Dry Ridge and Dry Verge Systems Across Devon
Mortar cracks, washes out and lets ridge tiles work loose. Dry fix systems hold each tile down mechanically, so they stay where they are put and need no maintenance.
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An End to Repointing Your Ridge Every Fifteen Years
For most of the last century, ridge and verge tiles were held on with mortar and nothing else. It works, for a while. But mortar is rigid and a roof is not. It expands, contracts, and moves in the wind, and mortar has no give in it at all. Add fifteen winters of frost getting into the hairline cracks and the bedding starts breaking up. The ridge is the highest and most exposed part of the roof, so it gets the worst of every gale, and eventually a tile rocks loose or comes off altogether.
Dry fix does away with the mortar. Each ridge tile is held down mechanically with a clamp and a screw into a batten, over a ventilated ridge roll that seals the join while still letting the roof space breathe. Nothing to crack, nothing to wash out, and nothing to come loose in a storm. It has been the standard on new build roofs for years, for exactly these reasons.
We should be straight with you though. Mortar is not always the wrong answer. On some period properties a mortar bedded ridge is the right look, and if that is what you want we are happy to repoint and rebed it instead. What we will not do is put fresh mortar over failing old bedding and let you think the problem has gone away.
Our Dry Fix Services
From a run of loose ridge tiles to converting every mortar bedded junction on the roof, here is what we fit across Devon.
Loose & Missing Ridge Tiles
Mortar crumbling away, ridge tiles rocking underfoot, or one already down in the garden after a windy night. We make the roof safe first, then talk you through whether to rebed in mortar or convert the run to a dry system.
Dry Ridge Installation & Mortar Conversion
Old mortar stripped off and every ridge tile mechanically fixed with clamps and screws over a ventilated ridge roll. Fitted on new roofs and, far more often, as a conversion of an existing mortar bedded ridge.
Dry Verge Installation
The gable end, where the tiles overhang the wall. Interlocking dry verge units clip over the tile edge and screw down, replacing the cement fillets that crack, drop off and leave the end tiles exposed.
Ventilated Dry Ridge Systems
Dry ridge with a breathable roll built into it, so the roof space vents at its highest point. Helps clear the condensation that builds up in loft spaces and quietly damages roof timbers over the years.
Dry Hip & Dry Valley Systems
The same mechanical fixing applied to the other junctions on the roof. Dry hip secures the tiles running down a sloping hip, and dry valley systems replace mortar bedded valleys with a maintenance free alternative.
Dry Ridge & Dry Verge Repairs
Loose caps, missing verge units, failed unions and previous installations that were not fixed down properly, all put right without stripping out the entire run.
Other Services
Roof Emergency?
We answer 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If your roof is leaking right now, call us and we will get to you as fast as we can.
Appointment
Let's Take a Look at Your Ridge
Tell us what you have noticed and we will arrange a convenient time to come and assess the roof. No pressure, no obligation, just an honest recommendation and a clear written quote.
- We Price Both Options
Rebedding in mortar and converting to dry fix are both legitimate answers. We will quote for both so you can see the difference and make your own decision.
- No Fresh Mortar Over Failing Bedding
Skimming new mortar over old bedding that has already broken up looks fine for a year and solves nothing. If a ridge needs stripping back, we will tell you.
- Clear Written Quote, No Hard Sell
You get a transparent written quote with no hidden extras. The price we agree is the price you pay, and you are under no obligation to proceed.
Make an Appointment
Fill in your details and we will get back to you quickly to arrange a visit. If it is urgent, please call us instead on 07449 211732.
F. A. Q's
Dry Fix Questions, Answered
Dry fix is one of those things most homeowners have never heard of until a ridge tile comes loose. Below are the questions we are asked most often. If yours is not covered here, call us and ask.
Instead of bedding ridge tiles in mortar, each tile is held down mechanically with a clamp and a screw fixed into a batten running along the ridge. Underneath sits a ventilated ridge roll, which seals the joint against wind and rain while still letting air move out of the roof space. There is no mortar anywhere in the system, so there is nothing to crack, wash out or need repointing later.
For most roofs, yes. Mortar is rigid and a roof moves, so the bedding cracks eventually no matter how well it was laid. Dry fix flexes with that movement, holds each tile down individually, and adds ventilation at the ridge as a bonus. It has been the standard on new build roofs for years. Mortar still has its place on some period properties where the traditional look matters, and we are happy to rebed a ridge properly if that is what you would prefer.
You can absolutely just have it repointed, and we will quote for that instead if you would rather. It costs less up front. The trade off is that you will be having the same conversation again in ten or fifteen years, because the new mortar will go the same way as the old. Dry fix costs more now and takes the job off your list permanently. We will price both and let you decide.
The ridge itself looks essentially the same, because the same ridge tiles are used and the fixings sit underneath and out of sight. Dry verge is more noticeable, since the units run down the gable end and are visible as a neat line where the cement fillet used to be. They come in a range of colours to match the roof. Most people think it looks tidier than crumbling cement, but it is worth looking at examples before deciding, and we can show you some.
No, which is the main reason people fit one. There is no mortar to repoint and no bedding to fail. An occasional look over after a serious storm is sensible on any roof, but a properly installed dry ridge should not need anything doing to it for the life of the roof covering.
Ridge Tiles Working Loose?
Get it looked at before one comes down. We will price both rebedding and a dry fix conversion, free and with no obligation, anywhere in Devon.