Ridge & hip tile re-bedding
In short
Cracked and failed ridge bedding is the commonest reason a gale takes tiles off the top of a roof. Re-bedding means taking the units off, cleaning back to sound material and setting them in fresh mortar — with mechanical fixings underneath, because mortar alone has not met the standard since 2014.
Also called: Re-bed ridge tiles · Ridge tiles loose · Hip tiles slipping · Ridge mortar cracked
Signs you need this
- Visible cracks running along the ridge mortar
- A ridge tile sitting proud, tilted or out of line
- Mortar debris in the gutters or on the ground
- A wavy ridge line where it was straight
- Daylight visible at the ridge from inside the loft
- Hip tiles slipping down towards the eaves
The ridge is the most exposed line on the roof. It has weather on both sides, nothing above it, and until relatively recently it was held on by nothing but a bed of sand-and-cement mortar. That mortar takes the full brunt of frost, heat, and wind pressure, and eventually it cracks.
Once cracked, two things follow. Water gets into the crack and into the roof space beneath, and the mechanical bond holding a heavy tile at the highest point of the building starts to go. A ridge tile coming off is both a leak and a falling-object risk, and on a house fronting a pavement the second is the more serious.
Re-bedding is a real job rather than a top-up. The units come off, the old mortar is cleaned back to sound material on both the tile and the roof, the bed is set fresh in a well-graded mortar of the right strength, and the joints are pointed. Buttering fresh mortar over cracked old bedding — which is what a cheap job looks like — bonds new to loose and fails within a couple of seasons.
The standard changed in 2014 and the change matters. The revision of BS 5534 removed mortar as an acceptable sole fixing for ridges, hips and verges: every unit now has to be mechanically fixed as well, whether that is through a dry-fix system or with clips and screws set under a traditional mortar bed. A quote to simply re-bed in mortar is a quote to a standard that no longer exists, and on an exposed roof it is a quote to do the job again.
Mortar strength is a detail that decides longevity. Too rich a mix — too much cement — shrinks as it cures and cracks early, and it is harder than the tile it is bedded against. A properly graded mix with the right sand and the correct water content, protected while it cures, lasts far longer. Ridge work done in the wrong weather, in frost or in baking sun, is compromised before it sets.
Exposure is why this matters more in some parts of this patch than others. Air frost rises sharply with altitude — the Met Office records around 20 frost days a year on the North West coast against over 75 in the higher Pennines, and roughly half a degree of cooling per hundred metres — with Kerridge Hill at 313 metres and Shutlingsloe at 506. Freeze-thaw is exactly what kills a mortar bed, so a ridge up the hill will always be working harder than the same ridge in the town centre. That is the argument for a dry system on an exposed roof rather than an upsell.
What the job covers
- Units lifted and old mortar cleaned back to sound material
- Correct mortar mix, laid and pointed properly
- Mechanical fixings to meet the current BS 5534 standard
- Ridge and hip lines checked in full, not just the failed unit
- Dry-fix system offered where the exposure justifies it
- Work not carried out in frost or conditions that spoil the cure
What it costs
We don't publish a price for this yet, because a number pulled out of the air is worse than no number at all — your roofer has to honour it. On roofing it would also be close to meaningless: access is often the biggest single factor, and it varies enormously house to house. You'll get a firm price for your actual job when they ring you back, before any work starts. The quote itself is free and there's no obligation either way.
Common questions
Can the ridge just be re-pointed rather than re-bedded?
Only if the bed underneath is genuinely sound and the failure is in the pointing alone, which is uncommon. Buttering fresh mortar over cracked bedding bonds new material to loose material and fails within a couple of seasons. If the bed has gone, the units come off.
Why do I need mechanical fixings if it has been mortar for a century?
Because the standard changed for good reason. BS 5534 was revised in 2014 and mortar alone is no longer accepted for ridges, hips or verges — bedded-only ridges are precisely what gales take off. It is not a sales tactic; a re-bed done to the old standard is a re-bed done to a specification that has been superseded.
Should I go for dry ridge instead?
On an exposed roof, often yes. A dry ridge system has no mortar to crack, it mechanically fixes every unit, and it ventilates the roof space along the ridge line at the same time. Where a traditional mortar appearance is wanted or required in a conservation area, the mechanical fixing goes under a mortar bed instead.
How long should re-bedded ridge last?
Properly done, with the right mix, in decent weather and with mechanical fixings underneath, decades. Ridge work that fails within a few years has usually been bedded in too rich a mix, laid over cracked material, or carried out in frost. It is a job where the conditions on the day genuinely matter.
Need this doing in Macclesfield?
Tell us the job and it goes straight to our local roofer — one call back, usually the same day. Free quote, no obligation.