A guide of the process of hiring a roofer to recement your roof tiles, including the costs of labour and materials.
As the name of the project implies, recementing the ridge tiles on the roof is simply applying cement, over the cement which is damaged, chipped, or cracked, on the current ridge tiles. So, why do you have to hire a roofer to do this kind of work?
Although you don’t have to, it is a roofing job. Therefore, scaffolding, cement mixers, lifts, and other power equipment may be required. In such cases, it will cost you more money, is dangerous, and will take you far more time to attempt to do this job on your own. Especially if you have never done similar DIY projects around your home, or the roof, in the past.
Ridge tiles are those which are placed at the very top of the flat tiles on your roof. Whether it is fixing a damaged roof, or simply keeping water out of your home, ridge tiles will do the trick. In 2015, regulations changed, meaning homes which were tiled prior to this, have to be retiled.
Cement fails, damages, chips, and cracks. Over time it wears out. Recementing the tiles is the best way to guarantee your roof’s stability. In addition to scaffolding, placement of safety nets, and access towers is often necessary outside of the home.
In the event your home is old, or there is plenty of damage to the tiles, this may call for replacing some of the roofing on your home. So, when recementing the ridge tiles, this is a job which the roofer will conduct, prior to replastering, and recementing the new ridge tiles, to ensure they are properly laid, and won’t shift after installation.
When recementing the ridge tiles, an issue with older homes is the damage to roofs. If the ridge tiles are damaged, if tiles on the roof are damaged, or if there is damage to the shingles, all of these can lead to bigger problems if they aren’t fixed, prior to recementing. So, the possibility of a major roof repair and high costs is always one which will present itself. This is even more so the case if your home is very old, or if you have never done roof work in the past.
Older homes might also require replacing all cement. If the home was cemented earlier than 2015, the new legislation requires this to be done. Therefore, recementing is a project which is required in the home, even if there isn’t damage present.
You are on the roof. So, if you’ve been debating whether or not to replace, repair, or otherwise modify the roof, you can do so now. You can get a quote for the recementing, along with any roof addition or replacement work you choose to do it. Roofers are often going to give you a discounted price to do the work together, as opposed to having them come out to your home twice, for each project.
If you need the gutters replaced or repaired, or gutter cleaning, you can do this now. Pressure cleaning the roof, siding, and gutter system, is also a simple project you can hire the contractors who are recementing the ridge tiles, to perform on your home as well. All of these quote prices will be lower, when you choose to complete all of the projects at once, rather than individually.
Possibly having your chimney swept, installing a flue, or other chimney caps, are also services you might consider doing when having the ridges recemented. Due to the fact that you already have a contractor on your roof, you might as well have them look at all of the possible issues, or areas which they can improve on the roof. By doing this at once, you know how long the project will take, and will save on cost.
Anything under 10 tiles, shouldn’t cost more than £350-400 and won’t take more than 2-5 hours. If replacing the old tiles, this £350-£400 can jump up to £500, or higher on larger roofs. And, the duration of these projects might run towards 1-2 days, on larger roofs, or those which require more than one application during the recementing process of the home.
It isn’t costly (in comparison to other roofing services), but is a project you need to have completed by a licensed professional.
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Here is a list of commonly asked questions in regards to having your roof tiles recemented.
This isn’t a simple DIY job. You need nets, scaffolding, and other equipment to get on the roof. Further, mixers might be required, and heavy-duty equipment, to complete the job. It is best left to a professional roofer to complete for you.
Only upon going on the roof, and assessing the tile ridges, can a contractor determine how many tiles, or if the entire roof requires recementing. If your home is older, you might as well recement the entire roof, as it will only cost £100-200 more, than doing a portion of the roof.
Relatively speaking, now. In comparison to other roofing projects and repair, it is rather affordable. Expect to budget £250-500, for entire roof recementing. In some cases, this can obviously increase in the event additional services or repair work is required when the contractors are on the roof.
When you hire contractors, if you choose to buy the supplies, you can sometimes save. If they simply do the labour, but don’t provide the supplies, it will be cheaper if you compare before purchasing those supplies.
Any roofer you do choose, should be fully licensed and certified. From there, your best bet is to compare several roofers, quality of their work, and their experience in recementing tile ridges. It will allow you to hire the best, and also to find the roofers who are going to fully guarantee all of the services they perform on your roof, regardless of how big or small the project may be.
