Ridge tile repointing and repairs by our own team
Ridge tiles sit along the very top of the roof, held in place by a bed of mortar. When that mortar cracks and washes out, the tiles loosen, rock in the wind and eventually slip or fall. Water then finds its way into the top of the roof where the two slopes meet.
Ridge tile repair and re-bedding is carried out by our own team, not passed to another firm. This page explains how to spot a ridge that needs attention, what repointing and re-bedding involve, and what affects the price of fixing ridge tiles.
Signs your ridge tiles need attention
- Gaps in the mortar line along the ridge, visible from the garden or street.
- Pieces of mortar or grit in the gutters, on the drive or on a flat roof below.
- A ridge tile sitting out of line with its neighbours or tipped at one end.
- A damp patch on the ceiling at the top of a room or in the loft along the apex.
Repointing or re-bedding?
Ridge tile repointing means raking out the cracked mortar at the joints and edges and filling it again. It suits a ridge where the tiles are still firm and only the visible pointing has failed.
Re-bedding goes further. Loose tiles are lifted off, the old mortar bed is cleaned away and the tiles are set down again on fresh mortar. It is the right repair where tiles move when touched, where the bed has broken up underneath or where a tile has already slipped. We tell you which your ridge needs after looking at it close up, with photographs.
Why ridge tiles come loose
Mortar is the weak point. Years of frost, sun and rain break it down, and on older roofs the bedding may have been weak to begin with. Moss rooting along the ridge holds water against the joints and speeds that up, which is why loose ridges are so often found on roofs that have not been cleaned for a long time.
Pressure washing a roof makes it worse. A high-pressure lance aimed along a ridge can wash out tired mortar in seconds, which is one reason we never pressure wash roofs.
How much to fix ridge tiles
We do not publish a price list for ridge work because the cost follows the roof. The length of the ridge, how many tiles need re-bedding rather than repointing, the height and pitch of the roof, how it is reached and whether any tiles are broken and need replacing all make a difference.
Fixing one loose ridge tile is a much smaller job than re-bedding a whole ridge, and doing it while we are already on the roof for a clean shares the access. Quotes and visits are free, and our chimney and ridge repair cost guide explains in more detail what moves the figure up or down.
Combining ridge work with a roof clean
Thick moss along the apex often hides a ridge in poor condition. When we hand clean a roof, the ridge is exposed and photographed, and if it needs work we show you before anything is done. Nothing is added to a job without your agreement.
Our own team also replaces and caps chimney pots and repoints stacks, so where a ridge runs into a chimney both can be looked at in the same visit.
Can you repair loose ridge tiles yourself?
Ridge work is done at the highest and most exposed point of the roof, usually on tiles that are already unstable. We would not recommend it as a DIY job. If you are worried about a ridge, take a photograph from the ground and send it to us, and keep clear of the area below in high winds if a tile looks loose.
Our own photographs
Images from Sky Scrapers Ltd work showing the methods described on this page.
Where this applies locally
Towns where this comes up most often on our patch:
Want a professional to handle it?
Worried about your ridge tiles?
Send a photograph of the ridge from the garden or street and we will tell you what we can see and whether it needs repointing or re-bedding. Quotes are free.
Sky Scrapers Ltd · info@sky-scrapers.co.uk
Questions we get asked
How much to replace ridge tiles?
It depends on how many tiles are affected, the length and height of the ridge and how the roof is reached. We quote after seeing the roof, and quotes are free.
How much to replace ridge tiles in the UK?
There is no fair single figure, because one loose tile and a whole ridge are very different jobs. We do not publish a price list; we look at the roof and give a free, no-obligation quote.
How much to fix ridge tiles?
Repointing firm tiles is usually a smaller job than re-bedding loose ones. The price follows the length of ridge, the repair needed and access. Send us a photo for a free quote.
How much to fix a ridge tile?
A single loose ridge tile is a small repair, and it costs less overall when it is done during a roof clean because the access is already in place. We confirm the price when we quote.
Who carries out the ridge work?
Our own team. Ridge tile repair and re-bedding, chimney repointing and chimney pot replacement are not handed to another firm.
In short
Loose ridge tiles come from failed mortar. Our own insured team repoints firm ridges and re-beds loose ones, photographs the problem first and quotes for free.
Related services
Covering Bedfordshire and surrounding counties