Roof re-felting and battening in Dublin.
The slates are the part you see. The membrane and battens under them are the part that wears out first, and the part nobody thinks about until it fails.
The layers under the slates
Beneath every slate or tile roof lies a membrane (on older houses, felt) and the battens that carry the covering. The slates keep off the sun and most of the rain, but the membrane is the last line when wind pushes rain up a lap. Old bitumen felt dries, cracks and turns to something like brittle paper. Battens soften at the ends where they are nailed and where damp collects.
A roof like that often looks fine from the street. Inside the attic you can see daylight, powder from the old felt on the insulation, or battens with split ends. This is a typical 1930s–60s semi: sound clay or concrete tiles on a membrane that is older than the owners.
The answer, if the covering is sound, is to lift it, put down a new breathable membrane and new treated battens, and relay the covering over them, fitting new slates or tiles where old ones are broken. The house gets a roof that sheds water for years and the owner is spared the cost of a whole new covering.
It is not always the right answer. If the slates themselves are failing, relaying them is money wasted, and you are better with a full roof replacement. A survey sorts which you need. Because we fit a breathable membrane to BS 5534 detail, the roof space can dry out, which is also what the attic needs to stay free of condensation.
How the work can be done.
Strip, re-felt and relay
The covering is lifted in sections, new membrane and battens laid, and the good slates or tiles relaid over them.
Replace broken slates in the relay
Slates that cannot be reused are replaced with new, matched ones as the roof goes back on.
Breathable membrane
A vapour-open membrane lets damp escape from the roof void.
Treated battens
New treated softwood battens, fixed at the right gauge for your slate or tile.
Ventilation at eaves and ridge
Air in at the eaves and out at the ridge, so the roof space stays dry.
What each price takes in.
The quote is one fixed sum, so the bill at the end matches the paper you signed.
Included in every job
Quoted separately
What this usually costs.
Priced after a survey. Re-felting and relaying depends on the roof area, how many slates or tiles can be reused and the state of the timber, so we give a fixed price in writing after we have seen the roof, and no guide figure is quoted here.
From the first look to the handover.
Survey
We check the membrane and battens from the attic and decide whether the covering is worth saving.
Fixed price
One written price for strip, re-felt, relay and disposal.
Strip and rebuild
Sections are done one at a time, so the house is covered each evening.
Check and hand-back
The roof is checked, the site cleared and the guarantee sent.
What people ask us.
What is roof re-felting?
Taking out the worn waterproof layer beneath the slates or tiles, laying a new one with new battens, and putting the covering back on top.
Can my existing slates be reused?
Often, yes, if they are sound. Slates that crack when lifted, or whose nail holes have worn, are replaced with matched new ones, and we count those in the price.
How do I know my roof needs re-felting?
Typical signs are daylight or powdery felt in the attic, split battens and leaks that return after small repairs. A look from inside the attic usually answers it.
What does re-felting come to?
Roof area and the number of reusable slates drive the cost, so it is priced after the survey and carries no guide figure.
Is it cheaper than a new roof?
Usually, because the covering is reused. If much of it must be replaced anyway, the saving shrinks and a full replacement can be better value.
Do you use breathable membrane?
Yes, with treated battens, detailed to BS 5534. It lets damp air escape from the roof void instead of holding it in.
Does a re-felt roof get the Lifetime Leak Guarantee?
No. The Lifetime Leak Guarantee applies to a complete roof replacement. A re-felt and relaid roof carries our 10-year written workmanship guarantee.
Related roofing jobs.
Roof Replacement
When repairs stop holding, the old covering comes off and a new slate or tile roof goes on, with the Lifetime Leak Guarantee behind it.
Roof Inspections
A written report with photographs, taken on the slope and from inside the attic, so you know what the roof needs and what it does not.
Roof Repairs
A stain on the ceiling or a slate on the path: the spot where water gets in is traced and put right, not painted over.
Best Roofers Dublin cover Dublin city and county. The survey is free, the price is fixed in writing, and the work carries a written guarantee.
Get your roof
looked at.
Tell us what the roof is doing and roughly where it is. Someone looks at it for free and a fixed written price comes after. Send the form, or ring.