A dry ridge looks, from the street, much like the ridge it replaces. The difference is underneath. Where the old ridge sat on a bed of mortar, the new one is held on by metal brackets and screws and sealed by a flexible roll, and the roofer who fits it spends far more time on the structure than on any finish. Knowing the order of work helps you judge a quote, ask the right questions on the day and spot a rushed job. This page follows a typical dry ridge fit from the scaffold going up to the site being cleared, and explains why each stage is there.
Before anything is touched: survey and system choice
A dry ridge job starts on the ground. The roofer measures the length of the ridge, notes the tile profile and checks which dry systems suit it. Systems are made for particular ridge tile shapes: half-round, angled, and the various interlocking profiles. A system that does not suit the tile will rattle, leak or lift. The survey also decides whether the existing ridge tiles can be reused, as our answer on whether old ridge tiles can be reused explains, or whether new ones are needed to match.
It is also the moment to look from the loft at the ridge board and the tops of the rafters, because the system fixes into them. If the timber is rotten or the ridge has dropped, the plan changes. Our page on what a dry ridge system is sets out the parts you will meet on the day.
Step 1: access and protection
Ridge work is done at the highest point of the roof, so safe access comes first. For most houses that means a scaffold to the eaves with a platform, or a tower for a low roof. Our answer on whether ridge work needs scaffolding explains why a ladder alone is not enough. Once it is up, the roofer protects the roof slopes and the garden below from falling debris, and clears the gutters if mortar will come down the slope.
Step 2: stripping the old ridge
The old ridge tiles are lifted off, one at a time, and set aside. The mortar bed beneath is chipped out and cleared down the slope or into a bag. It is dusty work, and it is easy to damage the field tiles on either side, so the roofer works with care and keeps the tiles' top edges intact. Any broken tiles are put aside. If the existing ridge tiles are to be reused, they are cleaned of old mortar.
Under the mortar, the roofer finds out what the ridge really was. The tops of the field tiles, the ridge board, the batten, the gap in between and any voids or rotten timber are all revealed. This is the stage at which a survey estimate meets the real condition, and a good roofer shows you.
Step 3: checking and repairing the structure
With the ridge open, the roofer checks the ridge board, the tops of the rafters and the top course of battens. Rotten sections are cut out and replaced. Loose battens are refixed. The top course of tiles on both slopes is checked and, where necessary, refixed so that the ridge line is straight and level. A ridge that dips will not sit well, whatever fixing is used, and the timber behind it is where a dip begins. Our guide to roof timbers describes the parts in play.
The top batten is critical. A dry ridge system fixes into a batten that runs along the ridge, usually set at the right height so the ridge tiles sit correctly over the field tiles. If the system includes a ridge batten with its own brackets, it is fixed into the rafters through the supplied fixings. On a trussed roof, the fixings go into the truss apexes. Either way, the aim is a continuous, solid fixing line.
Step 4: laying the ridge roll or sealing strip
Next, a flexible roll or strip is laid along the ridge, over the top edges of the field tiles on both sides. Most are made of a mesh or fabric faced with a foil or bitumen layer, with an adhesive edge or a line of fixings, and many allow air to pass so that the roof space can breathe. Its job is to close the gap between the ridge tile and the field tiles against wind-driven rain and snow, without sealing the roof space completely. Our page on ridge ventilation and condensation explains why that matters.
The roll is pressed into place so that it follows the profile of the tiles, with overlaps at joints. It should lie flat, without wrinkles that could lift in the wind.
Step 5: fixing the brackets and ridge tiles
Now the ridge tiles go back on. Each tile is placed on the roll and held down by a bracket or clip, which is screwed through to the batten or ridge board with a stainless steel or other corrosion-resistant screw. The brackets are spaced as the manufacturer specifies, so each tile is held at its fixing points and the joint between tiles is closed. The tile sits on the roll, not on mortar, and the screws pull it down tight.
- Set the first tile at the end of the ridge, usually with an end cap or ridge end tile fixed to the bracket.
- Fit the bracket for the next tile and screw it down into the batten.
- Place the tile so it locks onto the bracket or sits on its clip, with the joint gap as specified.
- Check alignment by eye along the ridge so the line is straight and the joints are even.
- Repeat to the end and fit the final end cap.
At every stage, the roofer checks that each tile is genuinely held, not just resting on the bracket. A gentle pull on each tile before moving on tells you.
Step 6: hips, junctions and ends
If the roof has hips, they are done in the same visit, using the hip fittings that come with the system. A hip bracket at the foot stops the tiles sliding, and the hip tiles are clipped along the line. Where the ridge meets a hip, a junction piece or a mitred cut closes the gap. At gable ends, the ridge end cap seals the finish. Our page on hips, hip irons and dry-hip kits covers the diagonal lines, and the answer on ridge end caps explains the finishing pieces.
These junctions take time, and they are where a rushed job shows. An open gap at a hip junction, or an end cap that has not been fixed, will rattle and leak within a season.
Step 7: checks and clear-up
Before the scaffold comes down, the roofer walks the ridge from the ladder or tower and checks every tile: is it fixed, is it level, are the joints even, is the roll sealed and are the ends closed? Photographs of the finished ridge are taken so you can see the result. The old mortar, the broken tiles and the packaging are bagged and taken away, the gutters are cleared if mortar has fallen into them and the garden is swept.
| Stage | What happens | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Survey | Measure ridge, match system to tile | Named system that suits your tile |
| Strip | Lift tiles, chip out mortar | Field tiles undamaged |
| Structure | Check and repair board and battens | Photographs of any rot found |
| Roll | Lay sealing roll along ridge | Flat, lapped, no wrinkles |
| Fix | Brackets screwed, tiles clipped | Every tile held, even joints |
| Finish | Hips, ends, junctions, clear-up | Closed ends, no loose waste |
How long it takes, and what can delay it
A typical semi-detached house is often a matter of a day or two, once the scaffold is in place, although this varies with the length of the ridge, the number of hips and whether timber repairs are needed. Weather is the main variable. A dry ridge does not need to cure, so cold does not stop it as it would a mortar job, but rain stops work because the ridge is open when the old tiles are off, and high wind makes it unsafe. A careful roofer closes the ridge each evening or covers it so that rain cannot reach the loft. If work stops mid-job, ask how the exposed ridge is protected.
For the money side, see what ridge repairs cost. A published UK guide reckons £900 to £1,600 for a dry ridge on a semi, scaffold excluded, and £300 to £900 for the scaffold. Take those as typical UK ranges and not Beacon prices; no fixed quote is given until the survey is done.
Reuse, matching and what shows afterwards
Because the ridge tiles are the most visible part of a dry ridge, the tile choice matters. Reclaimed ridge tiles keep the weathered colour of the roof and blend in, but they may be cracked, and a chipped edge can stop a bracket seating properly. New tiles seat accurately but can stand out for a season or two until they weather. Where the match matters, we lay out a few reclaimed and new tiles on the ground in daylight beside the roof so you can choose. The ends of the dry system, the caps and the roll, are the parts most likely to show the difference, and they come in a range of colours.
From the ground, a well-fitted dry ridge shows an even line, tight joints and no gaps beneath the tiles. If you can see the roll, or a joint looks open, ask about it.
Standards and approvals
The tiling code, BS 5534:2014, wants mechanical fixing of the ridge, and BS 8612:2018 sets performance requirements for dry-fix systems. A properly fitted dry ridge sits within both. It is normally small enough work not to need a building control application by itself, as long as it is not part of a larger re-covering, but if you are unsure ask your council's building control team. A side-by-side look at dry and mortar ridges sets out when dry is the better choice.
What we do
We follow these stages on every dry ridge job, and we photograph each one so that you can see the condition of your ridge before and after. If something unexpected is found when the old ridge comes off, we show you and agree the next step before going further. The price is fixed in writing, the work is backed by a ten-year written workmanship guarantee, and the waste leaves with us. Our wider ridge tile repair service covers hips, verges and mortar work, and pitched roofing in Basingstoke covers the rest of the tiled roof.
