, can protect the interior while a full repair is scheduled.
As a general guide, minor tile or slate repairs run from around £150 to £350, flashing repairs from £200 to £500, and ridge or hip work from £400 to £900 depending on the run. These figures assume reasonable access. Listed or conservation-area properties where materials must be matched or sourced specially will often sit at the upper end. Always ask for a breakdown so you can see where the money is going.
We work across the Newmarket area and cover Clare and the surrounding villages. If you are nearby and unsure whether we cover your address, call and check.
Do I need planning permission to replace my roof tiles? In most cases, no, as long as you are using similar materials. But if your home is listed or in a conservation area, the rules are stricter. It is worth checking before you start, because enforcement action can be costly.
How do I know if I need a repair or a full re-roof? If the failures are isolated and the rest of the roof is structurally sound with intact underlay, repair is usually the right call. If tiles are failing across a wide area, the underlay is beyond its life or the battens are rotten in multiple sections, a re-roof becomes better value. We can advise once we have seen the roof.
Should I get more than one quote? Yes, especially for larger jobs. Two or three quotes on the same written specification let you compare like for like. If one quote is dramatically lower than the others, ask what has been left out.
If you need a roof repair in Clare, call Newmarket Roofers and we will arrange a survey to assess what is needed. We will give you a clear written quote covering materials, method and cost before any work begins.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
