Pitched Roofing Materials
The covering shapes everything else: the batten gauge, the pitch it can be laid at, the weight on the timbers, the look of the street. These are the four we work with most in Crewe, CW1.
Natural Slate
The traditional roof of Crewe and the longest-lived covering there is, with a hundred years or more from a properly fixed roof. Welsh slate for the best match on period houses, Spanish for value on new roofs, and reclaimed slate for repairs and re-slates where the originals go back on. See our slate roofing page.
Concrete Interlocking Tiles
The covering on most post-war houses in Crewe. Large, economical, quick to lay and available in a range of profiles and colours. They last fifty to sixty years, after which the surface goes porous and the roof is usually replaced like for like or upgraded to slate.
Clay Tiles
Plain and pantiles in natural red and brown clay, used on older cottages and on new houses where a warm, traditional look is wanted. Clay holds its colour for life and lasts as long as slate; plain clay tiles need a steeper pitch and more of them per square metre, which is reflected in the price.
Fibre Cement Slates
A man-made slate that gives the look of natural slate at a lower cost and weight, useful on roofs whose timbers wouldn't carry stone slate and on budget-conscious re-roofs. Thirty to forty years' life, and a sensible choice for outbuildings and extensions across Crewe, CW1.
Pitched Roof Services
Whatever the covering, the work on a pitched roof in Crewe comes down to the same handful of jobs.
Complete Re-Roofing
Strip to the rafters, repair the timbers, new breathable membrane and battens, then the new or reused covering laid and fixed to current standards. Our roof replacement page walks through the nine stages.
Pitched Roof Repairs
Slipped, cracked and missing slates and tiles refixed or replaced, usually in a single visit. We carry the common materials for Crewe roofs on the van.
Ridge and Hip Work
Loose ridge and hip tiles re-bedded or, as we recommend, converted to a dry fixing system that can't crack or blow off. Ridges are the commonest storm casualty in Crewe, CW1.
Valley Repairs and Replacement
Lead valleys renewed in code 5 lead with proper laps and welted edges, or lined in GRP where a seamless modern solution suits. Tile valleys cleared and re-laid.
Verge and Eaves Details
Gable verges re-pointed or converted to dry verge, eaves trays and under-cloaks renewed, and the first course refixed so wind can't get under it. The edges are where pitched roofs fail first.
Working With Listed Buildings
Parts of Crewe are in conservation areas and a number of properties across Crewe, CW1 are listed. On these roofs the slate or tile type, size, coursing and detailing have to match the original, and the conservation officer may want to approve samples. We've done this many times. Diminishing courses, random-width slating, swept valleys, stone ridges and lime-mortar bedding are all within our experience, and we're happy to work with your conservation officer or architect where consent is needed.
How Long Pitched Roofs Last
A pitched roof is a system rather than a single material, and each part ages at its own rate. Natural slate can last a century or more, but the nails holding it rust out long before the slate itself fails, which is why so many older roofs in Crewe suffer from slipping slates. Concrete tiles typically last fifty to sixty years before they become porous and start to spall. Clay tiles sit somewhere between the two depending on quality. Underneath, older bitumen felt becomes brittle and tears, and mortar-bedded ridges and verges usually need attention every twenty years or so.
Knowing which part is failing tells you what the roof needs. A roof with sound slates and rusted nails can often be stripped and relaid with new fixings and underlay, reusing most of the original slate. A roof of worn-out concrete tiles needs new tiles. We'll tell you which situation you're in and price it honestly.
Underlays, Battens and Fixings
The parts you never see do most of the work. When we re-roof in Crewe, CW1 we fit a breathable membrane rather than old-style felt, so moisture from the house can escape and the loft stays dry. Battens are graded and treated to BS 5534, and every tile or slate is mechanically fixed to the standard that current wind-load calculations require, which on exposed sites means more fixings than the original roof had.
Matching the Look of Your Street
In many parts of Crewe the roofs are part of the character of the street, and a re-roof should look as though it belongs. We match slate size, colour and coursing on period homes, source reclaimed slate or clay tiles where new material would stand out, and keep details such as decorative ridges and finials. On conservation-area properties we can advise on what the local planning team is likely to expect before work is booked.
For a look at the materials themselves, see our slate roofing page, or roof replacement for how a full re-roof is planned and carried out.