Replacing Asbestos Roof in Bath

Hi all, just wondering if anyone has any recommendations or information about re-roofing?

Our neighbours are looking to get their original asbestos cement roof replaced but have not had much luck getting reasonable quotes. I’m also interested in replacing the asbestos roof as ours has developed a slight leak and will need replacing fairly soon too.

Down the road some people used a company that promotes itself as specialising in BISF renovation but were not satisfied. I won’t give the name of the company but it hasn’t been mentioned on this site, though I did recognise one of the example houses on its website as being in Bath. Anyway for £11 000 they reported the asbestos roofing was smashed up in the front garden rather than being properly handled and that the company wanted to charge extra to finish the job! Others have wanted to overclad the asbestos, which doesn’t seem like a good idea.

The council says they have no records of who re-roofed its BISF houses in around 1999 before they were transferred to the housing association.

Ed

replacing asbestos roof

Responses

  1. Hi Marc, thanks very much for the detailed reply! I’m well thanks, hope you are too. Unfortunately they had already contacted Rateavon but Rateavon said that though they are a Metrotile contractor they specialise in larger projects and a single house is not going to interest them. The neighbours have contacted about ten roofing companies now with no luck – and this in the middle of a recession in construction!

    Anyway the good news is that my dad who is a builder has had a look at it and will be preparing a quote once he gets some asbestos removal and material prices, so this might be another interesting project to document.

    Ed

  2. Hi Marc, I’m fine thanks, hope you are too. Thanks very much for the information, I have passed it to the neighbours as they were having no luck getting reasonable quotes. Obviously the £11 000 job information is second-hand to me so I won’t name the company in case they’ve been unfairly portrayed, but I am told they left some sort of gap in the roof and wanted extra money to fix it. Unfortunately I think when asbestos is involved some companies seem to think it’s an opportunity to overcharge, even though the asbestos cement is not dangerous if handled carefully (if it was just on a garage or shed, I’d happily take it down myself).

    For comparison I got a quote from Tata steel for their Colorcoat roofing at £2749.60 for the materials only (not including 18mm ply/OSB backing) and a guide price of £1656 to install (not including asbestos removal). They did misread my sketch as showing a roof plan of 55 square metres rather than 55 square metres of roofing material, so have quoted for more roofing than is needed (70 rather than 55 square metres).

    While we’re on roofing. does anyone know about fitting solar PV panels to a BISF roof? Quite a few houses have them, including one down the road and I was thinking it may be a good idea.

    Ed

  3. Hi Ed, I’ve spoken to Metrotile this morning. They have a recommended installer in the Avonmouth area that you could try.
    The contact details are
    Vince or Kirk
    Rateavon
    Avonmouth
    0117 9820033
    in**@ra******.uk
    This does appear to be a pretty large company but they should be able to provide you with a quote if required.

  4. Hello Ed, hope you are well :0)
    The average cost for re-roofing material alone is between 1k & 3K depending on which system you choose. From simple coated corrugated steel or aluminum panels, some of which now have a tile like surface to the more popular and proven systems such as those offered by Metrotile & Decra.
    Off the top of my head and I will check for you, the supply cost for a Metrotile system is around 2K and price wise is cheaper than the similar Deratile system. Don’t forget though that other costs such as scaffolding / timber / fixings and any required pvc soffits etc have to be factored in along with labour costs and where needed approved and safe asbestos removal.
    I have been informed by householders of some companies charging as low 4K all in to others around the 5k – 6K region.
    Over-boarding of asbestos is never recommended although some companies try to persuade homeowners that this is acceptable, simply to reduce costs for themselves. I have heard other cases where the old asbestos has been smashed in, leaving it lying on the loft space floor. This of course is not only very dangerous but can cost around £2k plus to have it removed safely when left this way.

    The original asbestos sheeting should always be removed without question. Failing to do this could also have an impact on any future sale and will be picked up by a survey.
    As for the £11k quote, well to me that is ludicrous and it would appear that the company are trying to cash in on the debris left outside.
    In short there are two choices with damaged or waste asbestos sheeting. Either call in a company separately to remove it or self removal using appropriate safety clothing and breathing masks. Local councils will often collect asbestos and dispose of it safely free of charge if it is bagged or wrapped up. As long as the material isn’t badly broken or smashed into tiny bits it is relatively safe to handle provided said clothing is worn.
    I’m not advocating that anyone should do this but it is an option provided you take the necessary precautions and follow correct procedures.
    Obviously it will be safer and carry less risk if quotes are obtained for removal from the garden by a specialist asbestos removal company.

    Back to the roofing now, many roofing contractors remove the asbestos themselves, some call in others to do so for safety.
    I will contact our friends at Metrotile and find out the latest supply costs. They also have a list of contractors nationwide who fit their system and I have no doubt there will be some local to you so that you may be able to get a free quote.

    1. Hi have a look at our website http://www.britmet.co.uk

      We have been manufacturing roofing systems for BISF’S for over 25 years!!

      Or contact me on 01295 250998, and i will be able to put you in contact who can provide you with a supply and fix price for the whole project, great value and 10/10 for workmanship, he has been specialising in this work with ourselves for years and years

      Best Regards

      Hugh Mclaughlin
      Britmet Tileform Ltd