24 June 2026
A roof is not a single thing. It is a covering on top of battens on top of underlay on top of timbers, and they age at different rates. Slate outlives everything under it; concrete tiles and their felt tend to go together; clay tiles outlast their battens. So the question is never how old is the roof, it is which part has failed and how much of it.
Repair
One leak in one place. A few slips on one slope. A chimney flashing. A split valley. Cracked ridge mortar. A gutter. These are details, and details are repaired. A roof with one failed detail has years left in it and we quote for the detail.
Replace
Slips on every slope, which on slate means nail sickness. Felt perished at the eaves and in the loft. Rotten battens. Daylight in more than one place. A leak that has been patched three winters running and keeps coming back. When several of those line up, a repair is money spent on a roof that is finished.
The Roof That Fools Everyone
One that looks perfect from the road and is rotten from the inside. The covering outlives the felt and battens, so the tiles can be fine and the roof can be done. That is why a survey goes into the loft, and why a price from the pavement is a guess.
How We Decide
We survey it properly, photograph what we find and show you. If it is a repair we say so and quote for the repair. If it really is a new roof we show you the pictures that make the case. It is most of why people call us back.