Pitched roofing in Hull

Pitched roofing in Hull

Pitched roofing in Hull. We survey the roof first, photograph what we find and give you an itemised written quote, so you know what you are paying for before anyone starts. Our Hull office covers Hull on 01482 424 674.

It covers the HU1, HU2, HU3, HU4, HU5 and HU9 postcode districts. Hull is in the middle of our Hull patch, covered by the Hull team on 01482 424 674, and the survey is free whether or not you go ahead with the work.

The roofs in Hull

Roofs across Hull divide roughly into three ages. Pre 1918 terraces near the centre in slate, interwar semis in clay pantile and concrete tile, and the post war estates that ring the city. Each fails differently: slate at the nail, pantile at the mortar, and the estate roofs at the fixings and the underlay while the tiles themselves are still perfectly sound.

Hull's housing runs from the Avenues and the terraces off Beverley Road through to the post war estates north and east of the centre, and the roofs change completely as you move between them.

In Hull the pitched roofing job depends entirely on which part of the city you are in. On the older terraces it is slate work with lead valleys and party wall detail. On the post war estates it is concrete interlocking tile where the covering is sound and the nails are not, which is a strip and re-cover rather than a repair.

Pitched roofing for Hull's Garden Village roof shapes

Garden Village gives pitched roofing in Hull a particular challenge: early twentieth century cottage groups depend on small clay tiles and connected roof shapes for their character. Around Village Road, a change in tile thickness can alter the appearance of an entire pair, especially where a low porch runs into the main slope. Moss on a shaded Garden Village roof also needs judging alongside drainage and tile condition, rather than treating a dark covering as proof of failure. For these cottage roofs, the useful question is how the smaller slopes, hips and eaves work together when rain reaches them.

Before opening a Garden Village slope, we record its tile size, course spacing and junctions, then check the conservation position for the proposed covering. Access planning for a Village Road cottage includes scaffold feet beside front gardens, protection for hedges and a loading position that leaves the entrance usable. On most such pitched roofing jobs, we lift a manageable section, inspect the supporting timber and set out the replacement underlay and battens to suit the chosen clay tile. At the little porch intersections, we rebuild the water path before closing the main courses over it.

A Garden Village roof with several intersecting slopes needs several working days, with cutting around the cottage's hips and porches taking longer than covering an uninterrupted plane. Tile availability, the condition of those intersections and scaffold arrangements beside the gardens shape the price for this part of Hull. Aftercare should include watching the small porch gutters from ground level, because leaves gathering there can hide an otherwise sound tiled junction. Bring the Village Road roof layout to a free survey: photographs of what we find and an itemised written quote make the proposed treatment of each slope clear.

What pitched roofing in Hull involves

• Full strip and re-coverOld covering, battens and underlay off, decking checked, new breathable membrane and treated battens fixed, new or reclaimed tiles laid to the manufacturer's fixing spec.
• Roof windowsNew rooflights fitted into the covering with the correct flashing kit, or existing ones re-flashed.
• Flashings and abutmentsNew lead soakers, step flashings, back gutters and valley linings while the roof is open.

That is the short version. There is a fuller explanation of the work, the materials and the detailing on our pitched roofing page.

Signs your Hull property needs this

• Moss holding water on the north slope and lifting the tail of the tiles
• Mortar dropping out of the ridge or verge onto the drive
• Damp patches on upstairs ceilings that come back after every heavy rain

What actually goes wrong with a pitched roof

Most roofs in this region are either concrete interlocking tiles from the 1960s to 1980s, clay pantiles on older stock, or natural and fibre cement slate. Concrete interlockers are usually fine long after the fixings are not, which is why a roof can look sound from the pavement and still be shedding tiles. Clay pantiles last far longer than the mortar holding the ridge and verge, so the failure point is the bedding, not the tile. Slate almost always fails at the nail first, and once one or two slates slip the ones around them lose their support.

Pitched roofing in Hull at a glance

What affects the price in Hull

• Skips and waste, since a full strip on an average semi fills more than people expect
• Leadwork, valleys and chimney work picked up while the roof is open
• New tiles against carefully reclaimed ones, which matters on older and conservation properties

Everything is priced after we have seen the roof, in writing, with the scope written down so there are no new numbers once work starts.