What Is Included in a Full Roof Replacement in Crewe?

"Full roof replacement" appears at the top of most quotations and is rarely defined in any of them. This guide sets out what the phrase should cover, item by item, so that you can read a quotation with a checklist in hand rather than a general impression.

None of this is exotic. It is what a properly specified re-roof involves on an ordinary Crewe house — and the items most often missing from a quotation are the ones at the end of the list, not the beginning.

1. Before Anything Starts

• Survey. The roof from outside and the roof space from inside. The loft is where the condition of the underlay, battens and timbers is actually visible.
• Written quotation. Scope, materials by name and range, exclusions, and the rate for any defective timber found during the strip.
• Scaffolding. Designed for the property and, where it stands on the public footway, licensed from Cheshire East Council.
• Access arrangements. Particularly on terraced property with no rear access — where materials are landed, where waste goes, and what the neighbours need to know.
• Notification. Either building control is notified, or the roofer self-certifies under a competent person scheme. Agree which, in advance.

2. Stripping the Roof

• Existing tiles or slates removed, and sorted if any are to be re-used
• Old battens and underlay removed entirely
• Old lead removed from chimneys, abutments and valleys
• Waste removed from site and disposed of responsibly
• The roof stripped in manageable sections so the building is never left open
• Open areas sheeted overnight and in poor weather

3. The Structure, While It Is Exposed

This is the only opportunity anyone will have to look at the roof structure properly, and it is the stage at which a good contractor earns their fee.

• Rafters, purlins, ridge board and wall plates inspected
• Rafter ends checked where they sit on the wall plate — the commonest place for rot, because that is where a failing gutter puts water
• Defective timber replaced or spliced, at the rate agreed beforehand
• You are shown what was found before it is covered up again

4. Rebuilding the Roof

• Breathable underlay across the whole roof, correctly lapped and dressed into the gutter at the eaves
• New treated battens, graded, at the gauge required by the chosen covering
• Eaves protection — an eaves carrier or support tray so the membrane discharges into the gutter rather than behind it
• The covering, laid to the manufacturer's fixing specification, including the correct number of mechanical fixings for the exposure
• Valleys formed properly — lead, GRP or a proprietary valley system, as specified
• Ridge and hip finished with a mechanically fixed dry system rather than mortar bedding
• Verges finished with dry verge units or, where specified, bedded and pointed
• Lead to chimneys, abutments and any soil pipe or vent penetration, at the correct code and in appropriately sized sheets

5. Ventilation and Insulation

• Eaves ventilation, so air enters the roof space
• Ridge or high-level ventilation, so it leaves again
• Insulation upgraded to meet regulation 23 of the Building Regulations 2010, which requires the thermal performance of a renewed thermal element to be improved where technically and economically feasible
• The target for a roof in an existing dwelling is 0.16 W/(m²K) under Approved Document L Volume 1
• Insulation kept clear of the eaves ventilation path, so one does not defeat the other

That last point is worth dwelling on. Insulation stuffed hard into the eaves blocks the airflow the roof needs, and the result is condensation on the underside of the membrane. It is a common fault and it is easily avoided with a proper eaves detail.

6. While the Scaffold Is Up

Not part of a re-roof strictly speaking, but the economics are so favourable that they belong on the list. Each of these needs the same access as the roof, and access is the expensive part:

• Fascias and soffits
• Guttering and downpipes
• Chimney repointing, and renewing the flaunching around the pots
• Removing a redundant chimney stack, if that is the plan
• Pointing to gable verges and parapets

7. Finishing and Handover

• Site cleared, gutters cleaned out and tested, and a magnetic sweep for nails
• Scaffold struck
• Building regulations compliance certificate — from building control, or via a competent person scheme
• Written guarantee, stating clearly what it covers and for how long
• Manufacturer warranty for the covering, where one applies
• Photographs of the work, particularly anything now concealed

What Is Usually Not Included

So the absence of these is not necessarily a gap, but you should know it:

• Flat roofs over extensions, dormers or porches — a different trade and a different material, itemised separately
• Internal redecoration where a previous leak has damaged a ceiling
• Loft conversion work, or upgrading insulation in a room-in-roof beyond what the regulations require
• Chimney removal, unless specifically quoted
• Solar panel removal and refitting, which is normally arranged with the panel installer

Planning: Almost Certainly Not Required

A full roof replacement in Crewe, like for like, does not need planning permission. It does not materially affect the external appearance of the building, so under section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 it is not development at all. Crewe is not covered by any of Cheshire East's Article 4 directions, which apply to eight conservation areas elsewhere in the borough.

A listed building is different: listed building consent applies to works affecting character, and Cheshire East Council should be approached before the work is priced.

More Roof Replacement Advice for Crewe

Roof replacement in Crewe →
All roof replacement guides →
Roof Replacement Cheshire →