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What changes the price of repointing ridge tiles?
Repointing ridge tiles in Cheshire is priced by the length of ridge, whether tiles must be lifted and reset, the mortar, and the access. This guide does not print a figure, and it tells you how to make two quotes describe the same ridge.
Last reviewed:The top line of a pitched roof
Ridge tiles are the pieces that cover the junction at the top of a pitched roof, where two slopes meet along a line rather than in a valley. Mortar is one way those tiles are held. When the mortar cracks, tiles can rock. Repointing means dealing with that mortar. Rebedding means lifting the tiles and setting them again. A quote that says only "ridge" can be either. Ask which.
This guide is written first for houses in Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach. It does not print a price for the work.
Why you should not test a loose tile
HSE says roof work is highly dangerous even if it only takes a few minutes, and that the people doing it must be trained and competent [S1]. It says all roofs should be treated as fragile until a competent person has confirmed they are not, and that you should not rely on any sheeted roof, whatever the material, to bear a person's weight, including the ridge and purlins [S1]. The ridge is named on that page. Leave it alone.
Sloping roofs require scaffolding so people and materials do not fall from the edge, with protection at the eaves of a terrace, at the rear and the front [S1]. Short-duration work, measured in minutes, may use properly secured ladders and proper roof ladders [S1]. A whole ridge is unlikely to be described honestly as a task of minutes, but that is the roofer's statement to make, not yours from the pavement.
HSE: work at height. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
Mortar, reuse, and hips
Ask the quote to separate:
- Ridge length, in the roofer's measurement.
- Hip tiles, if the roof has hips, and whether they are in the same price.
- Whether existing tiles are reused or replaced. A cracked tile is not a repoint.
- What the new mortar is, in their words, without you specifying a mix this page does not have.
- Whether dry-fix systems are being offered instead of mortar. If they are, the quote should say so plainly, because it is a different specification. This page does not describe how those systems are fixed.
NFRC says refurbishment estimates can change once the main covering is removed and the sub-structure is seen [S2]. Ridge work can uncover a rotten timber under the tiles. That discovery is a new agreement [S3]. NFRC recommends an insurance-backed guarantee on refurbishment and says membership is voluntary [S2].
When ridge work stops being a local repair
The Planning Portal says repairs or a re-cover do not normally need a building control application if less than 25 per cent of the building envelope and less than 50 per cent of the roof are affected [S4]. You need approval if you pass those limits, alter the structure, change fire performance of the covering significantly, or increase the covering's weight by 15 per cent or more [S4]. Repointing mortar is not, by itself, a new covering. Lifting a long run of tiles can start to look like one. Ask the roofer which description they will use with building control.
GOV.UK lists replacing roof coverings on pitched and flat roofs as work that can need building regulations approval, different from planning permission [S5]. NFRC's competent person scheme in England and Wales applies if more than 50 per cent of the roof area is replaced [S2]. A ridge-only job should say it is not that, if it is not.
GOV.UK: find your local council for building control. QuoteZila is not affiliated with this organisation.
Planning permission is usually a separate and quieter question for a like-for-like ridge. The Planning Portal says re-roofing that does not materially affect external appearance will usually not need planning permission [S6]. A change from one tile profile to another might. Ask if the tiles will look different from the street.
Money lines that are not a ridge price
Citizens Advice says some traders charge for quotes, so ask first, and to get written quotes from at least 3 traders [S3]. A quote is a fixed price and an estimate is a rough guess [S3]. Do not agree a deposit above 25% where one cannot be avoided, and get a receipt [S3]. A business registers for VAT above £90,000 of taxable turnover in the last 12 months, or if it expects to pass that in 30 days [S7].
| Line | Match this before the totals |
|---|---|
| Length | Roofer's measurement of ridge, and hips if any |
| Reuse or replace | Tiles counted, cracked ones named |
| Mortar or another system | Named, not implied |
| Timber | What they do if the timber under the ridge is soft [S2] |
| Access | Scaffold, including gable ends if they are working there [S1] |
| Re-cover or not | Their view of the percentage limits [S4] |
| VAT | Included or not [S7] |
Hips, gable ends, and the photos that help
A hipped roof has sloping hips as well as a ridge. Missing the hips off the measure is the usual way a "whole roof" quote is smaller than it should be. Walk the garden, not the tiles, and count the sloping lines you can see. If you cannot see the back, say the rear is unseen.
Gable ends have no hip, but the last ridge tile sits over the verge. Ask whether the verge mortar is in the ridge price. Verge work is a different edge, and scaffold at a gable is the HSE point about not forgetting the end of the roof [S1].
Photos that help, all from the ground or from a window you can open without leaning out:
- The whole slope, so the length of ridge is visible.
- A close view of one rocked tile, if you can get it without a ladder.
- The ceiling of the room under the ridge, if there is a stain, with a note of which wall it is nearest.
Do not send a photo taken from the ridge itself. If you already have one from a past visit, you can attach it and say it is old, and that you will not repeat the climb.
Mortar colour is a street question on a front slope. Ask the roofer whether they can get close to the existing colour, and accept that a fresh joint will look newer for a while. This page does not name a pigment. If the house is listed, a change in the ridge tiles' appearance can be the planning question about external appearance [S6], and listed building consent is a separate consent from the GOV.UK rules on character. Say if the house is listed before anyone orders a different tile profile.
On a long terrace the ridge runs past several houses. Your length is only your own roof, and the quote should say it stops at your verge or your hip, not at the neighbour's. A shared ridge tile exactly on the boundary is a conversation, not an assumption that you may lift their tile. Mention the boundary if the end tile looks shared.
Wind can lift a tile whose mortar has gone. A single missing tile after a storm may be the whole job, or it may be the first of a line. Ask the roofer to look along the ridge and to tell you, in the quote, if the rest of the mortar is failing. Paying for one tile and then discovering the line is loose is the refurbishment problem NFRC describes, where the real condition appears once the covering is opened [S2].
Dry weather helps mortar, and a quote that assumes a clear week should say what happens if rain stops the work. You are not owed a forecast. You are owed a sentence about whether unfinished joints are covered overnight. Ask. A ridge left open to a night of rain is how a ceiling stain appears during a job that was meant to cure one. The roofer should say they will leave the roof weathertight at the end of each day, in their own words.
If the tiles are a profile you cannot buy, the quote should say they will reuse what is sound and source replacements, or that replacements may not match. Do not let "to match" sit unqualified. A front slope seen from the pavement is where a mismatch shows. A rear slope hidden by a tree is a different standard, and you can say which standard you want.
Jobs you might post
These are examples, not taken from real job posts.
- Several ridge tiles look rocked, seen from the pavement on a two-storey house. Ask for a repoint or rebed price and for scaffold in the price. Say you will not go up.
- Hip tiles and ridge on a hipped roof. Ask for both lengths separately so a quote that omits the hips is obvious.
- One missing ridge tile after a storm. Ask if that single tile is the whole job or if the mortar along the ridge is failing too.
Anyone in the UK can post or register. QuoteZila is a new, early-stage project, so replies depend on who has joined near you [QZ5]. Up to five matched local businesses can quote [QZ2]. QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses [QZ1].
Citizens Advice says a much lower price may not be the same work [S3]. Compare reuse and access first. Pay by card, in stages, and check insurance yourself [S3].
The ridge warning is on HSE roof work. Re-cover approval is summarised on GOV.UK.
This page is general information, not professional or legal advice. QuoteZila does not check Gas Safe, WaterSafe, NFRC, NICEIC or other registrations against the register on your behalf: look them up yourself.
Honest status: QuoteZila is new. We're starting in Cheshire, beginning with Crewe, Nantwich and Sandbach, and growing area by area. Anyone in the UK can still post a job or register a business. How fast you get quotes depends on how many local businesses have joined near you. Businesses can register and receive jobs straight away. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.
Posting a job is not open yet
Roofers and scaffolders are the trade pages. Wider roof leaks are in the roof repair cost guide. All services.
Questions about ridge tiles
How much does it cost to repoint ridge tiles?
This page does not print a figure. A few loose tiles over a porch and a full ridge from hip to hip, with tiles taken off and reset, are different jobs. Compare the length, whether tiles are reused, and the access.
Is the ridge safe to walk along?
HSE says all roofs should be treated as fragile until a competent person has confirmed they are not, and that this includes the roof ridge and purlins. It says not to rely on any sheeted roof, whatever the material, to bear a person's weight. This page does not tell you to sit on the ridge or to press a loose tile back.
Does repointing need scaffolding?
HSE says sloping roofs require scaffolding so people and materials do not fall from the edge, with edge protection at the eaves of a terrace, at the rear and the front. Where the work is short, measured in minutes, properly secured ladders and proper roof ladders may be used. Ask the roofer which they have priced.
Could the job become a new covering?
If tiles come off over a wide area, look at the re-cover rules. The Planning Portal uses 25 per cent of the building envelope and 50 per cent of the roof as the point where a building control application is normally needed, and also a 15 per cent increase in covering weight. NFRC's scheme applies where more than 50 per cent of the roof area is replaced.
Does QuoteZila check roofers?
No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire. You can report a quote or a business from your job page.
Part of Cost guides. All services
Related trades
Cost guides
Related pages
- Roof Cleaning Cost: What Changes the Quote. What moves a roof cleaning quote: roof size and pitch, access and scaffolding, the method, treatment, gutters and the roof's condition. No price printed.
- Roof Inspection Cost: What Changes the Price. What moves the price of a roof inspection: how the roofer gets a view, loft checks, photos, a written report, and whether repairs are quoted at the same visit.
Sources
- QZ1: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila pricing line.
- QZ2: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila FAQ.
- QZ5: QuoteZila product fact. QuoteZila home callout.
- S1: Roof work, Health and Safety Executive. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/safetytopics/roofwork.htm
- S2: Choosing a roofing contractor: homeowners, National Federation of Roofing Contractors. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.nfrc.co.uk/find-a-member/choosing-a-roofing-contractor/homeowners.html
- S3: Before you get work done on your home, Citizens Advice. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/getting-home-improvements-done/before-you-get-building-work-done/
- S4: Work to an existing roof, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/roof/building-regulations-work-to-an-existing-roof/
- S5: Building regulations approval, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval
- S6: Roof - Planning Permission, Planning Portal. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.planningportal.co.uk/permission/common-projects/roof/roof-planning-permission
- S7: When to register for VAT, GOV.UK. Accessed 2026-10-28. https://www.gov.uk/register-for-vat