New Pitsligo · Aberdeenshire
New Roofs & Full Re-Roofing in North Aberdeenshire
A re-roof is the one job where what you cannot see matters most. The slate on top is the easy part; the sarking, membrane and ventilation underneath decide how long it lasts.
What a full re-roof involves
We strip the roof completely rather than laying new over old. Once it is open we can see the sarking boards, the rafter ends at the wallhead and the state of the chimney, and those are the three places that quietly rot on houses around here.
- Strip and remove the old covering, skip on site
- Inspect sarking and rafter ends; replace anything soft
- Breathable membrane and treated battens
- New slate or tile, laid to the correct gauge and side lap for an exposed site
- New lead to valleys, chimneys and abutments
- Ridge and verge finished dry or bedded, your choice
- Eaves and ridge ventilation designed in
Ventilation is not optional
Older Scottish roofs breathed through the gaps in the sarking and the slate. Put a modern membrane on without thinking about airflow and you convert a draughty cold roof into a sealed box, and the moisture from the house condenses on the underside of the felt. People then ring us the next winter saying the roof is leaking when it is actually raining indoors from condensation. Every re-roof we do gets a proper ventilation path from eaves to ridge.
Choosing a covering
Natural slate is the right answer on most older properties in Buchan, and in a conservation area it may be the only one the council will accept. Fibre cement slate costs less, weighs less and suits a roof whose timbers are marginal. Concrete and clay tiles work on newer estate housing where the roof was built for them. We will price the options side by side rather than pushing you at one.
Access and timescale
Most houses need scaffolding, and on the coast we build in extra time because you cannot strip a roof into a north-easterly. We sheet up at the end of every day and we do not open more roof than we can close before knocking off. Your written quote states plainly what is included, scaffolding and skip hire among it, and gives a realistic timescale for your roof.
All our work is guaranteed. If anything we have fitted fails, we come back and put it right.
Questions about new roofs
Do I need planning permission for a new roof?
Usually not, if you are replacing like with like. Listed buildings and conservation areas are the exception, and Aberdeenshire Council will want to see natural slate on some properties. We will flag it if we think your house falls into that.
Can you re-roof in stages to spread the cost?
On a house with separate roof planes — a main roof and a rear extension, say — yes. Splitting a single roof slope in half is a false economy, because you pay for scaffold twice and end up with a visible join.
What happens if you find rotten timber?
We stop and ring you with a photograph and a price before doing the work. Nobody likes an unexpected bill, so it stays your decision.
Thinking about a new roof?
We will come and tell you honestly whether you need one yet. If the answer is no, that is what you will hear, and it costs nothing to find out.