Roof Replacement and New Roofs Sunderland
A full strip and rebuild with new membrane, battens, flashings and covering. Forthcoming Group will also tell you if your roof does not need replacing yet, because plenty do not.
- Over 500 Projects Completed Across the North East
- Decades Of Trade Experience Experienced multi-trade team
- Free Roof Inspections No obligation, written quote
- 5 Star Customer Reviews Rated by local customers
Roof Replacement Specialists
The tiles are the part that lasts longest
Most people assume a roof is replaced because the tiles have worn out. Usually they have not. Concrete and clay tiles commonly last fifty years or more, and slate longer again.
What wears out is everything underneath. The underlay goes brittle and tears. The battens soften where water has been reaching them. The nails corrode and let go, so tiles start slipping in ones and twos. None of that is visible from the ground, and all of it is why a roof needs replacing while the tiles themselves still look serviceable.
It also explains why a replacement has to go all the way down. New tiles on old membrane and old battens is a new covering over a failed waterproof layer, and it will come back.
Our guide on the signs a roof needs replacing includes a loft checklist you can work through yourself before calling anyone.
What We Do
What a roof replacement includes
A replacement is one of the larger jobs a house needs, so it is worth knowing exactly what is in the price. Ours covers the roof from the rafters up, and the clearing up afterwards.
- Full strip of the existing roof covering
- Breathable membrane and treated battens
- Concrete tiles, clay tiles and natural slate
- Dry ridge and dry verge systems
- New lead or Wakaflex flashings
- Chimney repointing and flashing renewal
- Loft insulation and ventilation checks
- New fascias, soffits and guttering
- Scaffolding, waste removal and site clearance
If the right answer for your roof turns out to be smaller, our roof repairs page covers the common faults, and flat roofing covers garage, extension and dormer roofs.
When to Act
Signs you need a new roof
There is rarely one moment when a roof needs replacing. What usually happens is that faults start appearing in different places, each one small enough to repair, until the repairs stop making financial sense.
Worth getting assessed:
- Repairs needed in several different places
- Underlay that has perished or torn when seen from the loft
- Daylight visible between tiles from inside the roof space
- Widespread cracked, flaking or delaminating tiles
- A dip or sag along the ridge or between rafters
- An original covering on a roof over about fifty years old
The loft tells you more than the outside does. Our guides on the signs a roof needs replacing and what a roof inspection finds show what to look for.
Repair or Replace
When replacing is the cheaper option
A replacement costs more than a repair on the day. Over a few years it is often the other way round, and the reason is access.
Every repair visit pays for scaffolding again. Three or four repairs on a failing roof, each needing a tower or a scaffold, can quietly add up to more than replacing the roof once would have cost. You also end up with an old roof at the end of it rather than a new one.
The honest test is not what each option costs, but what each costs per year of roof you get for it. A £400 repair that buys two years is worse value than a replacement that buys fifty, even though it looks cheaper.
Repair is still the right answer when the damage is genuinely isolated and the underlay and battens underneath are sound. That is the question an inspection answers, and it is why we look before quoting.
What Sets Us Apart
Why choose Forthcoming Group
An honest answer on replacement
A replacement is a significant job and plenty of roofs do not need one yet. If repairs are the better value answer for your roof, we will tell you that.
Everything underneath renewed
New membrane, new treated battens and new flashings. Tiles over a perished underlay is a new covering on top of a failed waterproof layer.
Work done once, properly
Correct detailing at the ridge, verges, valleys and chimney, because those junctions are where a roof actually leaks rather than the open slopes.
Respect for your property
Scaffolding set up safely, the site kept tidy through the job and all waste taken away. You are living there while we work and we treat it that way.
Our Process
How a roof replacement is handled
A replacement is a job you only want to buy once, so the order matters. Inspect properly, quote in writing, then do the work. Nothing gets recommended that your roof does not need.
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Step 1Tell us what you have noticed
Recurring leaks, repairs that keep coming back, or a roof you simply know is old. Any of those is a reasonable place to start.
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Step 2We inspect inside and out
The covering from outside, the underlay, battens and timbers from the loft. That is what decides whether a replacement is genuinely needed.
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Step 3You get a written quote
The covering, what goes underneath, the scaffolding, the waste and the guarantee, itemised so you can compare it against anything else.
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Step 4The roof is stripped and rebuilt
Scaffolding up, old covering off, new membrane and battens, then the new roof laid, the junctions detailed and the site cleared.
New Roof Costs
What a new roof costs
Published UK cost guides put a full re-roof at roughly £3,500 to £6,000 for a terraced house, £5,000 to £8,000 for a typical three-bedroom semi and £8,000 to £15,000 for a detached property. Those are industry ranges rather than our prices.
Four things decide where a real quote sits. The area of the roof, which is not the same as the footprint of the house. The covering, where concrete tiles are the most economical and natural slate the most expensive. The junctions, because every chimney, valley and dormer adds work. And scaffolding, which is driven by how easy the property is to get around rather than by the roof at all.
The one unknown is what the timbers look like once the roof is open. We tell you before starting what we expect to find and what it would cost if more has to be replaced, rather than raising it as a surprise mid-job.
We inspect the roof, explain what we have found and give you an itemised written quote, so you can compare it properly against anything else you have been given.
Customer Reviews
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Ruth
North Tyneside
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Sunderland
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County Durham
What To Avoid
How a new roof goes wrong
A roof replacement is hard to inspect once it is finished. From the pavement, a roof done properly and a roof done cheaply look much the same for the first few years.
That is what makes the quote worth reading closely. The parts that get left out are the parts you cannot see from the ground: the membrane, the battens, the flashings and the scaffolding.
A quote that is several thousand pounds below the others is usually not better value. It is a different job.
Our guide on how to choose a roofing company sets out what to ask before committing.
Reusing old battens and underlay
New tiles over perished felt is a new roof covering on top of a failed waterproof layer. It looks like a new roof from the pavement and leaks like the old one.
Spray foam sold instead of a new roof
Foam sprayed under the tiles is cheaper than replacing a roof and far more expensive to undo. It can make the roof unmortgageable and hides the condition of the timbers.
Scaffolding left out of the price
A roof replacement needs scaffolding. A quote that does not include it is not a lower price, it is an incomplete one.
New tiles, old junctions
Roofs leak at ridges, verges, valleys and chimneys. Re-covering the slopes and leaving those details as they were means paying for a new roof and keeping the old leak.
Recent Work
Roofs we have replaced
Every project page shows what we found, what we did about it and how it finished, with photographs from the job rather than stock images.
A full roof replacement in Silksworth, stripped back and rebuilt with the chimney flashing and pointing renewed at the same time.
A low-pitch roof fitted with the wrong tiles, where a previous installer had used a covering the pitch could not support and left the timbers poorly fixed.
Areas Covered
Roof replacement across Sunderland and the North East
Our roofing team strips and rebuilds tiled and slate roofs for homeowners throughout Sunderland and the surrounding areas.
- Sunderland
- Newcastle
- Gosforth
- Darras Hall
- Whitley Bay
- North Tyneside
- South Tyneside
- Northumberland
- Durham
- County Durham
- Darlington
- Hartlepool
- Middlesbrough
FAQs
Questions about roof replacement
How much does a new roof cost in the UK?
Published UK cost guides put a full re-roof at roughly £3,500 to £6,000 for a terraced house, £5,000 to £8,000 for a typical three-bedroom semi-detached and £8,000 to £15,000 for a detached property, with scaffolding a significant part of that. Those are industry ranges rather than our prices. What moves a real quote within them is the roof area, the covering you choose, the condition of the timbers once the roof is open, how many chimneys and valleys are involved and how easy the property is to scaffold. We inspect first and quote in writing.
How long does a roof replacement take?
For a typical house, usually around three to seven working days once the scaffolding is up, depending on the size of the roof, the number of junctions and the weather. We will give you a realistic timescale when we quote rather than a best-case one.
Do I need scaffolding for a new roof?
Yes. A full strip and re-cover cannot be done safely or properly from ladders, and it is a legal requirement to work at height safely. Scaffolding is included in our quotes rather than added later.
Does a roof replacement need building regulations approval?
Usually, yes. Replacing more than a quarter of a roof counts as renovating a thermal element under the Building Regulations, which can mean the insulation has to be brought up to current standards at the same time. Like-for-like repairs to a small area generally do not. We will tell you which applies to your roof and what it means in practice.
Do I need planning permission for a new roof?
For a like-for-like replacement on most houses, no. It becomes a question if your property is listed, in a conservation area, or if the new roof would change the shape or height of the existing one. If any of those apply, check with your local authority before committing.
Can a roof be replaced in winter?
Yes. Roofs are replaced through the winter in the North East as a matter of routine. The roof is opened up in sections and made watertight at the end of each day rather than left exposed. Sustained heavy rain or high winds will stop work on a given day, which is why winter timescales carry a little more slack.
How long will a new roof last?
Concrete and clay tiles commonly give fifty years or more, and natural slate considerably longer than that. In practice the covering usually outlives whatever is underneath it, which is why renewing the membrane, battens and flashings at the same time is what actually determines the life of the roof.
Do you guarantee a roof replacement?
Insurance-backed guarantees are available on roof replacement projects. Terms depend on the work involved, so ask us when we quote and we will set it out in writing alongside the price.
Do I need to move out while the roof is replaced?
No. You can stay in the property throughout. It is noisy during the strip, and you will want anything stored in the loft moved or covered beforehand, but the house stays habitable.
Which areas do you cover?
We carry out roof replacements across Sunderland and the wider North East, including Newcastle, Durham, Northumberland and surrounding areas.
Free Guide
Avoid costly mistakes before starting your project
A new roof, driveway, garden transformation or property upgrade is a big investment. Choosing the wrong company can lead to unexpected costs, delays and problems that could have been avoided.
Our free guide explains what to check, which questions to ask and what to consider before making your decision.
Get in Touch
Thinking about a new roof?
Roof inspections are free and carry no obligation. We will tell you honestly whether your roof needs replacing yet, and give you an itemised written quote if it does.