New Roofs in Altrincham

Why a new roof in Altrincham isn’t a like-for-like job

The roofs around Altrincham are not simple. The Edwardian and Victorian stock off Hale Road has steep pitches, deep valleys and chimneys built before anyone thought about access. The large detached houses around Bowdon and Hale add multiple ridges, dormers and hips that all have to line up and shed water cleanly. There is a lot of lead on these roofs, and lead is where a cheap re-roof fails first.

A new roof here means rebuilding all of that, not throwing slate back over tired felt. Get the valley cut wrong or the lead dressed instead of welded and nothing leaks on handover day. It leaks four or five winters later, by which point the roofer who did it is long gone. That is the whole reason people on these streets stop shopping on price.

How we build a new roof, top to bottom

We strip the old covering to the rafters and clear it off site. Every length of old felt and every old batten goes. Then the roof goes back up properly, in order.

• Breathable membrane across the whole roof, so any water that gets past the covering is shed and the loft timbers can breathe instead of sweating.
• Treated battens, graded and gauged by hand to set the lap. On an Altrincham roof that lap is what keeps rain out when it comes in sideways, which around here it does.
• Slate or tile to suit the house, nailed and laid course by course. Cut pieces around chimneys, verges and dormers are dressed by hand, not snapped.
• Hand-cut valleys, set so the water runs where it should and not into the rafters.
• Lead-welded detailing. Our certified lead welder (Master Roofers Academy) forms new lead to the chimneys, valleys and abutments — welded, dressed and clipped so it stays put through the heat-and-cool cycle that works old lead loose.
• A mechanical dry ridge, bolted down and ventilated, instead of mortar that blows out and washes loose in a few winters.

The David and Angela re-roof in WA14

Our flagship Altrincham job was a full re-roof for David and Angela on a large detached period house in WA14. Their roof had been patched for years and still leaked. Two other roofers wanted to patch it again. We put a drone up, showed them the split slate, perished felt and cracked lead on a tablet at their kitchen table, and told them straight that the roof was finished.

We stripped it to the rafters, re-membraned, re-battened, laid new slate, replaced every scrap of lead and fitted a dry ridge. It has been dry since. You can read the full job at David and Angela’s Altrincham re-roof — drone footage before and after, the whole thing.

Drone survey first, fixed price, no surprises

Every quote starts with a drone survey. We fly the roof before we price it, so the number is based on what is actually up there, not a guess from the pavement. On a big Altrincham roof that is the difference between a fixed price and a pile of surprises halfway through the job. You get before-and-after photos on completion, and we’re the most-reviewed roofer in Middlewich — every review five stars.

Call 01606 537305 to book a drone survey. We cover Cheshire and South Manchester.