New and replacement tiled and flat roofs for homes in Rotterdam and the surrounding towns
Dean Verbouw & Renovatie takes on roofing in Rotterdam and the towns around it, working from our base in Spaanse Polder in the north-west of the city. That might mean stripping and relaying a pitched tiled roof or swapping a tired flat roof for new bitumen or EPDM. Once a roof is past patching, more repairs just buy time. So we take the old covering off, see what's underneath and build the roof back up one layer at a time. With the roof open anyway, it's also the easiest moment to add insulation. And if the gutters, paintwork or garden need doing afterwards, you're still talking to the same people.
Get a quote for your roof
- 1Tell us about your roof
- 2We visit and measure up
- 3You get a written quote
Call us, or email a few lines on what needs doing and where you live. Photos of the roof, gutter or paving help.
- Free quote
- Price agreed in writing
- Roof and ground
- Painting & cleaning
- English & Nederlands
Why replace
What a new roof in Rotterdam actually gets you
A roof that keeps leaking in new places ends up costing more than one that's done properly once. Here's where you'll notice it.
A dry loft again
A new tiled roof gets a fresh breathable membrane under the tiles (the Dutch call it folie). It catches the rain that wind drives between the tiles and sends it down to the gutter rather than onto your loft floor.
Insulation without the upheaval
With the tiles and battens off, the roof structure is exposed. Fitting insulation boards from the outside at that stage is far less disruptive than doing it from inside later, and the house holds on to its heat better.
No more puddles on the flat roof
When we replace a flat roof, we check the fall as well. If water sits on it for days after rain, we correct the slope before the new bitumen or EPDM goes down.
Ridge tiles that stay put
The ridge takes the brunt of the wind, and with the North Sea this close, Rotterdam gets plenty of it. We fix the ridge tiles mechanically with clips over a ventilated ridge roll, so an autumn gale can't easily prise them loose.
Tiles that suit the house
A 1930s block in Blijdorp calls for a different tile from a 1970s terrace in Ommoord. We match profile and colour to the street. Blijdorp/Bergpolder and Kralingen-Midden are protected cityscapes (beschermd stadsgezicht), where extra rules can apply, so if your home is in one we'll tell you before anything is ordered.
One firm for the whole job
Gutters, leadwork, fascias and paintwork can all be done while the scaffold is up. No lining up three separate trades and hoping they arrive in the right order.
Tiled or flat
Two kinds of roof, two ways of building them
On a pitched roof, most of the work goes into layers you'll never see again. Membrane first, then counter battens and tile battens, and only then the tiles, each spaced so air can move underneath. A flat roof is a different animal. There, one continuous waterproof layer does the job. Bitumen goes down in two layers, torched or bonded, while EPDM is a rubber membrane that can often cover the whole roof in one sheet. Which suits you depends on the deck underneath, how often you go up there and what's on it now. Rotterdam has a lot of flat roofs, on portiekflats (walk-up blocks), post-war housing and extensions, so we see the second kind often.
- Pitched roofs: tiles, battens, counter battens and breathable membrane
- Ridge tiles relaid and mechanically fixed
- Flat roofs: two-layer bitumen or EPDM
- Insulation added while the roof is open
- Tidy junctions around dormers and chimneys
How it works
From the first look to a watertight roof
Most people replace a roof once or twice in their lives, if that. So before we start, we explain each stage and the order it happens in.
- 01
Survey and measure
We visit, get up on the roof or into the loft and check the tiles, battens, membrane or flat-roof covering. We also measure up and work out how to get the materials up there safely.
- 02
Written quote
The quote splits the job into its parts: which tile or covering, insulation or not, how the old roof is taken away. You can see what you're paying for and compare it with other quotes.
- 03
Scaffold up, old roof off
On the agreed day the scaffold goes up. We strip the old roof in sections, so at the end of each working day nothing is left open to the weather.
- 04
Rebuild and insulate
Rotten boarding or timber is replaced first. Then the insulation, membrane, counter battens and battens go on, or the new covering on a flat roof. Each layer is checked before the next one hides it.
- 05
Finish and hand over
Ridge tiles, edges, lead or zinc flashing and the join with the gutter complete the roof. We clear up, walk you round the job and show you photos of the layers that are now out of sight.
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What next?
Send us a message about what needs doing. A quote costs you nothing.
Ask for a quote →
Questions
Your questions about a new roof in Rotterdam
When is replacing better than repairing?
If leaks keep turning up in new places, the battens have gone soft, or a flat roof is blistered and cracked all over, repairs only put off the inevitable. A single broken tile or a failed flashing is a different matter and well worth fixing. Once we've seen the roof, we'll tell you straight which side of that line yours is on.
Bitumen or EPDM for my flat roof?
Both work well on a house. Bitumen is tough and copes with being walked on, which helps if there's equipment up there or you go up often. EPDM is light, flexible and has very few seams. The existing deck and what's on the roof now matter too, so we set out the options with the pros and cons of each. Thinking of a green roof later on? The gemeente Rotterdam encourages green roofs and keeping rainwater out of the sewers. Check the council website for what's on offer at the moment, and we'll pick a covering that can take the extra layer.
Should I insulate while the roof is off?
You don't have to, but you won't get a better chance. The structure is open, so insulation can go on from the outside without turning your loft upside down. On a flat roof it sits under the new covering. We price it as a separate line in the quote so the choice is yours.
Do I need a permit for a new roof?
For routine maintenance on an ordinary house, usually not. If your home is a listed building (monument), even renewing the whole tiled roof with the same kind of tile can need a permit. A protected cityscape, or a change to the roof's shape, colour or material, often brings different rules too. Run the permit check on the national Omgevingsloket website or ask the gemeente Rotterdam before you commit.
How long does a roof replacement take?
It depends on the size of the roof, how easy it is to reach and the weather. A simple terraced-house roof is a different job from a big block with several dormers. The quote states how many working days we expect, and if rain pushes things back, we'll let you know.
Related
More work on the outside of your home
Service area
Roofing in Rotterdam and nearby
We work on roofs right across Rotterdam: pre-war blocks in Blijdorp and the Oude Noorden, terraces in Ommoord and Zevenkamp, post-war flats in Zuidwijk and Pendrecht. Outside the city we cover places such as Schiedam, Vlaardingen and Capelle aan den IJssel.
- Rotterdam
- Schiedam
- Vlaardingen
- Capelle a/d IJssel
- Krimpen a/d IJssel
- Barendrecht
- Ridderkerk
- Rhoon
- Berkel en Rodenrijs
- Bergschenhoek
- Maassluis
- Spijkenisse
Want to know what your roof needs?
Send us a message or give us a call. We'll come and have a look, and you'll get a quote you can take your time over.