What does rebedding a hip involve?

Rebedding a hip means stripping off the old cracked mortar bedding, resetting the hip tiles straight in fresh mortar along the whole line, and striking the pointing so it sheds water. Any slipped cut tiles running into the hip are resecured at the same time.

How long does a hip re-bed take?

A single hip line rebedded and the cut tiles resecured is usually a one-day job when it is caught early. Access, weather and the length of the hip can change that.

Why not just point over the cracks?

Smearing fresh mortar over cracked bedding lasts a season. Doing it properly means stripping the tired bedding right off and rebedding the whole hip in one consistent run, so it does not crack straight back.

What happens if a slipping hip is left?

A slipping hip stops shedding water and lets it track into the roof, which shows up as damp in the room below. Left long enough it turns into slipped tiles and water in the timbers, so it is far cheaper to catch early.

Case Study 05

Bletchley: a hip put right.

Loose hip tiles and slipped cuts on a Bletchley home. The full hip line was rebedded in fresh mortar and the cut tiles resecured, so the ridge sits tight and sheds water the way it should.

Request Free Survey Call 07497 711223

Freshly rebedded hip line in new mortar with replacement cut tiles on a Bletchley roof

01/Project brief

Project brief

A slipping hip is a small job that matters.

The owner had noticed the hip tiles starting to move and a couple of cut tiles slipping out of line. Left alone, that is exactly where a roof begins to let water in, so the fix was straightforward but worth doing properly: strip the loose bedding off the hip, rebed the whole line in fresh mortar, and resecure the cut tiles so nothing can work its way loose again.

DurationOne day
WorkHip rebedded
AlsoCut tiles resecured

02/Project specification

Specification

The specification.

Every line item, on the record.

Hip tiles being rebedded in fresh mortar on a Bletchley pitched roof — Project card
Bletchley Hip Re-Bed
One day on site · Rebedded hip, resecured cuts · Bletchley

01 The brief

ClientPrivate residential ownerLocationBletchley, Milton KeynesPropertyResidential pitched concrete tile roofDurationOne day on site

02 The work

Hip lineOld bedding stripped, hip tiles rebedded in fresh mortarCut tilesSlipped cuts resecured along the hipPointingFresh mortar struck and pointed to shed waterAccessScaffold tower and roof ladders, worked off the ridge

03 Sign-off

CheckRidge and adjoining courses checked while up thereRecordWritten photographic recordRecordWritten photographic record throughout

Weathered hip line with slipped cut tiles and tired bedding before the repair

Freshly rebedded hip in new mortar with resecured cut tiles after the repair

03/ Before & after

One day. A hip line that sits tight again.

Before After

LocationBletchley

WorkHip re-bed

TimeframeOne day

ScopeRebed + resecure cuts

04/Work breakdown

Stage by stage

Four stages, from strip to struck pointing.

A hip only keeps water out if the bedding is sound and the cuts are held. The order of operations that put this one right.

Weathered hip line with slipped cut tiles and tired, cracked mortar bedding before the repair

Stage 01

01 Strip the bedding

Strip the tired bedding.

The old, cracked mortar bedding was raked and lifted off the hip line, and the hip tiles carefully set aside so we could start from a clean, sound course.

Hip tiles rebedded in fresh mortar, set straight and true along the hip line

Stage 02

02 Rebed the hip

Rebed the hip in fresh mortar.

The full hip line was rebedded in fresh mortar, each hip tile set back down straight and true so the line runs clean from ridge to eaves.

Fresh mortar hip with the slipped cut tiles lifted, cleaned and resecured

Stage 03

03 Resecure cuts

Resecure the cut tiles.

The slipped cut tiles running into the hip were lifted, cleaned and resecured, so there are no loose edges left to lift in the wind or let water track underneath.

The completed hip and ridge, struck and pointed, checked over before coming off the roof

Stage 04

04 Point and finish

Point and finish.

The fresh mortar was struck and pointed to throw water clear of the joint, and the ridge and adjoining courses checked over before we came off the roof.

05/Detail gallery

On site

The details that make the finish.

Hip and ridge, complete

Fresh mortar hip

Rebedding the hip

The hip before

06/Craft note

Why bedding matters

Why a hip is worth doing properly.

A hip is one of those details that most people never think about until it starts to go. It is the line where two roof slopes meet, capped by hip tiles bedded in mortar, with cut tiles running into it on both sides. When the bedding cracks and the cuts slip, the hip stops shedding water and starts letting it in, usually showing up as damp in the room below long before anyone spots it on the roof.

The temptation is to smear a bit of fresh mortar over the cracks and call it done. That lasts a winter. Doing it properly means stripping the tired bedding right off, rebedding the whole hip line in one go so it is consistent, resecuring the cut tiles that have moved, and striking the pointing so water runs off the joint rather than sitting in it.

It is a one-day job when it is caught early. Left too long, a slipping hip turns into slipped tiles, water in the timbers, and a much bigger bill. This one was caught in good time and put right in a day.