West Bay & East Cliff
Bridport's harbour 1.5 miles south of town, overlooked by the golden sandstone East Cliff on the Jurassic Coast.
Learn more about West Bay & East Cliff on Google MapsRoof Replacement In Bridport
Is your Bridport roof past the point of patching?
New slate and tile roofs for listed terraces, village cottages and estate homes, with a 10 year guarantee as standard
Many of the 19th-century hipped slate roofs in central Bridport are on their original fixings, and there comes a point where refixing slates one at a time stops making sense. A full roof replacement in Bridport lets us start from the rafters: new breathable membrane, treated battens, fresh lead at the hips, valleys and chimneys, and every slate nailed. We do the same for clay tile cottages in Bradpole and for concrete tile roofs on the newer estates, where old unclipped tiles fall short of current standards. Every replacement comes with our 10 year guarantee as standard, and the survey and written quote cost you nothing.
Roof Replacement Quote In Bridport
Tell us a little about the roof and we will call you back.
What a new roof gives a Bridport house
Re-roofing an old house here is about more than keeping the rain out. These are the improvements you'll notice.
01
A fresh start under the slates
Old roofs in the town centre were often laid with no felt at all, or with bitumen felt that has since sagged and torn. A modern breathable membrane keeps wind-driven rain out and lets moisture escape from the loft.
02
Fixings that won't rust away
Original iron nails are why most of these roofs fail. We use copper or stainless nails for slate and clips for tiles, which matters most down at West Bay where salt air speeds up corrosion.
03
Hips and valleys rebuilt
On a hipped roof the corners carry most of the risk. Replacement lets us lay new lead soakers and valleys to the correct code and mechanically fix the hip line, rather than trusting mortar.
04
A warmer house
Replacing more than half a roof triggers Part L of the Building Regulations, which means bringing the insulation up to standard. That's a cost, but in a tall Bridport town house you'll feel the difference.
05
In keeping with the street
We re-slate listed and conservation-area houses in natural slate of matching size and colour, keeping the look of the hipped roofs that line South Street and the other main streets.
06
Ten years of cover
Our replacement roofs carry a 10 year guarantee as standard, which takes you well past the first run of winters a new roof has to prove itself through.
1,000+
Roofing projects completed
5★
Every review we have is five stars
10 yrs
Guarantee on roof replacements
Free
Roof surveys and written quotes
Bridport
Re-roofing in a town of slate, clay and conservation areas
Bridport's housing tells you most of what a re-roof will involve. The central streets are lined with 19th-century houses under hipped slate, many listed and nearly all inside the town conservation area, so replacement means natural slate laid to the original pattern, with lead at every hip and chimney. In Bradpole, clay plain tile shares the streets with slate, and the right replacement is usually the same material again.
On the brick-built estates around Allington and Skilling, roofs are mostly concrete interlocking tile. Many were laid before BS 5534 required single-lap tiles to be mechanically fixed, so a new roof there gets every tile clipped. West Bay, two miles away by the old harbour, needs the most care with fixings and verge detailing, because the wind arrives off the sea with nothing to slow it.
If your roof might only need targeted work, read about our roof repairs in Bridport before committing to a full replacement.
"When we strip an original slate roof in central Bridport, the slates themselves are often still usable - it's the nails and battens underneath that have given out."
Step by step
Replacing a roof in Bridport, start to finish
- 1
Survey and options
We look at the roof, the loft and the timbers, check if your house is listed or in one of the seven local conservation areas, and talk through slate, clay or concrete tile.
- 2
Fixed written quote
Materials, lead, insulation for Part L, scaffold and waste are all itemised. If consent is needed from Dorset Council we'll tell you before you commit to anything.
- 3
Scaffold and protection
Scaffold goes up first, laid out so shoppers can still pass where it stands on the pavement. We sheet the roof each evening, which matters on a big hipped roof that can't be stripped and covered in one day.
- 4
Strip and sort
Old slates come off carefully and sound ones are set aside for reuse. Battens and felt are removed, and we check rafters, wall plates and chimney stacks for rot or movement.
- 5
Membrane, battens and lead
Breathable membrane goes on, then treated battens gauged to the slate or tile. New lead is dressed into valleys, around chimneys and as soakers along the hips.
- 6
Slate or tile and fix
Each slate is nailed and each single-lap tile clipped, with extra fixings at verges and eaves where uplift is greatest. Ridges and hips are mechanically fixed to BS 5534.
- 7
Handover and guarantee
We check every course and lead joint, clear the site and send you photographs of the build-up. You receive your 10 year guarantee, normally included as standard on every replacement.
Our guarantee
Ten years on a new roof, written down and signed
When we replace a roof in Bridport, the paperwork you're handed at the end will, on all but a handful of unusual jobs, include a 10 year guarantee on the work. If yours is one of the exceptions, you'll know at quote stage, not after. It names your address, says what was done and is dated the day we sign the roof off. It covers the installation itself, meaning the battens, membrane, fixings, the slates or tiles and the junctions where the roof meets walls and chimneys. If any of that lets water in through a fault in how it went on, we come back and fix it without charging you.
A guarantee that long only makes sense if the roof is built properly underneath, so it shapes the job from day one. Every slate or tile is mechanically fixed to the current British Standard rather than relying on its own weight, which matters on a stretch of coast where the wind arrives with nothing in its way. Breathable membrane goes on before the battens. Valleys, abutments and chimneys get proper lead or a tested dry-fix system, never a smear of mortar that cracks in its third winter.
Materials carry their own manufacturer cover on top, and that differs from product to product. Your paperwork says which one applies to your roof.
10
Year guarantee on roof replacements
1,000+
Roofing projects completed
Signed paperwork at handover, with photos of the roof taken before, during and after.
Choosing a roofing material for a Bridport house
Bridport has all three of these roof coverings in everyday use. The right one usually depends on what your house started with and where it sits.
| Comparison point | Natural slate | Clay plain tile | Concrete interlocking tile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expected lifespan | 80 years or more for good quality slate | 60 years or more | 40 to 60 years |
| Weight on the roof | Light | Heavy, needs sound timbers | Heavy |
| Minimum pitch | Generally 20 to 25 degrees, varies by size | Steep, usually 35 degrees and over | Low, some profiles to 15 degrees |
| Appearance | Traditional on Georgian and Victorian streets | Warm, textured, suits interwar houses | Practical, common on postwar estates |
| Relative cost | Highest | Mid to high | Lowest |
| Planning in conservation areas | Often the expected material | Acceptable where it matches | May not be accepted on older streets |
What drives the price of a new roof in Bridport
Roof replacements we carry out normally cost between £7,000 and £20,000 or more. These are the main reasons one Bridport roof costs more than another.
Hipped versus gabled
A hipped slate roof, common on the town's 19th-century houses, has four slopes, more cutting and more lead than a simple gable. That adds labour and materials compared with a straightforward two-sided roof on an Allington semi.
Heritage requirements
In the Bridport, West Bay or Bradpole conservation areas, or on a listed building, you may need natural slate or clay tile of a particular type. Those cost more than concrete, and sourcing a close match can take longer.
Main-street scaffold
A house fronting East, West or South Street needs scaffold on the pavement and extra protection for shoppers below. A detached house with its own drive in Skilling is simpler and cheaper to scaffold.
What's found under the slates
Older roofs can hide rotten wall plates, undersized rafters or a chimney stack that needs rebuilding. We check as much as we can at survey and agree any extra work with you before doing it.
Roof Replacement in Bridport: your questions
Do roofs at West Bay need to be built differently?
Not differently, but more carefully. West Bay sits on the coast two miles from the town and catches the full force of south-westerly weather and salt air. We use stainless or copper fixings throughout, add extra clips at verges and eaves, and pay close attention to how the ridge is fixed.
How long does a roof replacement in Bridport take?
A typical semi or terrace takes one to two weeks once scaffold is up. A large hipped slate roof on a town-centre house can take longer, especially if we're saving and reusing the original slates or rebuilding lead around several chimneys.
Will I need planning permission to replace my roof in Bridport?
Replacing like for like usually doesn't need permission, but Bridport is unusually sensitive. The whole area is within the Dorset National Landscape, there are seven conservation areas (Bridport, West Bay, Bothenhampton, Bradpole, Walditch, Symondsbury and Eype) and over 500 listed buildings. A listed house needs listed building consent from Dorset Council for changes to its roof. We'll check your property before quoting.
Can you reuse my old slates?
Often, yes. Natural slate can outlast several sets of nails. We sort the slates as they come off, keep the sound ones and make up the difference with matching reclaimed or new slate. Reused slates are best put on the most visible slopes.
Do I have to insulate my loft when I replace my roof?
If more than half the roof is being renovated, Part L of the Building Regulations requires the insulation to be brought up to current standards where that's practical. We include it in the quote so it doesn't come as a surprise.
What to do in Bridport
Bridport Museum
Town museum on South Street housed in 'the Castle', a Grade II* listed early 16th-century building.
Learn more about Bridport Museum on Google Maps
Colmer's Hill
Near-conical sandstone hill above Symondsbury, 1.5 miles west of Bridport, crowned by pines first planted after the First World War.
Learn more about Colmer's Hill on Google MapsFind us working in Bridport
Reviews
What customers around Bridport say
More than a thousand roofing jobs finished, and every review customers have left us is five stars.
Those reviews are on their way onto this page. Until they land, ask us for photos of recent jobs near you in Bridport when we come out to quote - seeing a finished roof on a house like yours tells you more than any star rating.
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Talk to us about a new roof in Bridport
Book a free survey and we'll give you a fixed written quote, explain the material options for your house, and include our 10 year guarantee as standard.