New Roofs and Re-Roofing in Edinburgh

One slipped slate is a repair. A roof where slates slide out every winter, leaks turn up in a different room each time and the underlay is crumbling in the loft is something else. Recurring leaks, slipped slates across several slopes and failed underlay all point to a roof that has simply worn out.

At that stage, paying for access and labour again and again costs more over time than doing the job once. We will tell you honestly which situation you are in, and if a repair will serve you well, that is what we will quote for.

The New Town was Edinburgh's planned expansion during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, while much of the Old Town was rebuilt in the Victorian period. A present roof may have several later layers or altered details. Check records where available and survey the supporting structure, covering and junctions rather than assume age alone makes complete replacement necessary.

The City of Edinburgh Council is the planning authority. Within the World Heritage Site or one of the city's fifty conservation areas, check the specific property's requirements before changing visible materials or roof shape. An agreed specification should address the covering pattern, ridges, chimney connections and retained details together. New roofs are our speciality; the main new roofs page explains our approach.

First, safe access: almost every re-roof needs scaffolding, both for safety and to give a proper working platform. The old covering is then stripped back, slope by slope, and the timbers underneath are checked. Any rotten or damaged rafters, sarking or battens are dealt with before anything new goes on.

New underlay and battens follow, then the slates or tiles, laid from the eaves up. Ridges and hips are fixed, and the leadwork at chimneys, valleys and abutments is renewed so the whole roof is finished to the same standard. The roof is kept weathertight at the end of each working day, and the site is cleared when the work is done.

Where natural slate remains serviceable, it can sometimes be sorted for reuse during stripping. Condition, fixing holes and compatibility with the proposed arrangement matter more than an assumed quarry origin. Damaged or unsuitable pieces should be identified and the replacement specification discussed before work.

A conservation-area designation does not supply one slate type for every roof. Seek property-specific advice on visible materials and details, and assess any change in covering weight against the structure. Our slate vs tile guide compares the wider material questions.

At a tenement such as those found in Dalry, establish who needs to approve the scope, how shared access will work and where the agreed roof area ends. Villas in the south and west need their own access assessment. A full renewal should be planned around the building, not one assumed city-wide roof form.

Size, geometry, timber repair and weather affect the programme. Atlantic storms can occur from October to April, so temporary protection and suitable working conditions belong in planning without creating a promised completion date. Chimneys and lead may be addressed while access is in place; see chimney and lead work. The roofing costs guide explains the factors behind a quote.

We start with a visit and a proper look at the roof, from the slopes and ridges to the lead and gutters, and the loft if we can get in. You then receive a written quote covering the work, the materials and the order of the job, with no pressure to decide on the spot. Rowan Roofing is family-run, trading for 16 years with over 50 years of roofing experience in the family, and we travel over from Cardenden. If you are comparing a full renewal with other options, our roof replacements page may help, or contact us to book a survey.