Roofers in Ringwood

A re-roof in Ringwood means the whole covering comes off down to the rafters. Any soft timber is renewed, and the roof goes back on breathable membrane and new treated battens with the ridge, hips, verges and lead done as part of the same job. What changes from house to house is the covering.

Concrete interlocking tile. Most post-war and later houses in Poulner, Crow and Hightown carry it. The tiles often still look sound, but the felt behind them has perished and the battens have gone brittle. We strip, lay membrane, gauge new battens to the tile and fix every tile the way BS 5534 now sets out, not the few courses an older roof was nailed on. Ridges and verges go back as a dry fix system to BS 8612, which vents the roof space too.

Clay plain tile. This is the old-town roof. Plain tile is double lapped, so there are far more tiles to the square metre than on an interlocking roof, each one hung by its nibs and nailed at the intervals the code sets. Sound old tiles can be set aside and relaid on the front slope with new ones of a close match at the back, so the street still sees a weathered roof. Handmade and machine-made clay look different on a roof, and we show you samples before ordering.

Natural slate. Slate is hung with nails or hooks at a set head lap. Grades vary a lot, and the A, T and S codes for natural slate tell you how a slate will weather. Going from slate to a heavier concrete tile can overload rafters sized for slate, so we measure the timbers first and Approved Document A decides whether they need strengthening.

Timber, insulation and air. With the covering off, a rotten rafter end or wall plate is easy to put right, and it is photographed and priced before it is done. A full re-cover is building work, and Approved Document L sets when the insulation must be brought up to standard while the roof is open. Eaves and ridge ventilation go in at the same time, so the new membrane does not trap moisture in the loft.

Lead and chimneys. New soakers, step flashings, aprons and valleys go in with the new covering, cut from lead of the right code. Old lead is not reused. A stack that needs repointing or new flaunching is done from the same scaffold, see chimney repairs.

Flat roofs and the roofline. A garage or back extension flat roof that has had its day is replaced whole, in GRP, EPDM or felt on a new deck where needed, see flat roofing in Ringwood. With scaffold already up, it costs less to renew tired fascias, soffits and gutters at the same time.

The price of a new roof in Ringwood comes down to access, the shape of the roof, the covering you choose and what the strip uncovers. There is no rate per square metre that would mean anything, so the figure comes after the site visit, in writing, line by line.

Access. A bungalow needs a low scaffold. A three storey frontage round Fridays Cross needs a taller one on the footway, under licence, for the whole job. The work at height rules are why scaffold is always its own line.

Shape. A plain gable is the simplest roof to cover. Every hip, valley, dormer and chimney adds cutting, lead and labour, so two roofs of the same area can be very different jobs.

The covering. Concrete interlocking tile goes on fastest. Clay plain tile needs many more tiles and more fixing, and natural slate varies with grade and source. Matching an old-town roof may mean reclaimed stock.

Flats. More homes in Ringwood are flats than any other type. A roof over a block is shared, so the freeholder or managing agent instructs the work, and where leaseholders pay a share, section 20 consultation may have to happen before a start date.

Before you accept another quote, ask whether the battens and membrane are new or new tiles are going on old battens, whether every tile is fixed, what code of lead is going on, and whether scaffold, any licence, the skip and building control are all included.

Old-town roofs in Ringwood are mostly clay tile. New Forest District Council's Ringwood Conservation Area appraisal calls clay tile the majority and the indigenous roofing material in the centre, with natural slate used alongside it.

For traditional buildings on the principal historic streets, or clearly seen from them, the appraisal accepts clay tile or slate, and the slate should only be natural slate. Elsewhere in the conservation area, a covering that is not a handmade natural product should be a good match for one. It also accepts there is usually no control over a change of roofing material unless the building is listed. So when you re-cover an unlisted house you can choose, but clay or natural slate is the choice that suits the street, and staying with slate on a slate roof keeps the load off old rafters. A listed roof needs consent before anything changes.

Thatch we leave to thatchers. The oldest houses in town include thatched cottages on Coxstone Lane, so if a thatched roof adjoins yours, we say at the visit what we can take on.

A straight roofer should give you a written itemised quote, look in the loft, show you photographs of what is wrong and give a company name you can check. Hold any firm to that, us included, and be wary of a knock at the door, a price for cash or pressure to pay a large sum up front.

The company is Bournemouth Roofing & Building Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 15471719. It is Thomas Hannen's business, and he is the one who climbs the ladder and writes your price. On Checkatrade, a verified customer marked the firm 10 out of 10. Neither the visit nor the itemised written quote costs you anything.

Ringwood is 8 miles from our base in Boscombe. We cover the town centre, Poulner, Hangersley, Ashley Heath and the rest of BH24.

Most repairs in Ringwood need no application at all. What decides whether a change to the outside of your house does is who the council is, whether a conservation area or a listing applies, and whether the place sits in a protected landscape.