Home/FAQ
Roofing questions from York homeowners, answered straight
Free quotes, the 2-hour callback, what a roof actually costs, who is insured and what is guaranteed, plus the conservation detail York homes always raise. If your question is not here, a WhatsApp photo gets a straight answer the same day.
- Free survey, fixed written quote within 24 hours
- Indicative prices published for every service
- Leaks called back within two hours, Mon to Sat
07500 544781 WhatsApp Us Speak to Elliott directly, weekdays and Saturday mornings
Quotes and emergencies
Getting a quote and getting us out
Free surveys, written quotes and the honest version of how fast a family team can reach you.
Are quotes free, and is there a charge to come out?
All quotes are free and no-obligation, regardless of the size of the job, and there is no charge for the survey visit. You get a fixed written quote within 24 hours of the survey, with the work and the price set out clearly.
How quickly can you come out?
For an active leak or storm damage we aim to call back within two hours, Monday to Saturday daytime, and are usually on site the same day or the next morning. For planned work, a survey is booked within the working week and a fixed written quote follows within 24 hours of the survey. A WhatsApp photo is the fastest way to get a same-day ballpark.
What is the 2-hour callback promise?
If you ring or WhatsApp between 7am and 6pm Monday to Friday, or 8am to 2pm Saturday, we aim to ring you back within two hours. Outside those hours we pick your message up first thing the next working day. It is conditional on Elliott's capacity, he is a working roofer rather than a call centre, but we hit it almost every time. See the emergency roof repair page.
Do you cover out-of-hours emergencies?
We cover urgent roof problems, slipped tiles, missing slates, storm damage and active leaks, during opening hours, Monday to Saturday daytime. This is not a 24-hour callout service. If you have an emergency overnight, make the area safe, catch water where you can, and call first thing and we will get to you quickly.
What is the fastest way to reach Elliott?
For a non-urgent quote, WhatsApp is quickest. Send a photo of the roof and a one-line description to 07500 544781 and Elliott can usually come back with a likely diagnosis, a price range and a survey slot the same day. For anything urgent, call 07500 544781. All the ways to reach us are on the contact page.
Will you provide a written report for an insurance claim?
Yes, on request. We can provide a written assessment with photographs suitable for buildings insurance, including the cause of damage where evident, the scope of work and the cost. Most insurers accept our reports directly without an independent assessor visit for residential roof damage under £5,000.
Prices, honestly
What roofing work costs in York
We publish indicative prices, which most York roofers will not. The exact figure is fixed in writing within 24 hours of a free survey.
Do you actually publish prices?
Yes. Every service page carries an indicative from-price and, where it helps, banded pricing, so you have a realistic figure before anyone visits. Roof repairs start from £150, leadwork from £350, chimney repairs from £450, a full UPVC roofline from £1,200, gutter and downpipe replacement from £500, new roofs from £3,000, flat roofs from £600, conservatory conversions from £4,500 and solar from £5,500. See all services and prices.
How much does a roof repair cost in York?
Small repairs, such as a few slipped slates, a couple of broken pantiles or a section of ridge re-bedded, are typically £150 to £350. Medium repairs are £400 to £900. Substantial repairs that cross into partial reroofs are quoted on the scope. The free survey gives a fixed written price. See roof repairs.
How much does a new roof cost in York?
Indicative reroof prices in York run from £3,000 to £5,500 for a one-bed terrace up to £12,000 to £20,000 for a large detached, in concrete tile. A typical three-bed semi lands around £5,500 to £9,000. Clay tile adds about 20 per cent and natural slate about 60 per cent. See new roofs and reroofs.
What does leadwork cost in York?
A simple straight code 4 chimney flashing is typically £350 to £500. A valley is £85 to £130 per linear metre depending on code and access. A complete code 5 bay top is £900 to £1,400. Conservation work in sand-cast lead carries a premium of around 25 to 35 per cent over milled. Exact prices are fixed in writing after the free survey. See leadwork.
What does emergency roof repair cost in York?
A temporary make-safe, such as a tarpaulin, weighted batten or tape, is typically £180 to £350. A same-day or next-day reactive repair is £250 to £750 depending on scope. Substantial storm damage may need a follow-up visit for the permanent fix. We do not charge an emergency premium over our normal rates. See emergency roof repair.
The firm
About EJL and how we work
Who turns up, who is insured, and what is guaranteed once the scaffold comes down.
Who is Elliott?
Elliott is the founder and master roofer at EJL Roofing Residential. He has been roofing York and the surrounding villages for fifteen years, started trading in 2010, and formally incorporated EJL Roofing Residential Ltd in November 2023 (Companies House 15305633). The firm works from a workshop in Acomb, with a small in-house team. More about Elliott and the firm.
Do you use subcontractors?
No. Every slate is laid by Elliott or by someone on the in-house team. No subbies, no franchise, no call centre. The phone is answered by the person who will be on your roof, or by someone who knows the diary.
Are you fully insured?
Yes. Public liability cover is £2m, plus full employer's liability. The certificate is available on request before the survey, not just before the deposit. Method statements and CSCS cards for the team.
What guarantee do you give?
New pitched roofs carry a twenty-year written workmanship guarantee plus the manufacturer's covering warranty, typically 30 years on concrete tile and 50 years or more on natural slate. EPDM flat roofs carry a twenty-year manufacturer guarantee on the membrane plus twenty years on workmanship. Repairs are covered by the same written workmanship guarantee. Written terms are issued with every quote.
Are you actually local, or a national firm with a York number?
Local. EJL is family-run and based in Acomb, York, and has been roofing across the city and the villages since 2010. Elliott surveys the roof and the same team does the work. There is no call centre and no subcontracted crew turning up from out of county.
Where we work
The areas we cover
York and the villages around it, priced the same wherever the roof is.
Which areas do you cover?
The van is in Acomb every morning. We cover York and the villages around it, including Copmanthorpe, Bishopthorpe, Tadcaster, Wetherby, Easingwold, Pocklington, Selby and Harrogate. Each area has its own page with local housing stock, conservation areas and the planning authority named. See all areas we cover.
Do you charge more to come out to the villages?
No. The survey is free wherever you are on the patch, and the work is priced the same whether the roof is in Acomb or Harrogate. The only difference further out is that it can take a little longer for us to reach you. The van is in Acomb every morning, so the closer villages usually get the quickest visit.
How far will you travel for a job?
Most of the patch sits inside a twenty-minute drive of Acomb. The furthest places we cover regularly are Harrogate at around nineteen miles west and Pocklington at around fifteen miles east. For anything beyond that, ask. A larger reroof or conservation job is worth travelling for, a single slipped slate two counties away may not be.
My town or village is not on the list. Do you still cover it?
Probably. The ten areas listed are the places we work in week in, week out, but they are not a hard boundary. If you are roughly within twenty miles of Acomb, send us your postcode on WhatsApp and we will tell you honestly whether we can get to you and how soon.
Where are you based?
We are based in Acomb, York. We are a working roofing firm rather than a shop, so call or message before visiting in person. Contact details and a map.
The work itself
The work, materials and conservation
Repair or reroof, building regs, timings, and the conservation and listed building detail York homes need.
Do you really cover all of these services with one in-house team?
Yes. Roof repairs, new roofs, flat roofs, conservatory conversions, leadwork, chimneys, roofline and solar are all carried out by the EJL team rather than handed to subcontractors. The only thing we bring in is scaffold where a job needs it. The people who survey your roof are the people who work on it. See all roofing services.
I'm not sure whether I need a repair or a whole new roof. Can you tell me?
That is what the free survey is for. As a rule of thumb, if fewer than a quarter of the slates or tiles are damaged and the felt and battens underneath are sound, a repair is the honest answer. If more than a quarter are slipping, or the felt has perished across the roof, we would talk you through a reroof. We tell you which on the day, and most leaks do not need a new roof.
Do you need building regs for a new roof?
Often, yes. A like-for-like recovering on an unlisted home is usually permitted development and needs no planning permission, but building control applies once more than about a quarter of the roof is stripped or insulation is added. Listed buildings and conservation areas may need listed building consent or planning permission. We check at the survey and handle any application.
How long does it take to replace a roof?
A standard semi or terraced house takes four to eight working days, depending on size and weather. Larger detached properties run eight to fourteen days. Scaffold is typically up for about two weeks. The roof is weather-tight at the end of every working day.
Can you match the existing slates and tiles?
In nearly all cases. We carry standard concrete tiles for 1960s to 1990s York semis, Yorkshire slate for period properties, and pantiles in clay and concrete. For unusual or discontinued patterns, reclaimed matching is available from the salvage yards we work with. Match samples are shown at the survey.
Will you work on a listed building or conservation area home?
Yes. Period property and conservation roofing is a core part of what we do. York has 36 conservation areas and more pre-1850 housing stock per capita than almost any English city, and we work to local conservation officer specifications on slate, pantile, lead and ridge detailing.
Why is conservation a specialism for you?
York has 36 conservation areas and over 2,000 listed buildings. Most local roofers treat conservation work as occasional. We treat it as the core skill: sand-cast leadwork, NHL hydraulic lime pointing on Magnesian limestone, and listed building consent paperwork with City of York, Selby and now North Yorkshire Council. The leadwork pages explain how deep that goes.
What is the difference between sand-cast and milled lead?
Milled lead is rolled to a uniform thickness in a factory and is what most modern leadwork is dressed in. Sand-cast lead is poured by hand onto a bed of sand, has a slightly irregular surface and a softer matte finish that weathers like the lead on a Georgian or Victorian building. Conservation officers in York often require sand-cast lead on visible elevations of older houses. See sand-cast vs milled lead.
Do you handle listed building consent applications?
Yes. Much of central York and the surrounding villages sits in a conservation area or is individually listed. We use sand-cast lead where a conservation officer requires it, hydraulic lime mortar where it is appropriate, and like-for-like materials throughout. Listed building consent is something we talk through at the survey and handle the application for. See conservation leadwork in York.
Which council handles planning where I am?
Four authorities cover the area we work in. City of York Council covers York, Acomb, Bishopthorpe and Copmanthorpe. North Yorkshire Council covers Tadcaster, Easingwold, Selby and Harrogate. Leeds City Council covers Wetherby, and East Riding of Yorkshire Council covers Pocklington. We deal with the conservation team that actually covers your street.
Still got a question? Just ask
Ring Elliott, message on WhatsApp with a photo of the roof, or book a free survey with the form above. Fixed quote within 24 hours of survey, no pestering afterwards.