Roof repairs

The short answer

Most roof repairs in Edinburgh involve replacing slipped or broken slates, renewing lead flashings around chimneys and abutments, or patching a failed flat roof covering. Warning signs are water staining on top-floor ceilings, slates in the garden after a storm, and damp around chimney breasts. Cost depends on access, scaffolding, the roof covering and how much of the underlying sarking or timber has been affected.

What the work involves

A repair usually starts with an inspection from ground level, a ladder or a drone, then localised work: re-fixing or replacing slates and tiles, renewing lead or zinc flashings, repairing ridge and hip mortar, or patching a felt, EPDM or single-ply flat roof. Where several areas have failed, a roofer may recommend a section renewal rather than repeated patching.

Rules and consents in Scotland

Routine repair and like-for-like replacement does not normally need a building warrant. Listed buildings and properties in conservation areas usually need to keep the original covering (natural slate rather than concrete tile), and altering the roof shape, adding rooflights on a visible elevation, or changing material can need consent. Work above two storeys generally needs scaffolding or a tower to meet working-at-height rules.

What commonly goes wrong

Repeated cheap patching of the same area rather than dealing with the underlying cause, mortar fillets used where lead flashing is needed, and mismatched replacement slates that weather differently from the original roof.

What it usually costs

Indicative ranges only, to help you judge a quote. They are not an estimate for your property — only the business doing the work can give you that.

• A handful of slipped slates on an accessible roof is a short job; the scaffolding or access equipment is often the larger part of the bill.
• Lead flashing renewal around a chimney costs more than slate replacement because of the material and the labour in dressing it.
• Rotten sarking boards or roof timbers found once slates are lifted add cost that cannot be quoted accurately in advance.
• Tenement roofs are usually a shared cost split between owners under the title deeds or the Tenements (Scotland) Act default.

What to do, in order

1. 1Note where water is appearing inside and when — during driving rain, or after any rain.
2. 2Get an inspection that includes photographs of the defect rather than a verbal description.
3. 3Ask whether the problem is localised or a sign the covering is near the end of its life.
4. 4Agree access arrangements and who is paying for scaffolding before work starts.
5. 5For a tenement, agree the share of cost with the other owners in writing before instructing.
6. 6Keep the invoice and photographs — buyers' surveyors ask about recent roof work.

Local detail for the Lothians

• Most pre-1919 Edinburgh property is roofed in Scotch or Welsh slate on sarking boards, so repairs need a roofer who works with natural slate rather than tile.
• Tenement roofs are common property: repairs are normally shared between all flats in the stair, and the City of Edinburgh Council can serve notice where a shared roof is dangerous.
• Exposed coastal roofs in East Lothian and around Portobello lose slates more often in winter storms because of salt-laden wind.
• Conservation area and listed status across the New Town, Old Town and Leith limits substitution of concrete tile for natural slate.

When you need a professional

A roofer for the work itself, and a chartered building surveyor where a roof has recurring problems, a shared tenement roof needs a scheme of repair, or an insurance claim is involved.

Common questions

How do I know if I need a repair or a new roof?

Isolated slipped slates on an otherwise sound roof point to repair. Widespread nail fatigue, sagging, or repeated leaks in different places usually mean the covering is near the end of its life.

Can roof repairs be done in winter?

Small repairs can, but work is weather dependent and roofers will not work in high winds, so emergency repairs may be temporary until conditions allow.

Related pages

• Chimney repairs

  Repointing, flaunching, flashings and capping on Scottish chimney stacks.

• Gutters and downpipes

  Clearing, repairing and renewing rainwater goods before they cause damp.

• Damp problems

  Telling penetrating damp, condensation and rising damp apart before spending money.