DIY Reroof, Guttering, Fascia and Soffit – What First?

paperclap

Hi all,

This summer I am planning to reroof (new felt and battens, and possibly new tiles) our semi-detached bungalow. Why? Leaks. I am also planning to replace the guttering, downpipes (currently asbestos), soil vent pipe (which runs up the exterior of the house, through the soffit and through the roof tiles), fascia and soffit. Why? More leaks. I am also planning on replacing the boards and lead around our chimney. Why? Even more leaks.

Now, as the title suggests, I am a DIYer. I have dabbled up and down our own roof before in attempts to fix our leaks, but I am no roofer. Nor have I had any experience with guttering, fascia and soffits. But, by and large, I think I can and will get the jist of it. Sadly, we don't have £15,000-£20,000 to fork out for the professions to do it... hence why I am planning to undertake this myself.

I can't take time off work to do this work, so would only be available in evenings and weekends.

Reroof

• Tiles – We currently have concrete Redland 49 tiles. The granular effect has gone in places, but still good tiles no less. However, I would imagine it would make most sense to simply replace them, while I am going through the trouble of stripping the roof. It will of course mean cutting new tiles. Thoughts? Is it worthwhile replacing / cutting new tiles / etc?
• Felt / breathable membrane – We currently have old, rotten felt. I am planning on replacing with a new breathable membrane. Which brand, I'm not sure – I can never seem to find a solid answer on which is the best go-to. Any recommendations? Is it best to use a 1m roll, or 1.5m, to lessen the overlaps?
• Battens – I haven't yet checked the distance between our rafters. But, battens will be either 38 x 25 mm or 50 x 25 mm, depending on the rafter span.
• Eaves trays – I am planning on installing eaves trays to prevent the lower portions of the membrane from rotting early. Is there a go-to brand, or are they all much of the same?
• Gauge – I'll be keeping this the same, so as to match our neighbours tiles.
• Hips and Ridge – We have two hips and one ridge. I've heard mixed opinions on wet fitting (mortar) and dry fitting (dry systems). Is dry fitting really the future? Oddly, I've seen roofers install dry systems, only to then point them up with mortar! Is this normal, or just a belt and braces approach? I thought dry systems were often used for ventilation purposes, too. Any thoughts and opinions on which is the best route?

Chimney
We currently have lead flashing around our chimney. Unsure of the condition of this lead and whether it can be reused or not. Anywho, I  will be looking to replicate the step flashing, with as few joints as possible. We don't have a saddle at the back of our chimney – it is just flat. What is the best way to go about this area? I can't find much in the way of information on the internet!

Soil vent pipe
I am looking to replace this, but would look to keep it in the same place, as not relocating the bathroom. I am thinking of running up the exterior of the property, and pivot outward from the fascia/soffit, and then up, so as to circumvent the need to go through the roof. Around our property, we have concrete. Will this need to be dug out in order to gain access to the lower portion?

Downpipes
We have two, and they are both asbestos. Will I need to call in a specialist to have these removed? Again, will the conrete around/below need to be dug out?

Guttering
We have black round guttering. I've noticed it has warped. I'm not sure whether this is due to it being black (absorbing more heat in the summer months) and round (less structural integrity), or whether it was just poorly installed and/or just old? Our conservatory has white square guttering. Had thought to match this. Are there any pros and cons to colour and shape, in terms of strength, ability to carry water, amount of water, etc?

Fascia and Soffit
Currently have wooden fascias and asbestos soffits. Had planned to remove, pray to God there is no rotten timber beneath, and replace with white PVC. Given that I will be installing a breathable membrane, will there be a need to install soffits will grills / ventilation? Or, is it unnecessary? Do (wooden) boards need to be fitted to the fascia and soffit areas, prior to the PVC being fitted over? If so, and if soffit vents were required, how would/could this work?

We also have a car port to the side of our house, which will of course need removing to gain access to that side of the house.

The big question. What should come first?

Thank you in advance.

FreeBear

Been trying to get my semi reroofed for the best part of the year. A few of the quotes I've had haven't been too outlandish (around the £6-7K mark). I would have expected an average bungalow to be slightly cheaper.

All bar one roofer has said that they will use traditional mortar on the hip & ridge tiles - They have all been telling me the same. Dry ridge is not lasting. 25 years tops, but more likely around 10 years.

Downpipes - If you are digging out the bottom connection, it is well worth putting in an interceptor gully to trap leaves & general muck before they go into the drain. Although, if you already have a pot gully, the interceptor is probably redundant.

paperclap

FreeBear said:

Been trying to get my semi reroofed for the best part of the year. A few of the quotes I've had haven't been too outlandish (around the £6-7K mark). I would have expected an average bungalow to be slightly cheaper.

All bar one roofer has said that they will use traditional mortar on the hip & ridge tiles - They have all been telling me the same. Dry ridge is not lasting. 25 years tops, but more likely around 10 years.

Downpipes - If you are digging out the bottom connection, it is well worth putting in an interceptor gully to trap leaves & general muck before they go into the drain. Although, if you already have a pot gully, the interceptor is probably redundant.

Thanks FreeBear

If you don't mind my asking, where in the UK are you based? We're in the South East... so perhaps the prices are elevated in comparison to other areas of the country.

Interesting regarding the wet vs dry ridge and hips. I've heard quite similar things. Though I suppose one pro for dry systems (for me) is that I wouldn't need to get a good finish with the mortar. Hoping it looks half decent, ha!

One quote was £4-£8k just for new battens and membrane (and later said it was around £1 per tile, which is right, so would imagine another couple of grand for new tiles). Another was £12k for new battens, membrane, tiles and flashing.

Good shout on the interceptor gulley. Does that mean to say that we would need to dig out our concrete? Can't see how we wouldn't have to really... but asking as I've never done this work before!

FreeBear

Location - East of England.

Without seeing what the outside of your property looks like, I wouldn't like to comment on how much concrete would need to be dug out. Much of it would depend on where your surface water drains off to and the direction/depth of the pipes.