A tile has slipped after the wind — how bad is it?
It depends on what the tile was doing. A single slipped tile on the main face of the roof is rarely an emergency: the felt or membrane underneath will usually keep water out for a while. The same slip above a door, a path or a parking space is a different matter — the risk is what falls, not what leaks. And a slipped or missing tile at a ridge, hip or valley matters more than one mid-slope, because those are the lines that carry water.
What should I do in the first hour?
Look from the ground — never from a ladder in or after bad weather; wet tiles and loosened battens are how homeowners get seriously hurt. Note what you can see: how many tiles, where on the roof, anything hanging. If a tile could fall where people walk, keep everyone clear of that area. If water is coming in, move things out of the way and catch what you can — and ring rather than email, describing what you can see. That description is usually enough to tell whether it's a same-day make-safe or a routine repair.
What does it cost to fix slipped tiles?
Straightforward repairs — a few tiles re-fixed or replaced — typically run from around £150. Larger repairs, or anything involving the ridge, flashings or multiple areas, can reach £600 or more. The single biggest factor is access rather than the tile itself: work that needs scaffolding costs more because the access costs money. You get a written price before anything starts.
Will insurance pay for storm damage?
Often, for the storm itself: sudden damage from a named storm or recorded high winds is usually covered, while gradual wear — perished mortar, tiles that were already loose — usually is not. If you're claiming, insurers ask for dated photographs, a written damage report and a repair quote, and the contractor can provide all three. The claim itself stays yours to make.
Why do tiles slip in the first place?
Wind gets under the tile and works it loose — and it happens soonest where fixings have aged. On older Somerset roofs the tiles themselves often have decades of life left while the nails ("nail sickness"), battens or mortar have quietly failed. That's why one slipped tile after a storm is worth a proper look: it's frequently the first visible sign of fixings reaching the end of their life, and re-fixing a slope now is far cheaper than re-roofing after water gets in.
Do I need the whole roof replaced?
Usually not. A good rule of thumb: if you're calling someone out more than once a year, or tiles are failing in several places at once rather than one, replacement starts to cost less over ten years than repeated patching. One slip after one storm is almost always a repair.
What happens when I call?
We take your call — evenings and weekends included — and arrange for the contractor to take a look. Anything urgent or dangerous is flagged straight away; a make-safe to stop water coming in is treated as a separate job from the permanent repair, so the roof gets stabilised first and priced properly afterwards. We cover Taunton, Wellington, North Petherton, Bishops Lydeard and Wiveliscombe.