Roofing Projects

View our completed roofing projects in EAST CENTRAL SCOTLAND, INCLUDING EDINBURGH, FIFE, BORDERS AND LOTHIANS.

Form our base in Gorebridge B & D Roofing & Building has worked on a wide range of challenging and satisfying projects from Mull to Arbroath and John O’Groats to Gretna.
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Hermitage

“There was no question that this nomination had the ‘wow’ factor and the application showed an extremely high standard of craftsmanship in both the technical and aesthetic aspects.”
 NFRC Scottish Roofer of the year 2012

Built circa 1900, this substantial Edwardian detached villa was in need of a complete roof overhaul, however it was the clients wish that we retained as much of the original materials and character of the building as possible.

To achieve this the existing slates were carefully stripped off and the best quality set aside for re-use, and new matching slates were imported direct form the quarry and were skilfully incorporated into the roofscape, so that no single area could be identified as new.

Unfortunately the existing lead work was found to be deficient and was renewed as per the guideline of the Lead Sheet Association.

A new build out-house which complemented the appearance of the property was added and we enhanced the traditional look with creative lead lining to the dormer projections, and the continued use of the Westmorland slate.

“A very high number of excellent quality entries received for this category.”

GEORGE STREET

After many years of water ingress and random repair attempts, these roofs had become a constant headache for the building occupiers and landlord.

Working closely with building surveyors BR & Co. and our supply partners TOR Coatings, B & D Roofing & Building was able to provide a comprehensive solution that would see the roofs sealed with Elastaseal™ and the provision of a twenty-year waterproofing guarantee.

A large amount of air handling equipment with multiple services penetrations had thwarted all previous attempts at repair. Furthermore, these plant items were in constant use and could not be removed to facilitate the waterproofing.

B & D Roofing & Building were able apply the liquid coating to the flat roof areas and encapsulate the protrusions to provide a seamless waterproof membrane that could not be achieved by any other traditional method.

Because the Elastaseal™ coating is compatible with almost all other sound roofing materials there was no need to strip out the existing roofing membrane and the coating was completed with minimal disruption to the building occupants. 

Where unidentified repair materials were found, they were either removed, or encapsulated using one of the range of system primers, and as water ponding has no effect on the Elastaseal™ System there was no need to alter the existing roof falls.
FLAT ROOFING

Cargilefield School, Edinburgh

This project was carried out over two phases on a “live” private boarding school nestled in one of Edinburgh’s premier residential locations. Each phase had to be completed within the agreed programme dates so as not to intrude on the schools traditional public and family events.

After up to 100 years on the roofs, the existing clay tiles were time expired, they were delaminating and falling off faster than they could be patched up, the same was also true of the lead flashings and weathering’s, several of the dormer projections had either been stripped and felted or had felt overlays.

The existing cast iron gutters were also in very poor condition, particularly at the rear under the eaves tiles where routine maintenance was difficult thus allowing rust to take its toll. 
One of the biggest logistical challenges was co-ordinating the erection of the scaffolds, the delivery of goods and the movement of materials around the school, there is in excess of one hundred and twenty thousand roof tiles alone, all to be moved during school term.

The tile craftsmen had to be very exacting with their setting out on the elevations with multiple dormers as a slight miscalculation would have thrown the line out on the levels above the dormer tops given that the main façade is around forty metres wide at the ridge line.

This was further complicated by the requirement to incorporate unobtrusive ventilation and 25mm of inverted insulation without impacting the visual aspect of the roofs.

Other technical aspects involved the formation of obtuse mitred hips with individual lead soakers, site manufacture and installation of natural sheet copper linings to ‘eyebrow’ dormers, cutting to barrel dormers and the manufacture of bespoke decorative zinc ridge vents.

We were also required to redesign the lead works according to the current lead sheet manual, again without overtly altering the appearance of the finished roofs.

This was an excellent project for our apprentices to gain valuable traditional tiling experience on a listed property given that there are so few (tiled) buildings of this type in the area.

East Calder Partnership, West Lothian

At first glance this sounded like a bread and butter project, a mere 300 m2 of built up felt roofing with a sedum blanket green roof system - it was in fact technically quite challenging due to the varying slopes and changes in direction.

The shallowest slope was approximately 10 degrees which did not present too many problems however, a slope of 22-degrees which intersected with the steepest slope of at least 39 degrees was more problematic.

This meant we had to build in supports from the roof deck up to stop the felt build-up from slipping down the roof, a likely problem on warm days even though it would be offered some protection from the vegetation blanket, which also had to be supported along its length by the inclusion of staggered metal spikes strips bonded to the cap sheet.

A separate 400 m2 flat roof area was covered with a PVC membrane over PIR insulation, all products were supplied by Bauder UK who were involved at every stage of the roofing aspect of the project.

The whole project was finished off by the addition of new bespoke aluminium capping’s applied to the perimeter wallheads.

The Inn at John O’Groats 

On behalf of our clients, Edinburgh based GLM and Natural Retreats we were invited to participate in the multi-million pound regeneration of the area with the renovation of the former John O’Groats House Hotel. The building dating form 1887 had been abandoned and neglected for a good number of years and, had fallen into serious disrepair. 


These works included the complete strip and re-slate of the existing pitched roofs, renewal of the rainwater goods and re-rendering of the walls.


We also supplied and fitted new profile metal roofing and rainwater goods to the newly built “Nordic” extension to the accommodation as well as waterproofing the link corridors with a single ply membrane. This was once again an excellent demonstration of our multidisciplined provision of services and our excellent logistical capabilities.


Whilst on site we were contracted to waterproof the Storehouse, a new build café that was covered with a PVC membrane with a standing seam detail as were the luxury cabins located around the site.


The end result was to help turn a former eyesore into an multi award winning development that is now regarded as a fresh new welcoming addition to the iconic last point in mainland Scotland.

  • The Inn at John O'Groats
  • After work was completed

    • Torosay Castle on the Isle of Mull

    The castle is in fact a Baronial Mansion, designed by the renowned Scottish architect David Bryce and dates back to 1885. The works comprised the stripping of all existing slates and lead weathering’s from the high-level pitched roofs to the main building and turrets, stone restoration and conservation works, structural repairs and the sympathetic overhaul and draught proofing of the timber sash and case windows.


    Taking account of the local climate, it was decided that the project would be best served by the provision of a temporary roof structure. This provided protection to the internal fabric of the building and permitted work to proceed throughout the winter period.


    The best quality of the existing slates were sorted, re-dressed and set aside for re-use as was a fair portion of the existing lead which was recycled as sacrificial flashings on the watergates and valleys.


    Long term exposure of the roof timbers necessitated widespread renewal, this was particularly evident on the south elevation - no doubt exaggerated by the structural movement throughout this elevation.


    The detailing of the lead work had to be brought up to current LSA guidelines without overtly altering the appearance of the roofscape, something which was achieved by attention to detail and the dedication of the company's craftsmen.


    All this had to be undertaken within a specific timescale so as not to interrupt the breeding cycle of the two resident bat species that availed themselves of the temporary accommodation provided for the duration of the project.


    Wherever possible the existing stonework was tied back to the original structure utilising a variety of methods to suit the application. Where this was not possible the structure was carefully stripped down taking care to note the location of each individual stone which was then faithfully restored to its original position with a minimum of imported stone, thus retaining the true character.


    Overall, we believe that this is another project that demonstrates our collective commitment to provide the highest quality of workmanship, materials, attention to detail and dedication to preserving our built heritage.

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