A new roof in Havantthat outlives the mortgage,not the next storm

Most pitched roofs in Havant, Portsmouth and the surrounding Hampshire villages were built with bitumen felt under the tiles. That felt has a working life, and on housing stock from the 1930s through to the 1980s it is usually long past it. Once the felt has torn along the batten lines, wind-driven rain that gets past the tiles has nothing left to stop it. The tiles can look perfectly respectable from the pavement while the layer that actually keeps water out has failed completely.

That is why we inspect from the inside as well as the outside. Daylight through the felt, dark staining on the rafters, damp battens, nail fatigue where the fixings have rusted through, and sagging between trusses all tell us whether you are looking at a repair or a replacement. We photograph what we find and send it to you, so the decision is based on evidence rather than a roofer's word.

A re-roof is a big job and we treat it as one. Scaffold goes up first — we work regularly with a scaffolding company we trust and can arrange it as part of the job. The roof is stripped in sections so it is never left exposed longer than the weather allows, the timbers are checked and any rotten battens or rafter ends dealt with, then a modern breathable membrane, new treated battens and new fixings go on before the covering.

You get the same fixed price at the end that you agreed at the start. If we open the roof and find something genuinely unforeseen — a rotten wall plate, for instance — we stop, photograph it, and tell you what it means before we do anything that changes the cost. Nothing is added to your bill without you agreeing to it first.

The damage moves indoors

Once water is past the membrane it runs along rafters and drops wherever it finds a gap. Ceilings, insulation, plaster, electrics and decoration all get involved, and the bill for putting those right can exceed the roof work that caused it.

Timber decay compounds

Persistent damp in a loft rots battens, rafter ends and wall plates. Structural timber repairs are the single biggest reason a re-roof price climbs, and every winter you delay is more timber to replace.

Insurance and sale problems

Insurers expect a roof to be maintained. Surveyors flag failed coverings, buyers renegotiate on them, and 'roof needs replacing' on a homebuyer's report costs a seller far more than the job itself would have.

Concrete and clay tiles

Concrete interlocking tiles are the workhorse of post-war Hampshire housing: strong, economical and available in profiles that match what is already on the street. Clay plain tiles suit older and period properties, weather beautifully and last a very long time, but they are heavier per square metre and need the right batten gauge and structure. We check the existing rafter sizes and spans before specifying anything heavier than what came off.

Natural and fibre-cement slate

Slate suits lower pitches than plain tiles and gives a crisp finish on Victorian and Edwardian houses. Natural slate is graded by thickness and quality and can be nailed or hook-fixed depending on exposure; fibre-cement slate is lighter and cheaper and works well where the structure will not take natural stone. Both need correct head lap for the pitch and the exposure rating of the site — an important point this close to the coast.

Membrane, battens and fixings

Modern breathable membranes replace bitumen felt and let water vapour escape while stopping wind-driven rain. Battens must be graded and treated, gauged accurately to the tile, and fixed to every rafter. Fixings are specified for exposure: on coastal and elevated sites, more of the covering needs mechanically fixing rather than relying on interlock and gravity. Getting these three right is the difference between a roof that lasts and one that fails quietly.

Ventilation and condensation

A sealed loft creates its own water. We build in ventilation at the eaves and at the ridge, or use ventilated dry-fix systems, so warm moist air from the house can escape. Skipping this is a common reason a brand-new roof produces damp patches within a year, and it is a fault nobody can see from the ground.

Dry fix, ridges and verges

Traditional mortar bedding on ridges and verges cracks, releases and becomes a maintenance job in its own right. Dry-fix ridge and verge systems clamp mechanically, ventilate, and remove that recurring failure point. We will quote either, and explain the difference in cost against the difference in future maintenance.

Leadwork, valleys and abutments

Where the roof meets a chimney, a wall, a valley or a bay, lead does the work. It is hand-dressed to code and length, with proper welts, clips and chases, because most re-roofs that leak do so at a detail rather than in the open field of tiles. See our leadwork and chimney pages for how we handle those specific junctions.

Residential and commercial

On homes the priorities are appearance, disruption and price certainty. On commercial and industrial buildings they are access, phasing around occupancy and keeping the building watertight while it is open. We phase commercial strips so no area is left exposed overnight, and we work around trading hours where a business needs to keep running.

Scaffold, access and disruption

Almost every re-roof needs scaffold. We work regularly with a scaffolding firm we trust and include it in the quote so you are not chasing a separate contractor. Skips and disposal are handled by us, the site is swept at the end of every day, and driveways and paths are protected before the strip begins.

S&S Roofing & Building Limited

13 Braishfield Rd, Havant, Hampshire PO9 2HS, UK

Open 24 hours, 7 days a week