Roofing by material

Realistic service life, honest per-m² cost bands and what each material is actually best at — pitched, flat and detailing.

pitched

Natural Slate

Natural slate is the defining cover on most Victorian and Edwardian stock locally. Done properly, it outlasts every other pitched-roof material we install.

Lifespan: 80–120 years (Welsh) / 60–100 years (Spanish, Brazilian)
View natural slate
pitched

Clay Tile

Plain clay tile dominates Edwardian and inter-war housing on our patch — beautifully durable when laid right, ruinous when patched with the wrong profile.

Lifespan: 60–100 years for plain handmade clay; 50–80 for modern machine-made.
View clay tile
pitched

Concrete Interlocking Tile

Concrete interlocking tile covers most 1930s-onwards stock locally — fast to lay, economical, but porous and noticeably tired by 40 years old.

Lifespan: 40–60 years before face lamination and colour loss become obvious.
View concrete tile
flat

EPDM Rubber Roof

EPDM (rubber) is our default for larger flat roofs — single-sheet installs, no field seams, and a service life that comfortably outlives mineral felt.

Lifespan: 25–50 years from a single-ply EPDM system, fully bonded.
View epdm rubber
flat

GRP Fibreglass Roof

GRP (fibreglass) gives a seamless, glass-hard finish that reads cleanly against period brick — our usual call for visible bay roofs and small flat areas.

Lifespan: 25–30 years when laid in the right weather window with proper resin ratios.
View grp fibreglass
metal

Lead Flashings & Valleys

Lead does the unglamorous work that decides whether a pitched roof lasts 30 years or 80 — chimneys, valleys, parapet abutments, bay-window aprons.

Lifespan: 60–100 years from properly fixed code-rated lead.
View lead flashings