The short answer
Yes. A re-roof is done on top of the house, so the rooms below stay usable. Expect noise from stripping and nailing, dust that finds its way into the loft and sometimes through ceiling gaps, and a scaffold at the windows. The roof is covered at the end of each day, so rain should not reach the loft. Some people choose to go out on the noisiest days.
The work happens above your head, not in your rooms. A little preparation makes the days easier on you, the pets and the neighbours.
What the noise and the days feel like
Stripping old slates or tiles is loud. They come off by hand and are lowered or thrown into a skip or chute, and the rattle carries through the whole house. Later, nailing battens and fixing the covering gives a steady tapping. Cutting slate or tile with a saw is the shrillest part.
Which days are the noisiest?
The first days of stripping and the days of cutting are the loudest. The quieter stretches are laying underlay and fixing the covering on the main slopes. A re-roof is a multi-day job and the length depends on size and weather, so our survey includes a plan of the days, and you hear each evening what comes next.
If anyone at home works from a quiet room, sleeps in the day, studies or is unwell, plan the loudest days around that. Our answer on how long a re-roof takes helps you judge how many days to prepare for, and the roof replacement page describes the whole job from survey to sweep-up. Earplugs or headphones are a cheap comfort for anyone sensitive to noise.
Dust, the loft and your ceilings
Old roofs hold decades of dust, dried moss, mortar crumbs and insulation fibres. Stripping the covering shakes it down. Some will come through gaps around the loft hatch, light fittings and ceiling cracks, and some will settle on anything stored in the loft.
Should I clear the loft first?
Clear what you can, and cover the rest. Boxes near the eaves are easy to knock, and anything on the joists, which carry the ceiling below, may be walked on. Our answer on clearing the loft before a re-roof says what to move. Dust sheets over furniture in the top-floor rooms stop the fine dust settling, and a closed loft hatch with tape around it limits what drops through.
Hanging pictures can shake loose, and light fittings in the ceilings below the roof may rattle. Take down anything fragile from the walls on the top floor, and move a bed away from the ceiling if the loft above is being cleared. If anything in the loft might be asbestos, such as old boards or lagging, tell us at the survey; HSE's guidance for buildings dating from before 2000 is to presume asbestos could be there, so that is checked first.
Weather cover and keeping the house dry
The worry on every owner's mind is rain on a stripped roof. The answer is how the work is staged. The roof is not opened on every slope at once. A section is stripped, the underlay goes on and the covering follows as far as the day allows, and anything left open is covered before the crew leaves.
What if it rains halfway through?
If a shower comes, the exposed area is sheeted and work stops. A forecast of heavy or sustained rain or high wind is a reason to hold off stripping at all, and we adjust the sequence with you. A tarpaulin or sheeting is a temporary measure, and underlay is the proper protection for a day or two while the covering follows. Our guide to re-roofing in winter covers the colder months.
Inside, put a bucket and dust sheets in the room below any area being worked on. Nothing is expected to fail, but it is easier to have them ready, and a forecast check the evening before helps you decide.
Pets, children, parking and the neighbours
Scaffold goes around the house and the working zone gets a clear boundary. The sensible rule is that children and animals keep clear of the garden zone beneath the roof edge, where slates, nails and waste may fall. Dogs in particular should not be left out in a garden under work.
Do I need to move my car?
Probably, for the skip and the materials delivery. Tell us before the first day where the skip can go and what must be kept clear. A skip or scaffold on the public road is covered by a highway licence. Somerset Council deals with those in Taunton, and the contractor we appoint makes the application.
Tell your neighbours before the first day, as noise and a skip outside the house are the sort of thing they notice. Waste is taken away, the site is kept tidy, and the garden, drive and paths are swept at the end. Ask us about your own household when you book a survey, such as shift work, a new baby or an elderly relative, and we plan the days around you.
Living in during the work
Is it safe indoors when the old covering comes off?
Yes, as long as you keep to the rooms away from the area being worked on and stay clear of the garden below the roof edge. The scaffold, netting and sheeting protect the house, and the crew keeps access clear. If you are unsure about a particular room, ask on the day.
Can I work from home during a re-roof?
You can, though video calls will struggle on the loudest days. Use a ground-floor room at the far side from the work, close the doors, and plan calls around the quieter stretches. Tell us your working pattern at the survey so the noisy tasks can be planned around it.
The full picture: Roof replacement and new roofs in Taunton ยท More short answers