The roof of the 2 bedroom mid-terrace I rent out in Outer London is leaking and I have obtained quotes from three Checkatrade companies for repair work. However I am not technically well versed in roofing nomenclature so I am not sure of how different the work being offered is, or which quote is the best in terms of value for money. Photos of the damage are linked and any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
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The quotes are:
A - £2300 1 year guarantee
Supply And Fit New Torch On Felt To Parapet Walls Front,Back Of Property
Remove Ridges And Put Aside Then Reinstate Back Using A Dry Ridge System
Supply And Fit New Lead Replacement Flashing To Back Chimney
Supply And Fit A New Dry Valley To Replace Existing Zinc Valley
Supply And Fit New Tiles To Back Chimney And Valley
Use A 3-1 Mortar Mix To Re-flaunch Top Of Back Chimney Stack
Erect Scaffolding To Front Of Property
B - £2850 10 year guarantee
Remove all render and lead to flashing to party walls and chimney stacks.
Repair any badly damaged uncoverd brick work.
Install lead flashing to newly uncovered brick works to party walls of 25 meters, using 12inch code 4 lead with correct upstands for water tight measure at 150mm with 20mm internal into brickworks.
Install render stop beads to meet lead flashings covering 75mm for water measures.
Apply render scratch coat to all uncovered brick works to party walls using a 3-1 mix ratio of plastering sand and cement leaving to dry for 24hr.
Apply render finish coat to newly applied scratch coat using a 3-1 mix ratio of plastering sand and cement.
Remove badly installed valley tiles and valley liner.
Install new zinc valley liner.
Install new valley cut tiles correctly with a 100mm center valley for rain fall to run freely to guttering.
Remove all loose ridge tiles and mortar.
Rebed ridge tiles using a 3-1 mix ratio of building sand and cement.
Remove all debris and waste from site.
C - £ 4900
To supply scaffolding access to front and rear of property.
On inspection of roof, roof is covered with Redland 49’s and felt underlay. Ridge tiles appear to have sagged and mortar has perished. Felt lining has crumbled and broken away, fallen down at adjoining walls. Chimney stack to back addition has been removed and possible water coming through remainder of chimney stack.
To remove ridge tiles and roof tiles, put aside for reuse.
Hack off rendering to parapet walls and around chimneys.
To remove felt and baton de nail rafters.
To supply and fix additional Rockwall insulation to loft area and back addition to help prevent condensation.
To re felt roof using breathable membrane and baton roof using tanilised treated timber, fixed at correct gauge for tiles nailed to rafters.
To re fix tiles, nailed accordingly, supply additional tiles as necessary and allow for 2 vented tiles per side.
To chase walls, supply and fix 9 inch lead flashings tucked and wedged dressed down over roof tiles and allow for new back gutters behind chimneys in lead.
To fix render beads and re render above flashings applying 2 coats of sand and cement floated up smoothly.
To fix ridges using dry ridge system, ridge tile bedded at both ends securely screwed down.
To check all gutters and down pipes, clean out debris and replace, repair as necessary.
To clear site of all debris.
I have sorted many roofs . You cannot tell from photos what will be best . Scaffolding is always needed. Just because they are on check a trade means nothing. Every builder will have a different idea of what needs doing… Get a recomendation from a house owner near to your property, who has had roof work done
Thank you for the comments - they were very useful. I didn’t think of asking a quote for a new roof - do you have a rough idea how much that might cost for a semi-detached 2 bedroom property?
Sadly I don’t know any of the house owners in the area or even anyone who has had their room done where I live either.
I’ve never used Checkatrade, so can’t comment on that specifically but some of those types of sites are just glorified advertising services.
I usually use our local council trusted trader site because the local council are not in it to make a profit like a commercial site.
Depends on the roofer and the work required as to whether scaffolding is needed. I’ve just had a roofer repoint my chimney and he’s also re-setting the ridge tiles when weather permits and he’s not using scaffolding.
Thank you for the information about the local council trusted trader site - I wasn’t aware of that before.
Luckily it turns out that my local council runs that scheme so i will definitely get at least one quote from the traders there.
IF a roofer is judged by trading standards to be at risk by not using scafold and is doing a job in an unsafe, manner the fines are in the 1000 s even tho he is risking his own life
Interesting to know. This is literally the first major repair I have had to have done for either my home or my rented property so I am picking up a lot of helpful tips.
Thanks again for the insights - it is really helpful for us newbies.
Roof costs depends on access,. tile used, amount of lead etc remember a concrete tie roof has a life of about 40 years. so how long ago was that roof done.? Sometimes its better to whip it all off and start again
I have never been up to the roof but I believe that some of the photos may be pictures of the palisade at the edge of my house’s roof as I was told that there were leaks from there.
I would look for houses with a new, clean, recent roof and ask who did it, and are they happy with the result… I worked for 50 years in peoples homes, never advertised, all reccomendations, lots of loft conversions and roofing. Never joined any organisation. always in work .Made a good living… ask around !!
Most of the people on these websites are not that reputable . I wrote to mybuilder when we had failed interest ( people inflating prices, gypsy etc). The last chap off checkatrade admitted to using red diesel and did a horrific job ( they also rarely publish negative reviews unless you meticulously collate evidence as it is not in their interest to publish negative reviews. Check a trade registering costs circa £1k per annum for a workman. They make a lot of money with a registered workmen). Rated people is no better. The other issue is people not in the know don’t know if they are being ripped off and will write a review because the workman was nice. Does not mean they did a good job.
Best to ask someone ( do you have regular workmen you use? they always know someone )
Recommended is usually the best way