Slate Roofing and Roof Tiling in Norwich and Norfolk

Whether you're looking to carry out roof repairs on an existing property, a renovation or constructing a new modern roof, we can provide you with the right materials to perfectly match your requirements. We work closely with our local suppliers to ensure that we provide you with the best choice and quality at competitive prices.

Our completed slate roofing and roof tiling projects range from the conversion of flat roofs to pitched roofs, full and partial re-roof including the replacement of felt and battens, to slate roofing and roof tiling of historic and listed buildings. Any property, any age and any size, our highly skilled roofers are on hand to advise.

Get in touch today for your free, no-obligation quotation.

A guide to slate and tile roofs

Natural slate

Natural slate is split from stone into thin sheets and fixed with nails or hooks. It is one of the longest-lasting roof coverings there is, keeps its colour, and suits period houses, terraces and many listed buildings. Because every slate is natural, matching old slate on a repair or an extension means choosing the source carefully.

Clay and concrete tiles

Clay tiles, including the pantiles typical of Norfolk and smaller plain tiles, weather to warm reds and browns and suit traditional buildings. Concrete tiles are heavier, usually cost less and come in a wide range of profiles and colours, which makes them common on modern homes.

Nail sickness and other common faults

On older slate roofs, the nails holding each slate eventually rust through and the slates begin to slip out of their courses one by one. This is known as nail sickness, and once it is widespread a re-slate is usually needed rather than repairs. Tiled roofs suffer from cracked or porous tiles, perished felt and ridge mortar that has failed.

A partial or a full re-roof

Where one slope or one section is failing, a partial re-roof can renew that area and keep the rest. Where the felt and battens have failed across the roof, replacing everything at once means the whole roof is sound, and the scaffolding only has to go up once.

Listed and historic roofs

Work on a listed building usually needs listed building consent, and the conservation officer will often expect like-for-like materials. Our completed projects include slate roofing and roof tiling of historic and listed buildings, and we work with our local suppliers to source materials that match.

Converting a flat roof to pitched

A flat roof on an extension or a garage can be replaced with a pitched roof in slate or tile. It sheds water more readily and can be finished to match the main house. A change like this usually needs planning permission and Building Regulations approval, which we can talk through with your quotation.

Natural slate or fibre cement slate

Ridge tiles

Ridge tiles close the top of the roof where the two slopes meet. They come in half-round, angled and decorative profiles to suit the roof, in clay or concrete to match the tiles. A cracked or loose ridge is one of the most common reasons a roof starts to leak, and in high winds a loose ridge tile can come off altogether. Rebedding or refixing the ridge is often all a roof needs.

Reclaimed tiles and slates

Reclaimed clay tiles and natural slates are often the best way to match an older roof, especially on listed buildings or in a conservation area where a new tile would stand out. Quality varies: reclaimed materials need to be checked for frost damage, cracks and worn nail holes before they go on a roof.

Low pitch roofs

Every tile and slate has a minimum pitch its maker allows. Below it, wind-driven rain can be pushed back up under the overlaps and into the roof. Low pitch roofs on extensions and porches need a tile or slate designed for that pitch, laid with the right overlap, or a different covering altogether.

Replacing a single slate

A single broken slate can usually be replaced without stripping the slates around it. The old slate is cut free, a new one slid into place and held with a hook or a small strip of lead or copper called a tingle, because the slate above stops it being nailed in the usual way.

Painting or coating roof tiles

Coatings are sold as a cheap way to refresh a tired roof, but they do not mend cracked tiles, failed nails or perished felt, and they can trap moisture in the tiles. If a roof is failing, a coating hides the problem rather than fixing it.