Roofers in Crewe

Looking from the ground

Look from the ground or from a bedroom window. Missing slates, a ridge tile that has walked, a flashing that has lifted beside a chimney, daylight in the loft, or a brown stain that grows after rain are the signs worth describing. Do not climb a ladder onto the covering. Crewe's streets can be windy, the slate is brittle, and a fall is not a useful way to get a quote. If you can photograph the slope from the pavement or from an opposite window, do that in daylight and mark which elevation faces the road.

Chimneys, tiles and flat roofs

Chimney stacks on the older streets take a lot of weather. Repointing, a cracked pot, a loose lead apron or a flashing tucked under a tile are common reasons people in the town centre ask for a roofer. Say whether the stack is on a party wall, because the neighbour's side may be involved and the quote should say so. Flat roofs over rear kitchens and bathroom extensions are everywhere behind the terraces: felt, asphalt or a rubber membrane, often with a poor fall towards a hopper. Describe the material if you can tell it apart, and say whether water sits in a puddle or runs straight in at the junction with the house wall.

Interwar and post-war semis towards Wistaston Road, Sydney and Coppenhall often have a concrete interlocking tile, a dry ridge or a mortar bed that has crumbled, and valleys full of moss and grit. Moss itself is not automatically a failure. Say if granules are in the gutter, if the underfelt is sagging between rafters, or if the loft smells damp only after driving rain. Garage roofs and porch canopies on the estates at Leighton and Shavington fail at the abutment, where a cheap flashing has peeled. Name the garage if that is the only leak, so nobody prices a whole re-cover.

GRP fibreglass and EPDM rubber are common on the flat roofs of single-storey extensions behind Crewe terraces. Ask which system is proposed, whether the deck underneath is sound, and whether the outlet and the hopper are included. A new membrane on a rotten deck will not last. Sprockets, rafter feet and the wall plate are structural words. If someone says the eaves are sagging, ask them to explain that in writing before you agree to a re-cover. You are not expected to diagnose it yourself.

Gutters and downpipes

Gutters and downpipes deserve their own lines. On terraces the gutter may discharge into a shared alley or a neighbour's hopper. Overflow that soaks a back wall is sometimes a blocked outlet, sometimes a gutter laid to the wrong fall, sometimes a downpipe that has come apart behind a shed. Say whether it happens in ordinary rain or only in a downpour. Cast iron still hangs on some older fronts and is heavy. Plastic has replaced it on many elevations. The quote should name which one is being repaired and whether the brackets are included.

Scaffold and work at height

Scaffolding is the practical constraint in Crewe. Narrow streets off Earle Street and around the market leave little room for a tower, and a pavement licence may be needed if a pole stands on the public footway. Ask the roofer who arranges that, and whether the price of access is in the quote or extra. Alleys behind terraces are often the only way to the rear slope. A locked gate, a low washing line or a neighbour's fence should be mentioned so the first visit is not wasted. On a larger job, ask how they will work at height. The Health and Safety Executive publishes guidance on work at height. Edge protection or a scaffold is a fair question. A harness mentioned in passing is not a plan.

Planning and building control

Cheshire East Council is the planning and building-control authority. Replacing tiles like for like on a house is often ordinary repair. A full re-roof, a change from slate to a heavier concrete tile, or a new roof window can raise structural and building-regulation questions. Ask who checks that the rafters can take the weight, and who notifies building control if notification is required. Get the answer in writing. Crewe is not a conservation area in the way a medieval market town is, but a few buildings are listed. If yours might be, say so before anyone strips a slope.

Registers for roofing work

TrustMark is the government-endorsed scheme that covers roofing among other home improvements. The National Federation of Roofing Contractors is the specialist trade body. Neither membership is a guarantee, and QuoteZila does not check either register. Look them up yourself if a business claims them. Ask for public-liability insurance and ask to see the certificate. Ask what guarantee is offered on workmanship and on the materials, and whether the guarantee is insurance-backed or simply a letter from the firm. A letter and a policy are not the same thing.

Parts of the roof

The parts of a Crewe roof have plain names, and using them makes quotes comparable. Ridge tiles, hip tiles, a bonnet hip, a dry verge, soffits, bargeboards and an undercloak are all different from the field of slates. A valley can be lead, or a fibreglass or mortar valley, and it clogs with grit from concrete tiles. Step flashings and soakers at a side abutment, a secret gutter behind a parapet, and an apron at the front of a stack are leadwork, not "some sealant". If a roofer proposes sealant as the whole repair on a flashing, ask what happens when it weathers. Breathable membrane and older bitumen felt are both underlays. Say if you can see torn felt from the loft. Tile clips, a replaced batten and a short length of lead are small items that should still appear on the quote if they are part of the job.

Posting the job

When you post, give the area: town centre, Gresty, Wistaston, Shavington, Haslington, Coppenhall, Leighton or Sydney. Say pitched or flat, tile, slate or you are not sure. Say how urgent it is. A ceiling that is bowing, or plaster that is sodden, is more urgent than a slipped tile you saw from the bus. If you think a recent storm might be an insurance claim, say that you are asking your insurer, and do not ask the roofer to invent a cause. Photograph stains, the loft, and the gutter from a safe place.

Roof repair costs in Crewe

The written quote should name the slopes included, the materials, what happens to the old covering, whether leadwork is included, and whether gutters are in or out. Compare like with like. Two quotes that cover different slopes are not comparable. This page states no figure for a repair in Crewe. Published background sits on the national roof repair costs guide. Read that, then judge the written quotes for your own roof.

Callers at the door

Be wary of a caller who knocks and says the stack must come down today. Take time, get more than one written quote, and do not pay a large sum before work is on the roof. Agree how you will see the finished slopes. Before-and-after photographs, taken safely, are a reasonable request. Keep the quote with any guarantee. Contact details on QuoteZila are shared only after you accept a quote.

Official registers

• TrustMark. The government-endorsed quality scheme for work in and around the home. Search for the business by name.
• NFRC. The National Federation of Roofing Contractors, the main trade body for roofers.
• Competent Roofer. A scheme that lets members self-certify re-roofing work under Building Regulations.
• Health and Safety Executive. Guidance on working at height. Ask how the roofer will reach the slope before anyone goes up.

National roof repair cost guide

Roofers businesses in Crewe

Be the first roofers listed in Crewe. Register your business.

Cost guides for Crewe

No sourced cost guide is published for Crewe yet. National guides: plumber costs and roof repair costs.

Popular jobs in Crewe · All Roofers

How it works

1. Post your job free.
2. Matched local businesses send quotes.
3. You choose who to hire and get the quote in writing.

QuoteZila is free for customers and local businesses.

Before you hire

We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.

Questions people ask

Can I go on the roof to photograph a slipped tile in Crewe?

No. Photograph a Crewe roof from the pavement or an upstairs window. Slate and tile are brittle, and the streets can be windy. Describe the slope instead of climbing it.

Does a Crewe terrace need scaffold for a small repair?

Often yes, once the job is more than a single tile reached safely. Narrow streets in Crewe may need a pavement arrangement. Ask who organises that, and whether access is inside the Crewe quote.

What is the difference between a flat roof and a pitched roof job in Crewe?

A pitched slope in Crewe is usually slate or tile. A flat roof in Crewe is often felt, rubber or fibreglass on a rear extension or a garage. Name which one, so the quote matches the covering.

Which registers can I check for a roofer working in Crewe?

For a Crewe roof you can look up TrustMark, and the National Federation of Roofing Contractors, yourself. QuoteZila does not check either for a job in Crewe.

How do I find roofers in Crewe?

Post your job free and say the work is in Crewe. Businesses that offer this service and cover the town can quote.

Does QuoteZila stand behind roofers in Crewe?

No. We don't check insurance, qualifications or registrations, so please check these yourself before you hire.

What should I agree before the work starts?

Get the price, what is included and the timing in writing before you hire.

Where is the national roofers guide?

The national page is linked from this one. It explains the service. This page is the Crewe view.

Nearby towns

• Nantwich
• Sandbach
• Congleton
• Macclesfield
• Wilmslow
• Alsager

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