How long should a roof last?
Homeowners ask about the tiles. Roofers look at everything around them, because a 90 year old slate roof can be sound while its 90 year old flashings and battens are not.
Natural slate 80 to 100 years, clay tile 60 to 100, concrete tile 40 to 60, EPDM 20 to 25, GRP 20 to 30, felt 10 to 20. In practice the covering usually outlives the underlay, battens, flashings and mortar, and those are what fail first.
Pitched roof coverings
Natural slate lasts 80 to 100 years and often longer. Clay plain tiles and pantiles typically 60 to 100. Concrete tiles, common on inter war and post war stock, 40 to 60 years, though they get porous and moss prone towards the end.
Flat roof systems
Mineral felt 10 to 20 years, EPDM rubber 20 to 25, GRP fibreglass 20 to 30 when installed on a properly prepared deck. Detailing at upstands and outlets matters more than the material choice.
The parts that fail before the tiles
Underlay perishes at 30 to 50 years, mortar bedding on ridges and hips fails at 20 to 30, lead flashing lasts 60 plus but the pointing above it needs attention sooner, and battens depend entirely on whether they have stayed dry.
What shortens a roof's life
Blocked gutters and valleys, overhanging trees, heavy moss holding moisture against the covering, poor loft ventilation, and cheap repairs using the wrong materials. Most of these are cheap to prevent and expensive to ignore.
How to judge where yours is
Age of the property and any known re roof date, condition of the ridge mortar, whether tiles are slipping in more than one place, the state of the underlay visible in the loft, and how many repairs you have paid for in the last three years.
FAQs
Not automatically. Plenty of 50 year old roofs have another 20 years in them. It comes down to underlay, battens and how many separate failures are appearing.
Yes, our work is guaranteed, and material manufacturers add their own cover on systems like EPDM. We put the terms in writing with the quote.
Sometimes. A survey flagging a tired roof can knock more off the price than the work costs. We will tell you honestly if repairs would do the job instead.
Related reading
More on comparisons and the jobs that usually come with it.
- Repair or replace? How to decide honestlyComparisons
- Roofer or general builder: who should do the workComparisons
- Warm roof vs cold roof constructionComparisons
- Victorian terrace roofs: the recurring problemsProperty types
Looking for something specific? See our roofing services, cost guides, common roof problems or the areas we cover.
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