Full re-roof — strip & re-cover
In short
A strip back to the rafters, new battens, breathable membrane and the covering re-laid — with sound slates or tiles salvaged and re-used where they are worth keeping. It is notifiable under the Building Regulations, it needs a scaffold, and both belong in the quote.
Also called: New roof · Re-roofing · Strip and re-cover · Roof replacement
Signs you need this
- Slates or tiles slipping repeatedly from several different areas
- Rust staining under nail lines — the fixings have corroded
- Battens that feel soft when pressed from inside the loft
- Underlay torn, brittle or absent
- A history of patch repairs that keep needing repeating
- A concrete tile roof at or past sixty years old
A re-roof is the largest job most houses ever have, and the first honest thing to say is that many houses being quoted for one do not need it yet. A roof with sound timbers and battens and a handful of slipped slates wants repairing. What justifies a strip is systemic failure: nails corroded throughout, battens softened generally, or an underlay torn beyond use — problems that cannot be reached without taking the covering off.
The work runs in a fixed order. Scaffold up. Covering stripped and sorted — sound slates or tiles set aside for re-use, the rest away. Timbers exposed and inspected, with any rotted rafter feet or purlin sections dealt with while they are visible. New treated battens at the correct gauge for the covering, pitch and exposure. Breathable membrane in place of the old bitumen felt. Then the covering re-laid, with ridge, hip and verge mechanically fixed to current standard, new lead at every junction, and the ventilation path opened up at the eaves and the ridge.
Salvage is normal and it is not a compromise. On a hundred-year-old Welsh slate roof a large majority of the slates typically come off sound, and re-laying them with reclaimed stock making up the shortfall costs less than new slate throughout and looks correct rather than new. On a conservation-area roof it is frequently what the planners expect. Concrete tiles from the 1960s are more often replaced outright, because the fixings and the surface have generally gone together.
The Building Regulations apply and they apply at a quarter. Once more than 25% of the covering is replaced, the roof counts as a renovated thermal element under Part L, which brings a duty to improve its insulation to current standards where that is technically and economically feasible. The work has to be certified: either a building notice to Cheshire East Building Control, or a roofer registered under a Competent Person Scheme such as CompetentRoofer who can self-certify and notify it. Keep the certificate — it is what a buyer's solicitor asks for.
Access is a real line item and it should be visible on the quote. A full strip needs a scaffold with proper edge protection, and on a Macclesfield terrace built hard against the pavement edge that scaffold stands on the highway — which needs a licence from Cheshire East as highway authority, applied for in advance and chargeable. A re-roof quote with no scaffold line is not a cheaper quote; it is an incomplete one, and the difference will appear later.
Planning is worth checking before anything is ordered. Re-covering in the same material is normally permitted development, but Macclesfield has conservation areas across the town centre and beyond, and Article 4(2) directions at Christ Church and High Street remove permitted-development rights outright. A listed building needs consent whatever the material. Five minutes with Cheshire East planning at the start is cheaper than a pallet of the wrong tiles.
What the job covers
- Full strip, with sound covering salvaged and sorted for re-use
- Roof timbers exposed, inspected and repaired where needed
- New treated battens at the correct gauge
- Breathable membrane replacing old bitumen felt
- Ridge, hip and verge mechanically fixed to current standard
- Building Regulations notification and a certificate in your name
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
How long does a re-roof take?
A typical terraced or semi-detached house is usually a week to two weeks of roofing, plus time either side for the scaffold. Weather moves it — a roof is opened up in sections and it does not get opened up in a forecast that will not allow it to be closed again. Anyone promising a fixed date in February is promising something they cannot control.
Do I have to buy all new slates or tiles?
Usually not on a slate roof. Most sound slates come off and go back on, with reclaimed stock making up the shortfall — cheaper than new throughout and a better match. Concrete tiles from the 1960s are more often replaced outright, because the surface and the fixings tend to have gone together.
Will I need planning permission?
For a like-for-like re-cover, usually not — it is normally permitted development. But Macclesfield has conservation areas across the town centre and beyond, with Article 4(2) directions at Christ Church and High Street that remove permitted-development rights, and a listed building needs consent whatever you do. Check with Cheshire East before materials are ordered.
What happens if it rains while my roof is off?
It does not get opened up further than can be closed again. A roof is stripped in sections, and each section is either re-covered or temporarily sheeted before the day ends. That is why a re-roof is quoted by the week rather than the day, and why a forecast can push a start date.
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.