Repair a roof when damage is isolated and the surrounding structure is sound; replace it when repair costs over 5 years approach re-roofing cost or the fixing system has failed across the slope. On Ashford's 1960s-70s estates with systemic nail sickness, re-roofing usually gives better value than repeated repair.
The repair vs replace decision is the most consequential roofing choice most homeowners make. Get it right and you either save thousands on unnecessary re-roofing, or avoid years of repeated repair costs that add up to more than a re-roof would have cost. The decision depends on four factors: tile age, extent of failure, underlay condition and repair cost history.
Concrete interlocking tiles from the 1960s–80s have a typical system life of 40–60 years. The tiles themselves may be structurally sound for another decade; the nail fixing system and felt underlay from the same era are at end of life. When the fixing system fails systemically, repair becomes a rearguard action — you fix the tiles that have slipped this year, and more slip next year from the same cause.
Clay tiles and Welsh slate have much longer material lifespans — 80–150+ years. On these roofs, repair is genuinely viable for longer because the tile material itself is not degrading. The limiting factors are the lead valleys and flashings (30–50 years) and the nail fixings on slate (typically 60–80 years on original fixings).
If tile failures are localised to one elevation or one specific area — perhaps the south-facing rear pitch has had more UV and freeze-thaw cycling than the north-facing front — targeted repair of the affected section makes sense. If failures are present across all elevations at similar rates, the problem is systemic and repair addresses symptoms rather than cause.
The rough threshold: if more than 15–20% of tiles across the roof are displaced or failing, re-roofing is likely more economic over a 5–10 year horizon than repeated repairs.
Free survey to assess repair vs replace on your property. No obligation.
Book Free SurveyThis is the factor most homeowners don't consider and most repair quotes don't address. The bitumen felt underlay under concrete interlocking tiles from the 1960s–80s has a typical service life of 25–35 years. It is now 50–65 years old on most Ashford and Kent estate properties. It has perished.
A perished underlay means the roof's secondary waterproofing — the protection against driven rain under displaced tiles — has failed. Re-nailing tiles on top of a perished underlay fixes the visible tile movement while leaving the secondary waterproofing absent. Water can still enter the roof structure through the tile layer and has no underlay barrier to stop it.
The only way to replace underlay is to strip the tile covering. Which is a re-roof. This is why re-roofing makes more long-term sense than repeated tile repairs on any property where the underlay is at end of life.
If you have spent £800, £600 and £500 on repairs in the last five years and the roof still has issues, you have spent £1,900 deferring a re-roof. The re-roof cost on the same property is probably £5,000–£7,000. The next five years of continued repairs will add another £1,500–£2,000. The economic comparison is now close, and it is not in repair's favour.
Some situations genuinely call for a partial re-roof: strip and re-roof one or two elevations where nail sickness is concentrated, leaving sound elevations alone. This extends the roof's practical life by 10–15 years at roughly half the cost of a full re-roof. It makes sense when the failure is genuinely uneven across the roof and the remaining elevations have verifiable remaining life.
We assess this honestly at the free survey. We don't push re-roofs when repair is the right call. We don't recommend patchwork when the roof needs replacing. Both approaches damage our reputation in different ways.
Free honest assessment of your roof's condition. Call to book.
Book Free SurveyEvery repair or replace roof job starts with a free inspection and written quote before any work begins. We do not start work until you have confirmed the written quote. Our standard rates apply across Ashford and the surrounding Kent area.
We cover all Ashford postcodes and the surrounding towns: Folkestone, Canterbury, Maidstone, Tenterden, Hythe and the villages across the Weald. Emergency cover is available 24 hours a day on 01233 877 146.
No call-out fee across our full service area. Written quote before work starts. For repair or replace roof work the quote is provided on the same visit as the inspection in most cases. You pay only for work carried out.
All re-roofing work and major repairs carry our written 10-year workmanship guarantee. Lead flashing work is guaranteed for 10 years. Minor tile repairs carry a 2-year guarantee. The guarantee is provided in writing at completion and transfers to a new owner if the property is sold.
We are registered with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors. Verify our registration at nfrc.co.uk. We carry 5m public liability insurance on every repair or replace roof job. Insurance certificate available on request before work starts.
Ashford's housing stock spans five decades of construction: Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Newtown and the older town streets, 1930s semis in Kennington and Willesborough, post-war and 1960s estates at Bockhanger, Stanhope and Park Farm, and more recent development across the southern suburbs.
Each era presents different characteristics. Victorian clay tile on period properties requires matching reclaimed material and lime mortar at any repointing work. 1960s concrete interlocking tile on the estates is now 50-65 years old with corroded nail fixings on most unmodified properties. Understanding which housing era a property belongs to is the starting point for any assessment.
These estates are Ashford's highest-volume source of roofing work. The 1960s-70s concrete interlocking tile stock is now 50-65 years old. Nail sickness is present on the majority of unmodified properties. If you live in one of these areas and have not had roofing work in the last 15 years, a free assessment is worthwhile.
The Victorian terraces in Ashford's Newtown area and the older streets around the town centre require period-appropriate specification: reclaimed or reproduction clay tile, lime mortar at chimney repointing, and conservation-aware approach to any work on visible elevations.
Free survey and advice across Ashford and Kent. Call 01233 877 146.
Call 01233 877 146For context on how roofing costs compare across the range of work we carry out, here are realistic price ranges for the most common jobs across the Ashford area. All prices include labour and materials. VAT is not applicable on most domestic residential roofing work.
| Job Type | Typical Cost |
|---|---|
| Single tile replacement | £150 – £300 |
| Ridge repointing (per 4m) | £200 – £400 |
| Lead chimney flashing replacement | £500 – £1,100 |
| Full re-roof (3-bed semi, concrete tile) | £4,800 – £7,500 |
| Flat roof replacement (GRP, up to 20m2) | £900 – £1,800 |
| Full gutter clear (semi-detached) | £80 – £160 |
| Fascia and soffit replacement (semi) | £800 – £1,800 |
| Roof condition survey | £120 – £200 |
Free written quotes on all work. No call-out fee. Call 01233 877 146 to book.
We are a family-run roofing business based in Ashford, covering the town and the surrounding Kent area. We have been working on roofs in this area since 2003. Every job is carried out by our own employed team — we do not subcontract labour. The people who quote are the people who work.
We are registered with the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC). Our registration can be verified at nfrc.co.uk. We carry £5m public liability insurance on every job. Our insurance certificate is available on request before any work starts. All re-roofing work carries a written 10-year workmanship guarantee. Lead flashing work is guaranteed for 10 years. The guarantee is transferable to a new owner if the property is sold.
We cover Ashford and a broad area of the surrounding Kent countryside: Folkestone, Hythe, Canterbury, Maidstone, Tenterden, and the villages across the Weald and Romney Marsh. Emergency cover is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Call 01233 877 146 for any roofing emergency. For non-urgent work, we aim to survey within 5-7 working days and have the quote in writing within 48 hours of the survey.
We do not charge for call-outs or surveys. Every job gets a written quote before a single tile is moved. The quoted price is the price on the invoice unless we identify and agree additional scope with you during the work. For re-roofing projects where deck condition is unknown before stripping, we include a clear provisional allowance for batten replacement rather than presenting you with a surprise on invoice.
These are the questions we are asked most frequently when homeowners call us for the first time. If your question is not here, call 01233 877 146 and we will answer it directly.
Yes. All call-outs and surveys are free of charge across Ashford and the surrounding Kent area. The written quote we provide after the survey is also free and carries no obligation. We do not charge for surveys even on properties where we ultimately recommend no immediate work.
For emergency calls where water is actively entering the building: same day where call volume permits. For the most urgent calls — active ingress, safety hazard from displaced tiles — we aim to attend within 2 hours. Out-of-hours emergency cover is available 24/7 on 01233 877 146. For non-urgent work we survey within 5-7 working days.
Written workmanship guarantee on all work. 10 years for full re-roofing and lead flashing work. 5 years for ridge repointing. 2 years for minor tile repairs. The guarantee is provided in writing at completion. It transfers to a new owner if the property is sold. We are NFRC registered and carry £5m public liability insurance.
For most standard concrete interlocking profiles we carry matching tiles on the van. For conservation area repairs requiring reclaimed clay tile or matched Welsh slate, we source from Kent and Sussex demolition salvage and confirm match quality before committing. We show samples on any repair where visual matching is important before starting work.
We cover Ashford and all of the surrounding Kent area: Folkestone, Hythe, Canterbury, Maidstone, Tenterden, and the villages across the Weald. If you are outside Ashford town, call us and we will confirm whether we cover your postcode. Most Kent postcodes within 25 miles of Ashford are in our standard service area.
Last reviewed: July 2026
Repair when damage is isolated and the structure is sound. Replace when repair costs over 5 years approach re-roofing cost or the fixing system has failed across the slope.
When a roof generates repeated repair calls in different areas, or when close inspection shows systemic nail sickness and perished underlay, re-roofing addresses the system rather than the symptoms.
A thorough survey with loft inspection and close access to the affected areas, followed by a documented recommendation explaining the basis. We carry this out free of charge.
A correct repair using appropriate materials lasts as long as the surrounding roof. Our lead flashing work carries a 10-year guarantee reflecting this.