Roof Repairs & Preparation Before Solar Installation
Structural checks, felt, batten and flashing repairs — as a standalone roofing job, or to get an older roof ready to carry panels.
A Standalone Roofing Service, Not Just "Solar Prep"
Roof repairs and preparation is a service in its own right — plenty of the roofs we work on aren't heading for solar at all, just needing sorted before winter. That said, if solar is on the cards, a roof survey ahead of an install catches problems while they're still cheap to fix. We check structural condition, felt, battens, flashing and pointing, and give a written report on what needs doing, whether that's a full job or nothing at all. Not every roof needs work — plenty pass the check and go straight to panel fitting. We usually turn the written report round within a few days, so you're not left waiting to plan the rest of the job.
What We Check on an Older Aberdeenshire Roof
A lot of the roofs across Peterhead and the surrounding area are 40, 60, sometimes 100 years old, built in slate or clay tile over sarking board and bitumen felt well past its intended life. We check rafters and purlins for sag or rot, particularly around chimneys and valleys where water collects; felt for cracking, tearing or gaps letting damp into the roof space; battens for rot where nails have corroded; and flashing and pointing around chimneys, skylights and roof junctions, which is where most leaks actually start. Coastal wind and salt air speed up corrosion on nails, flashing and exposed metalwork, so roofs closer to the coast often need more attention than the same age of roof inland.
- Rafters and purlins checked for sag, rot or insect damage
- Felt condition, gaps and tearing
- Battens checked for rot around corroded fixings
- Flashing and pointing around chimneys and roof junctions
Why Fixing the Roof First Costs Less Than Fixing It Later
If a roof problem gets missed and shows up after panels are fitted, the panels have to come off to fix it — extra scaffolding, extra labour, and downtime on a system that should be generating. That's the real cost of skipping the check, not the repair itself. Doing structural and felt work first, before mounting rails go anywhere near the roof, is straightforward and standard practice. If your roof's beyond economical repair rather than a patch job, we'll say so and point you to our new roof installation service instead of piling repair costs onto a roof that needs replacing. Either way, this feeds straight into solar panel installation once the roof's sound.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a roof survey if I'm not getting solar panels?
No — plenty of our roof repair work has nothing to do with solar. We inspect and repair roofs as a standalone job, quoted the same way regardless of what comes after.
How do I know if my roof needs repair or full replacement?
We check age, structural condition and how widespread any damage is. Isolated felt or flashing issues are usually a repair; rot across multiple rafters or failing sarking generally points to a re-roof.
How long does roof preparation take before panels can go on?
Most repair jobs take one to three days depending on scope, and we can usually schedule the solar install straight after so you're not left with an unfinished roof.
Ready to Get Started?
Book a free, no-obligation roof check, with or without solar in mind.