If you're planning a new roof on your home near Attleborough, understanding the process from first inspection to final clean-up helps you know what to expect and what to check at each stage.
Getting a new roof fitted is a significant piece of work, but the process is well understood and follows a clear sequence when it's done properly. Knowing what good practice looks like at each stage means you can ask the right questions and spot if something is being rushed or skipped.
Thetford Roofers installs new pitched and flat roofs across Attleborough and the wider area, including Thetford, Mundford, Weeting, Feltwell, Lakenheath, and surrounding villages. We use quality slates, clay and concrete tiles, torch-on felt, and EPDM rubber on flat roofs.
A proper assessment starts before any price is agreed. On a pitched roof, this means looking at the roof from the outside - ideally from scaffold or at least from a ladder at eaves level - and also checking the inside of the loft. Both matter.
From the outside, a roofer should check the condition of the tiles or slates, the ridge and hip mortar, the flashings at chimneys and abutments, and the state of the gutters and fascias. From inside the loft, they should be looking at the underlay, the battens, any daylight showing through, the condition of the rafters and any signs of moisture staining on the timbers.
On a flat roof, the inspection checks the existing membrane for splits and blisters, the condition of the deck boards below, and how water drains from the surface. Ponding water that sits for more than 48 hours after rain is a design problem, not just a material problem.
Any roofer who gives you a firm price without checking the loft on a pitched roof or the deck condition on a flat roof is guessing at part of the job. It's reasonable to ask what the inspection found and to have the key points explained to you.
Before work starts, the scope of the job should be clearly agreed in writing. This covers the material being used (specific product, not just "tiles" or "slates"), whether battens and underlay are being replaced, what is happening with the ridge and hips, whether any timber is being replaced, what flashings are being included, and whether scaffold is part of the price.
If the job involves a flat roof, the spec should state whether the deck is being replaced in full or in part, how many layers of felt are being used, or whether the system is EPDM rubber, and how outlets, upstands, and edges will be finished.
Written agreement on all of this protects both you and the roofer. If anything is found during stripping that changes the scope - rotten timbers, for example, that weren't visible until the tiles came off - this is the point at which additional costs should be discussed and agreed, not presented as a surprise on the final invoice.
Safe roof work requires proper access. On most houses, this means a full scaffold around the perimeter of the roof, with guard rails to protect people working at height and prevent materials falling. Working from a ladder is not appropriate for a full re-roof.
Scaffold typically goes up a day or two before stripping begins. It needs to be stable, tied to the building correctly, and inspected after erection. If you're not sure whether scaffold is included in a quote, ask - it is sometimes priced separately by roofing companies that sub-contract scaffolding.
The existing tiles or slates are removed first, along with the mortar bedding on ridges and hips. Old battens and underlay are stripped back to the bare deck or rafters. This is where the true condition of the structure becomes clear.
On older roofs, it's common to find some rotten batten ends, corroded nail heads, or areas of softened deck boarding. All of this needs to be dealt with before the new roof goes on. Laying new materials over damaged timbers is the most reliable way to shorten the life of the new roof.
Stripped materials should be lowered safely and sorted for disposal. Reclaimed clay or natural slate tiles are sometimes worth keeping or selling - if you have useable original materials, mention this before stripping begins.
Once the roof is stripped, any rotten or damaged rafters, purlins, or deck boards are cut out and replaced with treated timber. On older houses, this can be more extensive than expected, particularly around chimney stacks, valleys, and at the eaves where water can have been sitting for years.
New breathable membrane underlay is then fixed across the rafter tops or deck. On a pitched roof, counter battens may be added over the membrane before the tile battens go on, depending on the ventilation requirements of the roof design. This detail matters more than it sounds - poor loft ventilation causes condensation on cold roof structures, which leads to the same damp problems you started with.
Tiles or slates are fixed from the eaves upward, with each course lapping over the one below to shed water. On a pitched roof, every tile should be mechanically fixed - either nailed, clipped, or both, depending on the product and the pitch. The top courses, verges, and ridge area are particularly important as they are most exposed to wind uplift.
Ridges on modern installations are typically bedded on mortar and pointed, with a dry-fix ridge system as an alternative on exposed roofs. Dry-fix ridge systems use plastic or aluminium fittings and avoid the future problem of mortar cracking away from the ridge tiles. They are worth asking about, particularly on roofs that have previously had ridge mortar failure.
On flat roofs, the membrane is either torch-applied in layers or bonded as a single-ply EPDM sheet. All upstands at walls and edges, all drainage outlets, and any penetrations through the membrane must be sealed and dressed correctly at this stage. A flat roof that fails within a few years of installation has almost always failed at one of these details, not in the middle of the membrane.
Lead flashings are fitted or re-dressed at every junction where the roof meets a wall, chimney, dormer, or skylight. New lead should be stepped and wedged into the masonry joint and pointed with mortar or a lead-compatible sealant. Simply pushing lead against a wall and sealing it with mastic is not an acceptable substitute on a re-roof.
If the property has a chimney, this is the point at which the stack pointing and flaunching (the mortar around the chimney pots) should be checked. A new roof with a deteriorating chimney above it will develop leaks that appear to come from the new roof covering. It makes sense to deal with chimney work while the scaffold is up and the access is there.
The eaves detail is inspected as part of a re-roof. If the existing gutters are cracked, poorly aligned, or held by corroded brackets, replacing them while scaffold is in place saves the cost of bringing scaffold back later. The same applies to timber fascias and soffits - any that have softened or delaminated should be replaced before the new felt or dry verge system is fitted against them.
Once the covering is complete, a good roofer walks the finished roof to check every ridge cap, every flashing, and the lay of the tiles or slates. Gutters should be cleared of tile fragments and debris before scaffold comes down, because getting them cleared after is a separate access problem.
All waste materials should be removed from site. Leftover tiles or slates that you want to keep should be agreed in advance so they can be set aside rather than skipped. A few spare tiles kept in the loft are useful for matching future repairs.
We carry out new roof installations in Attleborough and the surrounding area. Call Thetford Roofers to arrange a roof inspection and a full written price before any work begins.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
