Dry ridge and dry verge in Market Deeping

Mortar on a ridge has a hard life in the Deepings. The ground near the Welland stays damp, roofs sheltered by trees stay wet for longer after rain, and wet mortar that freezes overnight opens up a little more each winter. In time the bedding goes loose, a ridge tile starts to rock, and one day it is lying in the garden.

What a dry system replaces

Ridge and verge tiles have traditionally been bedded in mortar. It looks tidy for a while, but it is rigid and a roof is not: timbers move with the seasons and the wind pushes hardest on the high points. The mortar cracks because it cannot flex. A dry ridge system holds each ridge tile down with screws and clamps over a weatherproof roll, and dry verge clips caps over the tile ends at the gable. Nothing is left to crumble.

Which Deepings roofs it suits

Much of the estate housing towards Deeping St James has mortar-bedded ridges and verges, and on many of those streets the bedding is giving up house by house. A dry system is a natural replacement there. On an older stone property near the market place, or anywhere in the conservation area, the look matters more, so we talk through how the finished ridge will appear before anything is ordered. If a traditional bedded finish is the right answer for the building, we will say so.

Explained before it is fitted

When a customer asked us about dry ridge and dry verge, we explained what the system does and how it is fixed before we fitted it. That is still how it goes. We photograph the ridge and verges as they are, so you can see the cracked bedding and loose tiles for yourself, then put the price in writing. Ring 01778 775043 to arrange a look. The work is guaranteed for five or ten years depending on the job, and we carry public liability and employer's liability insurance throughout.