Roof replacement in Redland 49 concrete tile, with new rafters

The old covering here was clay pantile, and it had been patched more than once before we saw it. There were lead sheets let into the slope where tiles had failed, lichen across the whole elevation, and the mortar at the verges and around the stacks had broken down. Patches on a roof this age are a sign that the roof is being managed rather than fixed.

New rafters, not just new tiles

This one went further than a re-cover. Once the tiles were off it was clear the structure underneath needed replacing, so the roof was rebuilt on new rafters. That is the difference between a roof that looks right and a roof that is right: a new covering laid over tired timber inherits every problem the timber has, and it is the one part you cannot go back and correct without stripping the roof a second time.

Redland 49 concrete tile

The new covering is Redland 49 concrete tile in a brown that sits properly against old red brick, which matters on a building like this. The valleys were formed in new lead, and the junctions with the flat roof and the neighbouring elevation were detailed as the tiling went rather than sealed afterwards.

Fascias, soffits and rainwater

New fascias and soffits went on behind a new gutter and downpipe, so the edge of the roof is new timber and new plastic rather than the old boards left in place with a new roof sitting on them.

The photographs start with the finished roof and run back through the new rafters to the pantiles that were there before.