Roof replacement in Northampton
Re-slating and re-roofing for Northampton's Victorian terraces and newer estate houses, built back with modern membranes and an itemised written quote.
Roof Replacement in Northampton
Walk down almost any street in St James, Far Cotton or Kingsley and you will see the roofs of Northampton's boot and shoe years: long runs of Victorian and Edwardian terraces, most of them slated. Many of those roofs are now well past a hundred years old. Some have been replaced already. Plenty are still on their original slates and nails, and that is where re-roofing comes in.
Why old slate roofs come to the end
The slate itself often outlasts everything around it. The trouble is usually what holds it in place.
- Nail sickness. Old iron nails rust through and slates slip, one after another.
- No underlay. Many original roofs have nothing under the slates, so every slipped slate is a leak.
- Tired battens. Old battens split or soften and stop holding their fixings.
- Past patching. When a roof is more repair than original, another repair is not the honest answer.
Choosing the new covering
Natural Spanish slate
The closest look to the original on a Victorian terrace, and the one we suggest if keeping the street's character matters to you.
Man-made slate
Lighter and more uniform, and a sensible choice where budget matters more than an exact match.
Concrete or clay tiles
Common on the 1970s houses of the Eastern District and the later estates to the south of the town. We fit both.
How we build it back
We strip to the rafters, fit a breathable membrane and treated battens, and finish with dry ridge and dry verge systems. Lead at chimneys, valleys and abutments is renewed in Code 4 or Code 5 as the detail needs. While the roof is open we top up the loft insulation to 300mm or more, and we arrange Building Control sign-off at the end.
From Bedford to your door
Northampton is about 20 miles from us along the A428 through Turvey, usually around 40 minutes from Bedford. You get a written, itemised quote covering scaffold, materials, skip and labour before anything is agreed.
If there is a chimney on the roof, and on a terrace there usually is, we check the stack and its lead while the scaffold is up and access is easy. Anything it needs goes on the quote as a separate line, so you can decide.
Also from Ultimate Roofcare
Other work in Northampton
Recent work
Recent jobs
Our own photographs, from jobs across the area.
Peterborough A bungalow re-roof in Peterborough
A red tile re-roof in Sandtoft Olympus, Tuscan
A natural slate re-roof with hips and valleys
A Marley Modern re-roof, after some very bad spray foam
A big re-roof on TLX Gold, in a granulated grey tile
Letchworth A plain tile re-roof in Letchworth
A hipped roof in man-made slate
Milton Keynes A natural slate re-roof in Milton Keynes
How we work
Honest roofers: what the roof needs, not what pays best
Read our Google reviews and the same things come up: honest advice, the most detailed quote they received, and a team who arrive smart and leave the site tidy.
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01
A repair when a repair will do
A Bedford customer with a chimney leak got new lead and a metre of felt, not a new roof. "There was no need to start doing loads of unnecessary work," in her words.
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Itemised, line by line
Scaffold, skip, materials, even the portable toilet on a big job. You see exactly what you are paying for.
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Quick when it is leaking
Customers who called in the early evening with water coming in had us there the next day.
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04
Done the proper way
Dry ridge and verge systems, eaves support trays, welded lead, breathable membranes, and moss scraped off by hand. We never jet-wash a roof.
A 120-year-old roof, matched to the original
“The finished roof looks great, and is an excellent match to the original which is important in Letchworth.”
We noticed the felt in our loft was deteriorating quite badly, so decided it was time to get the roof replaced. We had three different companies out to quote, with Jude from Ultimate Roof Care being the last. Jude came across really well, very polite and well spoken, and took the time to explain everything properly. His quotation was by far the most detailed, with everything clearly itemised so we knew exactly what we were paying for. The team did exactly what was promised and we're really pleased with our new roof. We'd seen their vans working around Bedfordshire before, which was reassuring too. More than happy with the whole experience and would definitely recommend Ultimate Roof Care.
We had a bad leak coming into the roof and couldn't work out where it was coming from. We called Jude and he came out, had a proper look and identified the problem around the chimney. Our house was built in the 1980s and he showed us where the old felt had started collapsing around that area. One of his guys then came out and replaced the lead around the chimney as well as roughly a metre of felt around it. Jude explained that there was no need to start doing loads of unnecessary work and that a localised repair should sort the problem, which we really appreciated. The exact area where the water was coming in before has stayed completely dry. Really happy with the repair and thought the price was very fair. The guys were polite, turned up looking smart and were very professional. We're based in Bedford and would definitely recommend them.
We'd been having problems with a leak on our bungalow roof, despite previously having another roofing company out, so we decided it was time to have the whole roof replaced. Jude was brilliant from the start, and the detail in their quotation was on another level compared to the others we received. Everything was explained step by step, from the scaffolding and materials being delivered to the skip, even a portable toilet for the workers. Their price was very competitive too, but it was really the attention to detail and how professional they were that made us choose them. What a great company. We couldn't recommend Ultimate Roof Care enough!
I had spray foam insulation in my loft which was causing issues with selling my property. Jude explained the full process, gave me a clear written quote and even arranged for an electrician to safely disconnect and reconnect my solar panels. Once the foam was removed, they bagged and cleared every bit of waste and left the loft spotless. The surveyor who came afterwards commented on the quality of the job. True professionals, I'd highly recommend them.
I booked a roof MOT with Ultimate Roofcare because I wanted to be sure everything was in good condition before the winter. They showed me photos of a couple of cracked tiles and some minor pointing that needed attention, but reassured me the rest of the roof was in good shape. They fixed everything there and then at a very fair price. No pushy sales, just genuine advice and quality workmanship.
After the really heavy rain the other day we had quite a bad leak come through and called Jude at around 5 or 6 in the evening. He came out the very next day. Owen then came out shortly afterwards and got the repair sorted for us. They opened up roughly a metre along the bottom of the roof, renewed the felt in that area and fitted a new eaves support tray system. We've had more rain since and everything has stayed completely dry.
Jude and his efficient team of workers have done a complete roof replacement with slates on our 200 year old house. They have done an excellent job and the roof is now entirely watertight and looks very smart. Quality materials and experienced skills have resulted in a great job and peace of mind for us. Thankyou to all. Richard and Lorna
I found Ultimate Roofcare in the local Bedford Bulletin. Joe came along to check out the loft. Jude came along later in one of his branded vehicles (big reassurance) and explained that he could do the job in 4 days with 8-10 men. By Wednesday evening the roof tiles had been removed and replaced, a new roof lining installed, 3 layers of insulation placed between the joists, ventilated soffits and new gutters fitted and a good tidy-up completed. If you need any roofing or loft work done, you would struggle to find a better company.Read every review The full set, in their own words
Where we work
Roof replacement nearby
Before you ring
Questions we get asked
Does my Northampton terrace need a whole new roof, or can it be repaired?
If a handful of slates have slipped, a repair is the answer. If they are slipping all over the roof because the nails have rusted through, re-slating is usually better value than chasing them one at a time. We'll show you photos and give you both options where both make sense.
Will my new roof look out of place next to my neighbours'?
It should not. On a terrace we keep the line of the ridge and eaves level with the houses either side and pick a slate that sits well with the street. Natural slate gives the closest match.
Do I need to tell my neighbours before a re-roof?
It is worth doing, because scaffold may need to sit near their frontage and we work right up to the shared edge of the roof. We'll explain where the scaffold goes at the quote so you can tell them exactly what to expect.
Get in touch
Tell us about the roof
- We call you back To hear what the roof is doing.
- We come and look And take photos of what we find, so you can see it too.
- You get a written, itemised quote What the roof needs and what it costs. No pressure.