Dry verge installation that ends crumbling mortar for good

What our dry verge and ridge includes

• Dry verge installation with interlocking verge units, fixed to the battens with stainless screws
• Undercloak fitted beneath the verge tiles so the edge sheds water clear of the gable wall
• Dry ridge systems with ridge battens, clamps and mechanically fixed ridge tiles
• Dry hip fixing, with hip irons or trays where the roof needs them
• Ridge re-bedding and repointing where a traditional mortar finish suits the roof
• Cracked, loose and missing verge and ridge tiles replaced to match
• Full tidy up, waste removal and a 20 year written guarantee

Dry verge installation: what it is and why it replaces mortar

The verge is the edge of the roof where it meets a gable wall. On older roofs the last row of tiles is bedded on a strip of mortar. The mortar cracks with the first hard frost, crumbles out over the years, and lets the edge tiles lift in the wind. You find bits of it in the gutter and on the path.

A dry verge system removes the mortar entirely. Interlocking plastic verge units are screwed through to the roof battens and clipped over the edge tiles, so the tiles are held mechanically and the gap under them is closed. The edge stays weathertight in wind and rain, and it never needs repointing. Over 25 years' experience on tiled roofs has shown us where mortar edges fail.

Dry verge installation step by step

A dry verge is only as good as what sits underneath it. We work in a set order, so the finished edge is fixed to solid timber.

Strip the old mortar and loose tiles

We chip off the old mortar bedding and remove cracked or loose edge tiles. Any batten ends that have rotted at the gable are cut back and renewed, because a screw into soft timber holds nothing.

Fit the undercloak

A strip of undercloak, in fibre cement or plastic, goes beneath the last row of tiles. It carries the verge tile out over the gable wall at the right overhang and keeps rain off the masonry.

Fix the tiles and the verge units

The edge tiles are cut to fit and fixed to the batten. Each verge unit is then lapped onto the last and screwed through into the batten with stainless fixings. No mortar is used anywhere in the finished edge.

Dry ridge, hips and ridge re-bedding

The same failure shows up along the ridge. Traditionally, ridge tiles sit on a bed of mortar that cracks, shrinks and falls away. A rocking ridge tile is a loose tile, and a loose tile in a gale becomes a hazard to people below.

A dry ridge system uses a ridge batten fixed to the rafters and ridge tiles held down by clamps and screws. No mortar means nothing to crack. We fit dry hips the same way. Where a traditional finish suits the roof, we re-bed and repoint the ridge in fresh mortar.

One reviewer had ridge tiles blown down in a storm: the team came round, replaced them, and was polite and fast. If your ridge has gone, see our roof repairs page.

Dry system or mortar: which is right for your roof

A dry verge suits concrete interlocking tiles and most plain tiles, which covers the roofs on most of our local housing. A period house with handmade clay tiles can look better with a mortar finish, and some conservation areas require one.

We tell you which fits your roof and why. If dry is right, the edge stops needing repairs. If mortar is right, we re-bed it properly with a mix that matches the roof. Either way the work carries a 20 year written guarantee.

Windy gable ends and storm damage

Gable ends take the worst of any storm because the wind catches the roof edge first. A cracked mortar verge gives the wind a way in under the tiles, and a run of edge tiles can lift in one gust. If tiles have already blown off, we make the roof safe first and refix the edge after, working with our emergency roof repairs team.

Verge and ridge work across Luton, Dunstable and beyond

Luton, Dunstable and Hemel Hempstead have many 1930s semis, post-war estates and newer builds with concrete interlocking tile roofs and mortar verges that are 30, 40 or 50 years old, the age at which the bedding fails. We work from our Dunstable office across Luton, Hemel Hempstead, St Albans and the towns around them.

Cracked or slipped tiles near the edge need attention at the same time: see roof tile replacement for those, or the roof repair cost guide for what drives the price.

Signs you need us

• Bits of mortar in the gutters or on the ground below the gable
• Cracks or gaps in the mortar along the verge or ridge line
• Ridge tiles that rock when pushed from a ladder
• Verge tiles lifting or sitting out of line after strong wind
• Birds nesting under the verge, or daylight visible at the edge of the loft