Roofers and Slaters in Edinburgh

Most of the Edinburgh work we value is whole-roof work: a roof that has reached the end of its life, or a house being improved by its owners. New roofs are our speciality. We survey first, explain honestly whether the roof can be saved, and if it cannot, set out the covering, the details and the order of work in a clear written quotation.

When a full replacement goes ahead, we strip the old covering, look at what lies underneath and build the new roof properly, including ridges, flashings and the gutters that finish it off. You deal with the same family team from the first visit to the final tidy-up.

Not every roof needs replacing. Plenty of Edinburgh calls are about a single problem: slates loosened by a gale, a valley that has started to drip, cracked mortar on a ridge or a gutter joint pouring water down a wall. We look for the actual source before suggesting a fix, because water often travels well away from the place where it first gets in.

If a repair is the right answer, we say so and quote for that alone. If the same roof keeps failing in new places, we will explain why a replacement might cost less over time.

Dalry is among the areas characterised by tenement blocks, while the south and west of the city traditionally include more detached and semi-detached villas. These building types affect how roof areas connect and who may need to consider proposed work, but they do not establish a particular covering or a single repair method.

A shared tenement roof needs coordination over the relevant areas, access and circulation of the written findings. Identify the people who need to be involved before agreeing work; ownership responsibilities depend on the particular building. A villa should likewise be surveyed for its actual valleys, chimneys and alterations rather than assuming every southside address has decorative ridges or multiple stacks.

Some homeowners need one fault sorted; others need the whole roof renewed. As roof contractors working across Edinburgh, we take on both, and the starting point is always the same: a proper look at the roof before anything is priced. That covers the slates or tiles on each slope, the ridges and hips, the valleys, the lead at chimneys and dormers, and the gutters carrying water away.

Where a repair will serve the roof well, we quote for that and nothing more. Where the covering, fixings or underlay are worn out across the roof, we explain why a new roof makes more sense and what it involves. Extensions and dormers are part of the same visit, and our page on flat roofing in Edinburgh explains how we deal with those. Everything we propose goes into a written quote, and when the job is finished the site is left tidy.

You call or send a message with your address and what you have noticed. We arrange a visit, inspect the roof safely and talk you through what we have found. You then receive a written quote covering the work, materials and likely timescale, with no pressure to decide on the spot. Once you are happy, we agree a start date, carry out the work and leave the site clean.

Because we travel over from Fife, it helps if you tell us about parking or access when you first get in touch, so we can plan the visit and any scaffolding properly.

A new roof is a big decision, and it rarely arrives at a convenient moment. Some Edinburgh owners come to us after years of patching; others are renovating and want the roof done before the inside is decorated. Either way, we start with the condition of what is there: the slates or tiles, the battens and sarking beneath, the valleys and abutments, and the chimneys that break through the slope.

From that we can say whether you are looking at a full strip and re-cover or something smaller. If the existing slates are sound enough to reuse, we will tell you, because that can help keep the character of an older house. If they are not, we explain the alternatives and what each would mean for the look and life of the roof. Our slate versus tile guide covers the main differences if you want to read up before we visit.

In a historic setting, the size and arrangement of a roof covering can matter alongside its colour. Where slate is present, inspect its condition, fixings and the lead at adjoining details before deciding on repair or re-slating. We handle individual covering faults as well as full renewal without assuming a city-wide proportion of slate roofs.

For one-off defects, see roof repairs in Edinburgh; for complete renewal, see new roofs in Edinburgh; and for a flat section, see flat roofing in Edinburgh. These dedicated pages cover each service while this overview brings the city's building and planning context together.

Rowan Roofing has been trading for 16 years, and the family behind it brings over 50 years of roofing experience. We work for homeowners rather than large developers, so each roof gets the attention we would want on our own house. If you are comparing firms, our guide to choosing a roofer lists sensible questions to ask anyone you invite to quote.

The City of Edinburgh Council is the planning authority and the city has fifty conservation areas. Examples include Old Town, New Town, Leith, Morningside and Portobello. The Old Town and New Town together are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Check your own property's designation and the work proposed before changing visible materials, chimney details or roof shape; a postcode alone is not a consent check.

The New Town was planned during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, while much of the Old Town was rebuilt in the Victorian period. Marchmont and Bruntsfield developed along glacial drumlin ridges, giving another distinctive setting for working heights and access. Inspect the current structure and later alterations instead of treating the historic label as a complete specification.

Prevailing winds are south-westerly, and Atlantic windstorms can affect Edinburgh between October and April. Easterly winds can bring cold air and haar, the persistent coastal fog. The city receives less rain than places further west such as Glasgow, so claims of constant or exceptionally heavy rainfall are not an appropriate starting point.

After rough weather, note displaced slates, disturbed ridges or loose flashing from the ground. Keep away from anything that could fall and do not climb onto the roof. Tell us when a leak appears and whether it follows a particular wind direction. The Water of Leith runs eighteen miles through the south and west to Leith, but a riverside address is not a diagnosis of roof damage.