The tiles are the cheap part. On the hipped roofs that cover most of Wallasey's inter-war housing, it is the components at the edges that move the figure.
Most tiled roof quotations name the tile and then use one line for everything else. On Wallasey's inter-war housing that hides a lot, because these roofs are usually hipped — and a hipped roof is mostly edges.
Our Wallasey page explains why a hipped roof takes longer to cover than a gabled one of the same area. This guide is about what goes on those edges, and what it should say on a quotation.
Compare two roofs of identical area. A gabled roof has one ridge line and two verges. A hipped roof has a shorter ridge, four hip lines, and no verges at all — and every one of those hips needs a covering component running its full length, fixed and aligned individually.
So on the same measured area, the hipped roof carries considerably more linear metres of fitting. That is materials and labour both, and it is the reason two tiled roof quotations for similar-sized houses can differ by a surprising amount.
The line along the top. Mortar bedding is still permitted but no longer counts as a fixing, so it must be mechanically fixed regardless. A dry ridge system uses a batten, clamps and a ventilated roll — which conveniently provides the high-level ventilation the roof needs anyway.
The four diagonal lines on a hipped roof. Same fixing requirement as the ridge, and four times as much of it. Worth knowing: on a hip, a unit that works loose can slide, which is a different and more serious failure than a loose ridge tile.
Ask which hip system, and whether it is the same range as the ridge — mixing ranges at the point where a hip meets the ridge is visible and looks unresolved.
Where two slopes meet in an internal angle — common on a hipped roof with a rear projection. Formed in lead, or in a proprietary GRP or aluminium trough. Lead is quieter to look at and more expensive; a trough is quicker and reads as a line. Either is legitimate, but the quotation should say which.
Only where there is a gable, so often absent on this stock. Where present: a dry verge unit is mechanically excellent and obviously a modern component; a bedded and pointed edge over an undercloak reads as part of the roof. On a period building that difference is worth the conversation.
Where the roof meets the gutter. Needs an eaves tray or support so the underlay is carried into the gutter rather than stopping short behind it — a small component and a common omission. Also the place where ventilation gets in.
Lead, at a stated code. Front apron, soakers, step flashings and a back gutter for every chimney. Renewed at every junction on a complete job, not only where it has already failed.
At the eaves and at high level. An inlet with no outlet does very little, and insulation pushed hard into the eaves seals the inlet. Both ends should be stated.
| Concrete interlocking | Clay interlocking | Clay plain tile | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Material cost | Lowest | Higher | Highest |
| Units per m² | Fewest | Few | Many |
| Labour | Lowest | Low | Highest |
| Weight | Heaviest | Moderate | Moderate to heavy |
| Minimum pitch | Lowest | Low | High |
| Colour in 25 years | Weathers to grey | Holds | Holds |
| Cutting waste on hips | Moderate | Moderate | Lowest — small units |
That last row is worth a note. Cutting a large interlocking tile on the rake produces a lot of waste, because much of each cut unit is discarded. Small units waste less. On a roof with four hip lines that difference is real, though rarely enough on its own to decide the covering.
Wallasey is an exposed position, and two things follow.
Two separate systems. Planning: a like-for-like re-roof does not materially affect the external appearance of a building, so under section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 it is not development at all and needs no permission. A visible change of covering can be a different matter, particularly inside a conservation area, where the test is applied more tightly.
Building regulations: where more than 50% of the roof's surface area is renewed, or the work forms part of a major renovation, regulation 23 of the Building Regulations 2010 requires the roof to be brought up to current thermal standards so far as that is technically, functionally and economically feasible — 0.16 W/(m²K) for a roof in an existing dwelling. A patch repair does not trigger it, and neither does a roof over unheated space such as a detached garage.
Our quotations name the components, not just the tile. It makes comparison a great deal easier.
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