The Complete Guide to Getting a New Roof in 2025
How to Tell If You Need a New Roof vs a Repair
One of the most common questions we hear from homeowners in Berkshire and Surrey is whether they actually need a full re-roof or just some repairs. The honest answer depends on three factors: the age of the existing roof, the extent of any damage, and the condition of the underlying structure.
As a general rule, if your roof is over 60 years old and you are experiencing recurring leaks in multiple locations, patching individual tiles is throwing good money after bad. The felt underlay (sarking felt) on roofs installed before the mid-1990s was typically BS 747 hessian-based felt, which has a functional lifespan of around 30-40 years. Once this deteriorates, water tracks sideways under tiles and appears as damp patches on ceilings — often nowhere near the actual point of entry. At that stage, a strip and re-roof with modern breathable membrane (such as Tyvek Supro or Cromar Vent3) is the only permanent solution.
However, if your roof is under 30 years old, the timbers are sound, and you have one isolated leak around a flashing or valley, a targeted repair is almost certainly the right call. We always carry out a thorough inspection before recommending either option — and we will never push you towards a full re-roof if a repair will do the job properly.
Choosing Between Slate, Clay Tiles & Concrete Tiles
The choice of roofing material affects everything from the look of your home to its resale value and long-term maintenance costs. Here is a practical breakdown based on our experience installing all three across properties in Slough, Reading, Windsor, and Greater London.
Natural slate (Welsh, Spanish or Brazilian) is the premium option. Welsh slate from Penrhyn or Ffestiniog quarries is considered the finest in the world — it can last 150+ years and carries a distinctive blue-grey tone that weathers beautifully. Spanish slate (typically from Galicia) offers excellent value at roughly 60% of the cost of Welsh, though quality varies between quarries. We only source from SIGA-certified quarries with full BBA certification. Brazilian slate is the budget option but can be prone to fading and delamination if you do not select carefully.
Clay plain tiles — such as the Dreadnought Staffordshire Blue or the Marley Ashdowne — are ideal for period properties and conservation areas in Berkshire and Surrey. They have a lifespan of 80-100+ years and develop a beautiful patina over time. The downside is weight (approximately 75 kg/m2 for plain tiles), which means your roof structure needs to be up to the task.
Concrete interlocking tiles — Marley Edgemere, Redland 49, Forticrete Centurion — are the modern workhorse. They are lighter than clay, faster to install (fewer tiles per square metre), and cost around 40-50% less. A good-quality concrete tile will last 50-60 years with minimal maintenance. For most standard re-roofs in the area, this is what we recommend unless the property or planning requirements demand otherwise.
Understanding Roofing Quotes & What to Look For
A roofing quote should be detailed, transparent, and itemised. If a contractor hands you a one-line quote that simply says 'Re-roof — £7,000', walk away. Here is what a proper quote from Dripstop Roofing includes, and what you should expect from any reputable firm.
- Full specification of materials — tile manufacturer, model, colour, and quantity
- Underlay type and brand (e.g. Tyvek Supro Plus breathable membrane)
- Batten size and grade (BS 5534 requires 25x50mm graded softwood or equivalent)
- Ridge system — dry fix (such as Redland DryVent or Klober Profile-Line) or mortar bedded
- All lead and flashing work itemised — code 4 or code 5 lead to LSA standards
- Scaffolding — whether included or a separate hire, and for how many weeks
- Waste removal — skip hire and disposal of old tiles, felt, and battens
- Building control fees and notification if applicable
- Start date, estimated completion, and payment terms
Building Regulations & Structural Considerations
Many homeowners do not realise that a full re-roof is considered 'building work' under The Building Regulations 2010 and typically requires building control sign-off. Approved Document C (Site preparation and resistance to contaminants and moisture) sets out requirements for weatherproofing, while Approved Document L (Conservation of fuel and power) requires that insulation is brought up to current standards when more than 25% of the roof is being replaced.
In practice, this means that if you are stripping a roof back to the rafters, you will need to install insulation to achieve a U-value of 0.16 W/m2K or better. For a pitched roof, this typically means 100mm of rigid PIR board (such as Celotex GA4000 or Kingspan Kooltherm K7) between the rafters, or 270mm of mineral wool at ceiling level. Your building control officer will want to see this before signing off.
Structural considerations are equally important. Before any tiles go on, we inspect every rafter, purlin, ridge board, and wall plate. On older properties in Slough and the Thames Valley, we commonly find that original 4x2 rafters are undersized for modern tile weights — particularly if the roof is being changed from lightweight asbestos cement to concrete or clay tiles. In these cases, we either sister new timbers alongside the existing ones or install additional purlins for support. All structural work is carried out to BS 8103-3 (structural design of low-rise buildings) and signed off by building control.
