How easy is it to re-roof a bungalow?

[chicklin]

As a couple of complete amateurs, (enthusiastic and reasonably competent) is it possible for us to completely re-roof a bungalow? I've looked into it and feel confident we could manage it but its always the unexpected that catches you out so I'd be grateful for any opinions. The only thing I'm a bit unsure about is how to finish off at the edge of the roof (its tiles) to stop the wind being able to lift them, do I have to cement along the edge? basically, does anyone know of any good instruction books/sites or similar?

[leew031]

well if your into that stuff and have wot you need you could possibly try and to help you look for a book in a bookshop on it as it may come very useful and give you idears :D

[leew031]

ps. nowerdays you can get plastic tile egdes for the edges of your house which stop them being lifted and look neat aswell

[buildersmate]

Its certainly possible if its a straightforward pitched roof with no dormers. Don't underestimate the energy expended in getting the tiles up onto the roof.
The hardest (technical) parts of the job are planning the lay of the tiles. At the verges, the tiles sit on a strip of cement-based undercloak board (cheap material from Builders merchants). The gap at the edge between the undercloak and the tiles is filled with mortar at about 3 to 1 mix. The edges of the tiles are raised slightly to prevent water dripping off the edge.

[chicklin]

Thanks for your answers lee.
buildersmate - that's exactly the kind of tips I need before we embark on this. We were going to re-use the tiles that are on now and replace broken ones. We intended to photograph and possibly number the tiles as we take them off so we know where to put them back. Is this a good idea? Do we need to know anything in particular about how to do the flashing around the chimney? I've looked for books and so far haven't found any very good descriptive ones. This whole thing started because there was a leak so we went up and found broken tiles, but when we looked further, the whole membrane underneath has perished and if very fragile so its a re-roof job.

[buildersmate]

Very old roofs had no felt anyway. Then felt, which I think was originally fitted to minimise dust getting into the roodf space . Now more modern materials are used. You might want to consider using Du Pont's Tyvek. This is a breathable material which means you don't have to worry about the ventilators at the eaves (or indeed any ventilation at the ridge) to assure the getting rid of water vapour that mitigrates through the ceiling into the roof space (roofing felt doesn't otherwise let water vapour through).