Gable ridge tiles pointing/rebedding?

chaotic_j

Hi,

Paid to have loose slates etc. fixed. They also fixed some loose ridge tiles.. but afterwards said they would 'benefit from being pulled off and rebed'.

I've had someone else working on another job and he also says 'the roof ridge caps need cementing'.

The gable has a room in it with crawl space above. Inside the roof is felted and I can't see any tears or leaks.

I read years ago the pointing is cosmetic if the ridge tile isn't loose. Lived at the last property 10 years, stone ridge no issues.

This is about 30 foot up and currently have some scaffolding. The ridge tiles are red clay with a roll top, each is about 470mm long? - should they be rebed?

I read about a dry ridge system that costs more but lasts longer, is it worth it?



Looking South.



Looking North.

The bit on the right hand side next to the chimney is mine as well.

Thank you in advance.

FreeBear

chaotic_j said: I read about a dry ridge system that costs more but lasts longer, is it worth it?

Dry ridge systems are predominantly plastic widgets with some screws (either stainless steel, or plated mild steel). Plastic goes brittle when left exposed to the elements and will eventually break - This is part of the reason the manufacturers only give a 25 year life for dry ridge. Ridge tiles bedded in on a well prepared layer of mortar has the potential to last 50-100 years.

If you have scaffolding up, it makes sense to rebed any loose ridge tiles now rather than having to pay for scaffolding again in a few years time. A word of caution though - You may well find that the mortar is stuck firmly to the top row of slates. A good chance that these will need to be replaced if the mortar doesn't come off cleanly. Be picky about the source of any replacement slate. Some of the Spanish & Brazilian stuff is very poor quality and is only lasting 10-15 years on UK roofs.

chaotic_j

Thanks @FreeBear we have a ground floor extension with concrete tiles and ridges dry ridge fixed, it was built 15 years ago, we've been here 4 and had no issues yet.

I read that a mortared ridge you would be lucky to get 10 years? Or is that just the 'pointing' around the ridges?

I had a section of slates repaired on the left of the second pic, they are Spanish slate, was not keen but having terrible trouble getting anyone that cares to do jobs never mind turn up to quote?

They said that their supplier only had Spanish and not the original riven blue Welsh..? Although in the sunlight you can see many are purple/heather. Not sure what the difference is!

Apodemus

I'd be wary of anyone who wants to "cement" the ridge tiles on an old property.  Cement would almost certainly be stronger than the ridge tile and the slates, so as heat and cold cycles cause expansion and contraction, the result will be cracking in either the ridge tiles or the slates.   Much better to bed the ridge with a softer mortar.

chaotic_j

Hi, I've had a verbal quote of £480 which is about what I was expecting to pay.

They said CT1 would be applied to the edge of 'up and over' ridges, in addition to mortar. Does that sound correct?

Struggling to find anyone else interested in the job, roofers round here must be minted.

chaotic_j

Hi,

So the roofer turned up and 2 men spent about 1 hour on the job. They say that the ridge tiles have been rebedded.

I asked if they had been removed and they said no each side has been lifted - it's done this way? Asked when they had finished has all the mortar underneath been removed and rebedded on fresh they said yes.

When they turned up said I'd pay cash, but changed my mind. They were a bit aggressive when I asked for the bank details on the invoice and wanted me to pay there and then saying they had done the job and you don't get bread from the shop and pay later.

I paid after they left. Does it sound like the job has been done properly. Have I been an unreasonable customer?

Thanks.