To ask if this is an unusual expectation from a roofer

[Staycalmandscream]

Extension roof badly fitted some yrs ago. Original builders went bust so no come back there. Leaking like a colander in this weather.

Had lots of roofers out & several only want to patch it up with no guarantee it'll stop leaking. Obviously I'm not going in that direction.

2 have said I need a new roof. I tend to agree. Sadly, as this is the expensive remedy. However I thought spending 1.5-2k on a roof it would be standard the work would be insurance backed guarantee. Not just incase they go under but they could get killed by lightening tm! Both the roofers who seemed most knowledgeable and who I had recommended say their guarantee is company based. Their companies have been around for a long time but equally that means they're older gentlemen so longevity of them personally backing their work is a concern.

I spoke to a friend who told me I was being unreasonable to expect insurance backed guarantee on this sort of job. Am I?

I'm nervous about how to proceed after a very bad experience with the original builders. Our leaking roof isn't straightforward in its design (ie the original builders balls'd it up) so I need someone who knows more than a textbook approach to watertighting a standard roof.

Insurance backed would be odd IME. Also that's not a lot of money for a roof.

What kind of roof is it? Tile, flat or something else?

IBG would be unusual. The guarantee - defective workmanship - would be at company/trader level rather than personal.

£2K on a roof is pretty cheap TBH. What exactly are you hoping to achieve by asking for IBG?

Kitchen extension. Price for new tiles, felt, battens & labour. Size about 5m x 3m approx. Velux fitted (re-using current velux).

Issue is the pitch. It's been done at about 13-14 degrees. Wrong tiles currently plus velux was fitted badly.

I just thought IBG would cover me if the roofer did a poor job. Obviously im not expecting him to but it happens & with our low pitch I'm nervous if incorrect advise was sold to me in which tiles to use etc.

Maybe my friend is right on this one.

Lean to roof

@MotorcycleMayhem I was quoted 4k to replace tiles 5 years ago.

Amber what size roof?

IBG wouldn't be usual for this type of job. It's very much a case of ask around, get recommendations, lots of quotes to compare work and go with the person you think is going to do the best job. Any decent roofer won't be expecting the full sum up-front, so your protection against a bad job is the threat of not having their bill settled in full.

We had part of our roof replaced last year. The firm had worked on several houses locally and our neighbours were happy to recommend them (they'd had a full roof replacement). They did a good job, only overran by half a day due to weather but they stuck to the original terms of their quote.

Oh and in terms of ours - we had approx. one-third of the roof done last year and it cost £3.5K. Against comparison quotes it was middle ground - not the cheapest but not the most expensive either.

Mine is low enough not to need scaffolding, could this be a factor in the price differences? I'm not sure how much scaffolding adds.

Reading up online, it looks like ridges add cost too, which we have none of. But I am wondering about the price difference now too. The 2 quotes I've had for full roof replacement but using existing joists are 1.5-2k.

@Staycalmandscream no, it will still need edge protection. H&S person here. They will need to use something, even if it is their own cuplock scaffold, if they aren't quoting with a traditional scaffolding installation. A mobile tower scaffold is not sufficient for a full roofing job, ever.

If they claim it is, tell them the HSE say otherwise and refer them to HSG33 - Health and Safety in Roof Work.

motorcycle are you an environmental health officer?

Nope.

We have just had similar work done. Leaking roof over two rooms which are part of a large extension. Didn't want a bodge it, patch it up job.

We had all of the tiles removed and replaced. Flashing replaced. Some rotten boards had to be replaced too but the overall roof structure was sound. It was a fairly large job, took them 4 days with around 5 people here each day and we paid about £4.7k.

We didn't get a guarantee - didn't ask and didn't offer. The builder did say that flashing and the very narrow portion of the roof which is flat has a lifespan of about 10 to 15 years.

However, this isn't just a random roofer. It's a guy who has worked on the house before and who has an excellent reputation locally. He never advertises and is permanently busy just through word of mouth. We were recommended him initially by friends,

Issue is the pitch. It's been done at about 13-14 degrees.

this was the issue with our roof too. The tiles which had been used were the wrong ones for a shallow pitch - but had probably been chosen to match the tiles on the rest of the roof. The builder chose new Marley roof tiles which were smoother and not ridged and bumpy.

Scaffolding - our work was done on a single storey extension at the back of the house. They didn't ever use scaffolding. Just ladders.

It might be worth asking a firm that does building surveying, plans and structural engineering to give you a specification for the roof. I had an extension built a few years ago with a low pitch roof and it had to be boarded, triple felted, double lats and sandtoft county interlocking pan tiles. Also had scaffolding. I think the recommendations have changed slightly now. The price sounds ok but it depends where you are in the country (I’m in the north)

newyear I'm in the north west

@SileneOliveira that was dangerous, and not acceptable I'm afraid. Working off ladders would have been prohibited by HSE had they been seen. Not health and safety gone mad either - it's unprofessional by the roofing company who are cutting corners.

I'm trying to arrange for a structural engineer to come out asap to do a full house survey to identify all areas of bad work that need addressing / fixing. He has all my paperwork & calcs as asked for but still to arrange a date. I had expected a date to have been booked by now but also the roof leak has got a lot worse in the last few days so it probably feels like I've been waiting longer than I have. Ideally that's the way I'd like to proceed, with the engineers recommendations, backing up the roofers work.

And I know for sure the structural engineer has professional indemnity insurance should his service let me down 👌 so it limits the risk of a roofer completing a good job but on an incorrect solution.

I can't imagine working off ladders for anything but the most trivial roofing job. It's really physical work with a lot to carry and a lot of other exertion.

Quote wise, we got a full roof of a dormer bungalow- all tiles (fancy German glazed ones) with lots of Apices and gulleys, plus 3 flat areas done in rubber - in the NE - for 9k. Ended up being a 2.5 week job, after we were interrupted by heavy snow.

We just had out flat roof replaced, smaller area than yours. Cost around £800. It is guranteed from workmanship defects for 10 years.

Is there anything that prevents roof removal and a higher pitch being used. At that small level of pitch you will always tend to get leaks from driving rain getting in and of course it doesn't leak from where it goea in but from where it decides to run to. (Speaks from experienced).

You'll struggle to find tiles for 13-14°. Can the pitch be increased at all?