Identify the problems. Plan the solution carefully
When you get high up on a building you might think the view of the valleys would be a welcome sight. Not if the roof you are talking about is the roof on my house, and the valleys you are talking about are the mortar valleys that form a critical part of the roof.
I knew the verges needed re-bedding because mortar had been falling from the roof, which is what kicked the whole thing off – but as I’d feared, where one part of the roof was failing, others were in similar shape.
We got the scaffolding up in 1 day, and when we got onto the roof I made the decision we needed to re-bed the valleys, the verges and the ridges, which meant we would need to take a significant number of the roof tiles off and there would be a chance of breakage.
In for a penny, in for a pound
It might sound rather dramatic, but when I saw the extent of the problem I decided to re-tile the roof. The cost of labour and scaffolding far outweighs the cost of the roof tiles, so as I was investing in those, it seemed to make sense to pay a little more for the tiles and the extra few hours to get a completely new roof. The benefits for the house, both aesthetically and in terms of value, will be significantly increased compared with just re-bedding the verges, valleys and ridges.
“Whether you choose to replace the whole roof or not; if your roofer recommends it, he’s not necessarily just looking for extra money, it could be valuable advice”