Ridge Tiles Loose After a Storm? What to Do

After any significant storm across Derby, our phones carry the same pattern of calls: ridge tiles have shifted or come off, often on properties where the mortar had been failing silently for years. The storm doesn’t create the problem — it reveals it. The mortar was already gone; the storm provided the uplift force needed to move the tiles it was no longer holding.

Why Ridge Tiles Move in Storms

A ridge tile in good condition — properly bedded in sound mortar — is not going anywhere in a normal storm. The mortar adhesion and the weight of the tile together provide more than enough resistance to the wind forces involved. Ridge tiles move in storms for one reason: the mortar below has failed and the tile is no longer bonded to the roof. It’s sitting there by gravity and friction alone, and when the wind provides enough uplift, friction is not enough.

This is why the pattern of post-storm calls in Derby follows the geography of the 1960s estates so closely. Mackworth, Normanton, Chaddesden — these areas generate a disproportionate number of post-storm calls not because they’re more exposed (Mickleover and the western suburbs are more wind-exposed) but because they have the highest concentration of mortar that’s already at the end of its life. The storm is the trigger; the mortar failure is the cause.

Immediate Steps

If a ridge tile has displaced or come off completely:

• Don’t get on the roof. A displaced ridge tile leaves an open joint at the apex of the roof, often with the remaining tiles in an unstable state. Working near a compromised ridge without proper equipment is dangerous.
• Check the loft immediately. Go into the loft with a torch and look for daylight through the exposed joint or any sign of water entry. If it’s raining and water is entering, place containers and call us on 0133 240 5131.
• Document it for insurance. If the storm was a named weather event, your building insurance may cover emergency repair costs. Take photos of the roof from the ground and note the date and approximate time.
• Call a roofer promptly. An open ridge joint exposed to further rain and frost will cause progressive damage to the roof timbers below. Emergency weatherproofing followed by proper repair is the correct sequence.

The Repair: What It Involves

A proper ridge tile repair is not just replacing the tile that came off. The correct repair involves inspecting the full ridge run, removing any tiles where the mortar is failing (not just the one that fell), cleaning the tile surfaces, and re-bedding the full run in new mortar to the correct specification. Replacing a single tile in isolation while leaving adjacent sections with failed mortar is a short-term fix that will result in another call-out in the next significant storm.

The cost of a full ridge repoint on a standard 3-bed Derby semi — which is the correct repair for a property where the ridge mortar has failed — is typically £400–£800. The cost of an emergency call-out, temporary repair, and then a further planned visit to do the proper job is consistently higher. Where it’s safe to do so, we recommend doing the full repoint on the first visit rather than patching and returning.

Checking for Further Damage After a Storm

After any storm significant enough to move ridge tiles, the following should be checked on the same visit:

• The verge tiles along the gable ends — the same mortar failure that affects ridges often affects verges simultaneously
• Any hip tiles on hipped roof sections
• The main tile surface for any tiles that may have slipped or cracked in the same event
• Gutters and valleys for debris that may have been washed down in the storm
• Lead flashings around any chimney stacks, which can lift in high winds

We carry out a full roof check on every storm call-out as standard — not to find additional chargeable work, but because a single storm call-out is the right time to identify everything that needs attention before the next one.