New Roofs & Re-Roofing

New Roofs & Re-Roofing Explained

Reviewed by Martin, Select Roofing Services — Family roofers in Formby, Merseyside — 30+ years on the tools · Last updated August 2026

A completed re-roof — the material and the sign-off both matter to how long it lasts.

Few home improvements involve as much material and process choice as a new roof, and few get explained as poorly. This guide covers the tile and slate types available in the UK, what Building Regulations actually require, and the difference between self-certification and genuine independent sign-off — the things worth understanding before you compare quotes.

Re-Roof vs New Roof

These are generally the same job described two ways. A re-roof (or roof replacement) is an existing roof stripped back to the structure and covered with new materials. A genuinely new-build roof only applies to a property under construction. Most enquiries for "a new roof" are actually re-roofs on an existing home — worth knowing so you're comparing quotes for the same job.

Tile & Slate Types Compared

The right material depends on your property's age, style, structure and budget — there's no single "best" option, whatever a quote pushing one material might suggest.

Not All Slate Is Equal

This matters more than most homeowners realise, and it's worth understanding before you accept a quote that just says "slate roof" without specifying which.

Spanish slate, properly graded, sits in between — typically achieving around 50 years, a genuine mid-range option when sourced and specified correctly. The point isn't that imported slate is automatically bad; it's that quality varies enormously and a roofer should specify thickness, grading and provenance rather than just saying "slate" on a quote. We always do.

Building Regs & Independent Sign-Off

By law, replacing 50% or more of a roof covering must be notified for Building Regulations compliance — failure to do so can result in prosecution and a significant fine. There are two legitimate routes to compliance:

1. Self-certification — the roofer is registered with the NFRC CompetentRoofer scheme and self-certifies their own work as compliant. This is legal, common, and used by many reputable roofers — it's a genuine government-backed scheme, not a shortcut.
2. Independent Building Control — a separate Local Authority or approved inspector reviews and signs off the completed work, entirely independent of the company that did it.

We use the second route as standard on every qualifying job. Self-certification is legitimate, but it means the same company checking its own work. Independent sign-off means someone with no stake in the job confirms it's compliant — a genuinely stronger form of assurance, and the certificate matters when you come to sell, since it shows up on a solicitor's local authority search. See our dedicated guide to independent Building Control sign-off for the full process.

Our Process

1. Survey and specify — we assess the existing roof, structure and your property, and specify the right material honestly, not the one that's easiest to sell.
2. Notify Building Control — independent notification arranged as standard for qualifying work, not self-certification alone.
3. Strip and inspect — the old covering removed and the structure, battens and timber inspected before anything new goes on.
4. Install to specification — underlay, battens and the chosen tile or slate installed to BS 5534 fixing standards, with correct ventilation.
5. Independent sign-off and guarantee — an independent inspector signs off the completed work, and you receive a written guarantee.

For a realistic sense of cost, see our new roof cost guide.

New Roofs, Area by Area

We install new roofs and carry out re-roofing across the whole of Merseyside and West Lancashire, with the same honest, materials-first approach described on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

A new roof is a decades-long decision, and the two things worth understanding before you compare quotes are the material and who checks the work. Concrete, clay and slate all have a genuine place depending on your property — the honest answer is rarely "always choose the most expensive one." And when it comes to sign-off, self-certification is legal and common, but independent Building Control is a genuinely stronger form of assurance. We specify materials honestly and use independent sign-off as standard, not as an upsell.

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