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Roofing works

Your home is having roof work. This page explains how a re-roof is done, how long the scaffolding stands, what you need to move, and what happens if we find a problem once the old roof is off.

Roof work is the noisiest and dustiest thing we do. It is worth reading this page before we start. If you have questions, ring 01935 315315.

The short version

  • Scaffolding goes up first and stays up for the whole job
  • Most of the work is outside
  • It is noisy, and there will be dust in the loft
  • You can stay in your home throughout
  • Rain can add days, and we will tell you if it does

Step by step

How the work is done

Every roof is different, so your dates may not match this exactly. Your own dates are confirmed with you in writing before we start.

  1. 01

    Scaffolding goes up

    A scaffolding team puts up a platform around the working part of your home. They do not need to come inside. Putting it up takes a few hours and is noisy while poles are handled.

    What you need to do: clear the ground next to the wall, move cars if we asked, and take down washing lines that are in the way.

  2. 02

    The old roof comes off

    Tiles are taken off and put into a chute or lowered down. This is the loudest and dustiest part. Your loft will be open to the weather while it happens, so it is covered with sheeting each night.

    What you need to do: empty the loft of anything you care about before this day, and keep upstairs windows shut.

  3. 03

    The timbers are checked

    With the tiles off, we can see the battens and the timbers underneath. Anything rotten or broken is reported and repaired before the new roof goes on.

    What you need to do: nothing. If we find something, we will tell you as well as your landlord.

  4. 04

    New membrane and battens

    A breathable membrane goes over the timbers to keep water out, then new battens are nailed on. Nailing is repetitive noise, right above your ceiling, for much of a day.

    What you need to do: nothing. If you work nights or need quiet hours, tell us before the job starts.

  5. 05

    New tiles go on

    Tiles are lifted up and laid in rows from the bottom. Once a section is tiled it is weathertight again. This is the point where the noise starts to drop.

    What you need to do: keep children and pets away from the scaffolding and from any skip.

  6. 06

    Ridge, flashing and finishing

    The ridge along the top is fixed, and the joins around chimneys and walls are sealed. Guttering is checked and refitted where needed.

    What you need to do: nothing.

  7. 07

    Checks and clearing up

    Someone who did not do the work checks it and photographs it. We clear the ground, sweep up, and take a magnet over the area to pick up nails.

    What you need to do: tell us if you can see anything that has been missed. It is easier to fix while the scaffolding is still up.

  8. 08

    Scaffolding comes down

    Usually within a few days of the work finishing. It is another noisy few hours. After that your garden and paths go back to normal.

    What you need to do: ring us if the scaffolding is still there a week later and nobody has explained why.

Scaffolding: how long, and how safe

  • How long it is upIt goes up a day or two before the work and comes down within a few days after. For most homes that is one to two weeks in total, longer if the weather is bad.
  • SecurityScaffolding does make it easier to reach upstairs windows. Please keep upstairs windows shut and locked while it is up, especially at night and when you go out.
  • AlarmsIf you have a burglar alarm, use it. If you are worried about security, ring us. Anti-climb measures can be added to the lower level.
  • Your accessWe keep your front door, your back door and any ramp usable. If the scaffolding blocks a route you rely on, tell us on the day and we will change it.
  • Please do not climb itIt is a work platform, not a ladder. Keep children off it, and do not use it to reach a gutter, an aerial or a window.
  • Do not hang anything on itNo washing lines, no hanging baskets, no bird feeders. Anything hanging from it can fall on someone below.

How to get ready

The most important one is the loft. Once the tiles come off, anything up there is exposed to dust and weather.

  • Empty the loft Take out anything you value, anything fragile and anything that must stay dry. Dust always gets in during a re-roof, however carefully we sheet up. If you cannot get into the loft yourself, tell us before the start date and we will arrange help.
  • Take pictures off upstairs walls Nailing above a ceiling shakes it. Pictures, mirrors and shelves on upstairs walls are best taken down for the week.
  • Parking We need space for a van and often a skip. If your street is tight, tell us in advance so we can arrange it rather than turn up and block someone in.
  • Pets Keep pets inside and away from the working side of the house. The noise upsets many animals, so a quiet room at the other end of the home helps.
  • Washing lines and garden Take washing off the line on working days. Move pots, furniture and anything breakable away from the wall. There will be dust and the occasional falling piece of tile.
  • Ponds and delicate planting Tell us about them at the survey. We can sheet over them, but only if we know they are there.

Noise, dust and weather

What the noise is like

Stripping tiles is loud banging and scraping. Nailing battens is a steady hammering right above your ceiling. Both are worst on the first two or three days.

We work normal working hours. We do not start early and we do not work into the evening without agreeing it with you first.

If you need quiet at particular times, for a baby, for night shift sleep, or because noise makes you unwell, tell us before we start and we will plan around it where we can.

What the dust is like

Old roofs hold decades of dust. When the tiles come off, some of it comes down through the ceiling and into the loft.

We sheet the loft where we can and we clean up at the end. Even so, expect a fine layer of dust upstairs, and keep upstairs doors and windows shut while we work.

If dust is a health problem for you, for example if you have a lung condition, tell us. We can change how we work and when.

Weather delays

We will not take a roof off into heavy rain or high wind. It is not safe for the team and it is not good for your home.

That means roofing dates move. If yours moves, we will tell you why and give you a new date rather than leave you waiting.

If the roof is part open and rain comes, the team sheets it down before they leave. Your home stays dry.

If water does get in

Ring us straight away on 01935 315315, even if it is a small mark on a ceiling. Do not wait to see if it dries.

We will come and look. Any damage caused by our work is put right, and you are not charged.

Take a photograph if you can. It helps, but it is not something you have to do.

If we find something once the old roof is off

This happens on older homes. Rotten timbers, damaged battens, an old repair that was never done properly, or damp around a chimney. None of it is your fault and none of it is charged to you.

  • Work stops on that partWe do not build a new roof over a problem. The team stops on that section and photographs what they have found.
  • Your landlord is toldThe extra work has to be approved by whoever is paying for the programme. That is the landlord, not you.
  • You are told tooWe will explain what was found, what it means and what it does to your dates. You should not have to hear it second hand.
  • Your home stays weathertightWhile it is being sorted out, the open part is sheeted so rain cannot get in.
  • The dates may moveExtra work takes extra days. We will give you a new finish date as soon as we have one.

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