At Hardscape we are fully insured to install new roofs and to re-roof. We are an experienced company and have installed many new roofs. Furthermore we offer a range of different styles and colours that can be used on your new roof. It may be the case of repairing/replacing tiles on your roof or if its in a bad state of disrepair it may need a complete new roof.
The key stages of a new roof are now shown below. Materials and the process may change from job to job but here you can get an idea of the general process.
• Installing a new roof will start with a proper assessment of the existing roof and deciding what materials will be used or re-used.
• Ordering new materials and having them delivered to the site along with a skip for disposing of all the waste material.
• Scaffolding may be required, but is not always an essential part of the process.
• The existing roof materials have to be carefully stripped and removed starting from the top of the roof with the ridge tiles. Slates and tiles are then passed down exposing the roof timbers and tile laths. By now the roof will pretty much look like a skeleton! The laths are removed so only the main structure of the roof is left and now is the time any rotten or split roof joists are replaced.
• The timbers are now covered with a layer of breathable felt which is layered from the bottom of the roof upwards. This allows any moisture or rain penetrated from a broken tile to run down the roof and into the gutter. It acts like a second shield. At this stage even though there are no tiles on the roof you can consider the roof watertight.
• Tile battens are fixed into place with galvanised nails at the correct gauge depending on the size and type of the tile. These create the ‘rows’ of tiles. It is important these are space correctly to give the proper overlap of each tile or slate.
• The roof tiles or slates are now fitted to the battens. Concrete tiles only need fixing and certain intervals where as slates that do not have hanging nibs need to be fixed with individual nails. Any tiles up against valleys or roof windows are cut to size.
• Any ‘first fix’ leadwork such as soakers or secret gutters are now fitted into place and covered over with the tiles.
• Any remaining leadwork such as flashings are now completed and ridges are dry fixed to finally make your new roof 100% watertight!
