What is a dry-fix hip and ridge system?

A dry-fix hip and ridge holds the hip and ridge tiles mechanically, with clips and screws onto a batten and a ventilated roll, instead of bedding them in mortar. Each tile is fixed down individually, so there is no mortar to crack or wash out over time.

Is dry fixing better than mortar bedding?

Dry fixing holds every hip and ridge tile mechanically, so it copes with movement and high wind and does not need repointing as the mortar ages. It also lets the roof breathe at the ridge. For most re-tiles it is the more durable, lower-maintenance option.

How long does it take to re-cover a hipped roof?

It depends on the size of the roof, the number of hips and the access, but a straightforward hipped roof re-covered with a dry-fix hip and ridge is usually a small number of days on site. We confirm the timeframe in the written quote.

Do you tidy up and leave a record of the work?

Yes. We work off a full scaffold, clear the roof and site down at the end, and leave a written photographic record of the work. We are fully insured throughout.

Case Study 09

Bletchley: a hipped roof re-tiled and made watertight.

A hipped roof in Bletchley stripped back, re-felted and battened, then re-covered in fresh concrete interlocking tiles, with the hip and ridge run on a mechanically fixed dry system that needs no mortar to stay put.

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Freshly re-tiled hipped roof slope in brown concrete interlocking tiles, worked off a scaffold

01/Project brief

Pitched roofing · Repair

A hipped roof, re-covered to last.

This is a hipped roof, with slopes meeting at the corners along the hip lines and a run of ridge across the top. The covering was renewed in fresh concrete interlocking tiles, laid in clean, even courses. Where the old work would have relied on mortar, the hip and ridge here are run on a dry, mechanically fixed system, so every capping tile is clipped and screwed down rather than bedded in mortar that can crack and let go.

Roof typeHipped pitched
CoveringConcrete tile
Hip & ridgeDry-fixed

02/Project specification

Specification

The specification.

Every line item, on the record.

Finished hipped roof showing the dry-fixed hip line, ridge and new concrete interlocking tiles — Project card
Hipped Roof, Re-Tiled
Concrete interlocking tiles · Dry-fix hip & ridge · Milton Keynes

01 The brief

ClientPrivate residential ownerLocationMilton Keynes areaPropertyResidential hipped pitched roofScopeRoof re-covered, hip and ridge renewed

02 The work

CoveringConcrete interlocking tiles, laid in even coursesHipsDry-fix hip tiles, clipped and screwed downRidgeDry ridge, mechanically fixed with no mortarAccessFull scaffold to the eaves, worked off the ridge

03 Sign-off

CheckHips, ridge and verges checked over before strikeLeftRoof and site cleared downRecordWritten photographic record throughout

03/Work breakdown

Stage by stage

Four stages, from covering to fixed ridge.

A hipped roof keeps water out when the courses run true and the hip and ridge are held down properly. The order of operations on this one.

Hipped roof slope re-covered in fresh brown concrete interlocking tiles in even courses

Stage 01

01 Re-cover slopes

Re-cover the hipped slopes.

The slopes were re-covered in fresh concrete interlocking tiles, set in straight, even courses that run clean from ridge to eaves on every face of the hip.

Hip tiles run down the hip line, closing the two slopes together neatly at the corner

Stage 02

02 Run the hips

Run the hip lines.

The hip tiles were run down each hip over a dry union, closing the two slopes together neatly and squarely where they meet at the corner.

Hip and ridge caps held on a dry-fix system, each one clipped and screwed down

Stage 03

03 Dry-fix the caps

Mechanically fix the caps.

Rather than bed the caps in mortar, the hip and ridge tiles are held on a dry-fix system, each one clipped and screwed down so nothing relies on mortar to stay put.

The finished hipped roof with the ridge, hips and verges checked over and left clean

Stage 04

04 Check and finish

Check and finish.

The ridge line, hips and verges were checked over, the clips seated, and the whole roof left clean before the scaffold came down.

04/Craft note

Why dry fixing matters

Why the hips are worth fixing down.

A hipped roof carries a lot of hip and ridge line. Every corner has a hip running from ridge to eaves, and the ridge runs the length of the roof, so on a roof like this the capping tiles are most of what keeps the weather out. Traditionally they were bedded in mortar, and as that mortar ages it cracks, lets go and starts to wash out, which is where a lot of roofs first begin to leak.

The answer used to be to repoint it every few years. Doing it once and properly means fixing the caps mechanically instead. On a dry-fix system each hip and ridge tile is held on a clip and a screw over a ventilated roll, so it copes with movement and high wind, there is no mortar to crack, and the ridge is left to breathe rather than sealed shut.

It is the sort of detail nobody notices when it is right and everybody notices when it is wrong. Fixed down properly, the hips and ridge on this roof should sit tight and see out the covering underneath them.

Free roof survey

Hips or ridge looking tired? Start with a survey.

A family member will walk the roof, discuss your options clearly, and follow up with a fixed-price written quote within one working day.