Ridge tiles are the most exposed part of a pitched roof and the most common storm casualty. This guide covers both repair routes and which one suits your roof.
Traditional ridge tiles are bedded on a sand and cement mortar. Mortar and clay expand at different rates, the joint takes wind pressure from both slopes, and after 20 to 30 years the bond breaks and the mortar starts falling out in lumps.
Once a ridge is loose it lifts in wind, and a ridge tile leaving a roof in a gale is genuinely dangerous. Mortar dropping into the gutter from the ridge line is the early warning most people notice first.
Spotting the problem from the ground
Look along the ridge line for daylight under a tile, an uneven line where one has slipped, dark cracks running along the mortar bed and grey debris in the gutters or on the drive after wind.
Binoculars are enough for a first look. If the line dips or a tile is visibly proud of its neighbours, treat that as urgent rather than cosmetic.
Rebedding the traditional way
The tiles are lifted, cleaned of old mortar, and rebedded on a fresh 3:1 sharp sand and cement mix with the joints between tiles filled and struck neatly. Where original tiles are sound they are reused, which matters on a stone or clay roof where a modern replacement would stand out.
Done well this gives another 20 to 30 years. It is the appropriate finish on heritage and conservation area properties where a plastic dry ridge would be out of character.
A dry ridge fixes each tile mechanically to a ridge batten with screws and clips, over a ventilated roll that seals the joint while letting the roof breathe. There is no mortar to fail, so there is no recurring maintenance.
Standards for new work have expected mechanical fixing of ridges since 2015, which is why nearly every new build has one. On an existing roof it is a straight upgrade at a modest premium over rebedding.
Rebedding a typical ridge line of around 8 to 10 metres generally costs £450 to £950 including access. A dry ridge conversion on the same roof is usually £650 to £1,300, and both figures rise with height and scaffold requirements.
Individual cracked ridge or hip tiles can be replaced for £150 to £350 if the rest of the line is sound. Hips take longer than ridges because each tile has to be cut and matched to the angle.
Can loose ridge tiles just be repointed?
Pointing over failed mortar only bonds to the surface and typically lasts a couple of years. If the bed underneath has gone, the tiles have to come off and be rebedded.
Is a dry ridge better than mortar?
Mechanically, yes, and it needs no maintenance. Mortar is still the right choice where appearance matters on a period property, so the decision is as much aesthetic as technical.
How urgent is a single loose ridge tile?
Urgent. It is a heavy object at the highest point of the building, and it can be lifted by a single gust. Anything below it, including people, is at risk.
Does ridge work need scaffolding?
Usually. Working along a ridge line requires a safe platform and roof ladders, and most insurers and safe working practice expect scaffold at that height.
Will you match my existing ridge tiles?
We reuse originals wherever they are sound, and source the closest available match for any that have broken. On Cotswold stone and older clay roofs, matching is a large part of the job.
Ridge line looking uneven?
Send us a photograph from the garden. If it needs doing we will quote both rebedding and dry fix so you can compare.
Evans Roofing & Maintenance Ltd, Witney, Oxfordshire. Call 07960 482233 for a free written quote.