BMI Redland and roofing contractor, NT Sweeting, have brought renewed performance and durability to a challenging period project
The Gables – a beautiful Victorian period property situated right on the River Tee – was topped by an expansive roof that was in desperate need of repair and replacement. Over the decades, age and moisture absorption – from the river itself as well as the North-East climate – had created fatigue in the clay tiles, cracked lead work and reduced roof performance, which meant a complete re-roof was needed.
BMI Redland, part of BMI UK & Ireland, worked with N T Sweeting to overcome every issue that presented itself, offer expertise, specification advice and give peace of mind that the solution would perform for years to come.
Choosing materials
The roof of the property had an array of architectural features that stood out aesthetically yet made the task ahead for N T Sweeting far more complicated. To stay faithful to the period detail and premium clay aesthetic, they set to work with BMI Redland to specify and install the beautiful Rosemary Clay Classic tile. Rosemary tiles have been produced from Etruria Marl Clay since 1837 and are timeless, hardwearing, and naturally stronger.
As a full system solution, with all components and fittings optimised to work together, this gave N T Sweeting and the client total confidence. Added to this they used the manufacturer’s SpecMaster service and had bespoke support on call to make the project go smoothly from concept to completion.
A challenge overcome
The period features of the property really gave the contractors an interesting challenge. They had to work in and around distinctive, non-standard features – such as a 75-degree canonical turret, octagonal spire roof and multiple mitred hips and valleys, together with a lead finial at the apex. Coupled with this, the roof originally had four chimney stacks, but – as part of the refurbishment – one needed to be carefully removed, with the area tiled over. Meanwhile, the remaining three stacks were partially taken down and rebuilt with matching brickwork – meaning the roofing team needed to work closely with a quality mason to create a finish sympathetic to the building’s history but fit for the future.
This all required great communication and collaboration between N T Sweeting’s installation team and BMI Redland’s SpecMaster support team. As well as offering a full specification service and guarantee offering, the latter supported the installation with everyday service, support and advice to ensure the project ran smoothly from concept to completion.
Due to the location of the project being close to the banks of the Tees, the team had to work with caution and capability to manage the high level of moisture in the air and instances of bad wet weather. Each morning, they had to make sure they didn’t strip off too much of the old roof, so that areas could be covered and completed on the same day – minimising the impact of the weather on the roof, the house itself, and the project timeline.
Despite its many challenges, the intricate clay tile system was successfully
installed thanks to constant, clear communication between contractor, consultants and manufacturer.
Speaking about the success of the project, Neil Sweeting from NT Sweeting commented: “We found working with Steve Chappell from CSN Consulting and Frank Bainbridge from BMI Redland very rewarding. They have a wealth of experience within the roofing industry and were always available to offer advice to deal with any technical difficulties we encountered, their overall knowledge was a huge help.”
For further information on BMI visit https://www.bmigroup.com/
