Roofers in Reading and the New NFRC President's Push on Standards

The first proper gale of the winter always finds the weak spots. A slipped tile over a bay in Tilehurst, a ridge in Caversham that's lost its mortar bed. That's when people start ringing round roofers in Reading and book whoever answers first. So it was worth noticing in Roofing Today this week that the National Federation of Roofing Contractors has a new president, and standards sit near the top of his list.

Andy Rowlands took over the chain of office at the NFRC's AGM in Glasgow on 30th October. He has more than 40 years in the trade and still does hands-on training. His priorities for the two-year term include keeping competence and safety up as regulations change, and tackling the skills shortage with more apprenticeships. “We cannot protect our future without investing heavily in the next generation,” he said.

For a homeowner, that matters more than it sounds. On a pitched roof, ask how the job will be done: battens set to the right gauge for the tile, breather membrane lapped 150mm, and Code 4 lead for the abutment flashings, with the chases raked out and repointed rather than mastic smeared over the top. Since BS 5534 was revised, every verge, ridge and hip tile should be mechanically fixed too, not just bedded. That goes for any Marley Modern or Redland Regent roof.

Flat roofs deserve the same questions. On a garage or a back extension off the Oxford Road, a single ply membrane like IKO Armourplan or an EPDM rubber roof should come with a written spec covering the deck, the insulation, upstands at least 150mm above the finished surface and a proper drip trim into the gutter. If a quote just says “new flat roof” and a price, ask for the detail.

Wise Roofing look after roofs across Reading, Tadley and the villages in between, and you can see the repairs, re-roofs and flat roof work they take on at https://rgwiseroofing.co.uk/. If the wind has shifted something on yours, give them a ring and they'll tell you plainly what it needs.