Putting Right a Failed Re-Roof in Fareham

A homeowner in Fareham called All Round Roofing after a previous roofer left their re-roof unfinished and built wrong. We removed the faulty work, completed the job within seven days, start to finish, and were asked to complete the garage while we were there. The work covered the roof, a dry ridge and hip system, EPDM rubber roofing with a new lead box gutter, and new fascias, soffits, guttering and cladding.

The job was meant to be a new roof with new fascias and soffits. By the time we arrived, it had become a source of real stress for the homeowner. This page explains what had gone wrong, what we did about it, and what to look for if you’re in a similar position.

What We Found

The previous roofer had been on the job for three months. In that time he had stripped the roof and pitched a new section between the garage and the main house, and the homeowner was extremely stressed about it.

Two problems stood out once we looked at it properly:

• The rafters on the new section were wrong. The new section between the garage and the house hadn’t been framed correctly, so nothing built on top of it could be right.
• The batten gauge was wrong. Battens are the horizontal timbers the tiles hang on, and the gauge is the spacing between them. Each tile is designed for a particular gauge, worked out from the tile’s specification and the length of the rafter. With the gauge wrong, the courses of tiles wouldn’t line up with the roof next door. Instead of linking the tiles into the neighbouring roof, the previous roofer had used bonding strips to cover the mismatch.

Neither problem can be fixed by patching. Both had to come out.

How We Put It Right

We removed all of the previous roofer’s work and started again.

Re-felting and Re-battening to Line Up With Next Door

We took off the tiles the previous roofer had laid. Then we re-felted the roof and re-battened it to the correct gauge, setting out every course so the tiles run straight into next door’s roof.

Getting the gauge right means no bonding gutter is needed where the two roofs meet. A bonding gutter is a channel fitted at the join between two roofs when their tile courses don’t match. It’s a recognised detail, but here the job could be done without one, so we did.

Dry Ridge and Hip System

We finished the ridge and hips with a dry ridge and hip system. The ridge and hip tiles are mechanically fixed and clipped in place instead of bedded in mortar.

EPDM Rubber Roofing and a New Lead Box Gutter

There are two EPDM rubber roofs on this job:

• One between the garage and the main house.
• One on the garage, which drains down into a new lead box gutter we installed.

EPDM is a synthetic rubber membrane laid as a single sheet onto a clean timber deck. We bonded it down with a decking adhesive and a contact adhesive, and finished the edges with new uPVC trims.

The lead box gutter collects the water coming off the garage’s EPDM roof. We installed it new as part of the job.

Fascias, Soffits, Guttering and Cladding

We fitted new fascias, white uPVC soffits and new guttering. We also clad the end of the building to finish off the walkway between the house and the garage.

Seven Days, Start to Finish

The previous roofer had taken three months to reach a point where everything had to be removed. We completed the job in seven days.

While we were there, the homeowner asked us to complete the garage as well. The homeowner told us how relieved they were to have the work done properly after all the trouble they’d had.

If a Previous Roofer Has Left Your Roof Unfinished

Jobs like this one happen. If your roof has been left part-done, or something doesn’t look right, these steps help:

• Get the existing work assessed before anything else is added on top. On this job, both faults were in the structure and the setting-out. Patching over them would only have hidden the problem.
• Ask for a fixed, written quote. Paul visits every job and prepares every quote himself. Our quotes are fixed, not estimates. The price only changes if something comes to light during the work that couldn’t be seen beforehand, and if that happens we tell you straight away.
• Ask exactly what will be removed and what will stay. Some previous work may be sound. If it all has to come out, as it did here, you should know before work starts.
• Ask about the guarantee. Our workmanship guarantee is 10 years, new uPVC fascias and soffits carry 10 years, and new flat roofs carry up to 20 years, depending on the system. We’ll confirm which guarantee applies to your job when we quote.

The Work on This Job

This project covered several of our services. You can read more about each one:

• New roofs and re-roofing
• Flat roofing, including EPDM rubber roofs
• Fascias, soffits and cladding
• New gutters and gutter repairs

All Round Roofing Ltd is a family-run roofing company based in Westbourne, established for over 25 years. We cover Fareham and the surrounding area, along with Portsmouth, Southampton and the other areas we cover.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you take over a roofing job another roofer has started?

Yes. That’s what happened on this Fareham job. We’ll look at the existing work first and tell you plainly what can stay and what has to come out before we quote.

What is batten gauge, and why does it matter?

Batten gauge is the spacing between the timber battens the tiles hang on. It’s set to suit the tile and the length of the rafter. If it’s wrong, the courses won’t sit or line up correctly. On a semi-detached or terraced roof, that can mean the new tiles won’t run into the neighbouring roof.

Do I need a bonding gutter where my roof meets next door’s?

Not always. A bonding gutter is fitted where the tile courses on two roofs don’t match. On this job we set the battens so the new tiles ran straight into next door’s, so no bonding gutter was needed. Whether that’s possible on your roof depends on the two roofs and the tiles involved, and we’ll tell you once we’ve seen it.

How long does a job like this take?

Every roof is different, so we’ll give you a timescale when we quote. This job took seven days, start to finish.

Need a Second Opinion on Your Roof?

If a roofing job has stalled or something about it doesn’t look right, call Paul on 07863 768956 or send us a message. We’ll come out, look at it and give you a fixed, written quote.