Canterbury · Solar panel roofing
Hipped re-roof in interlocking tiles with in-roof solar, Canterbury
A Canterbury house with a roof that has a lot going on: hips on every side, valleys, a dormer and a chimney, with the neighbouring roofs tight against it. We stripped it, laid new breathable membrane and new battens, did the leadwork around the chimney, and re-covered it in interlocking tiles laid up to in-roof solar on several slopes. We did the roof; the panels were fitted by a solar company we work closely with. The photos run from 13 October 2026, with the scaffold up, to the finished roof from the air on 30 October.
- Property
- House with a hipped roof, dormer and chimney
- Covering
- Interlocking tiles
- Underlay
- New breathable membrane
- Battens
- New battens throughout
- Chimney
- Leadwork around the chimney
- Solar
- In-roof panels on several slopes, fitted by our solar partner
- Photos
- 13 to 30 October 2026
A roof with a lot of junctions
Most roofs are two slopes and a ridge. This one has hips on every side, valleys where the back sections join the main roof, a dormer, and a chimney coming through where several slopes meet. Every one of those is a junction where the membrane, battens and tiles have to be cut and dressed in properly, and every one is a place where an older roof tends to start letting water in. The photo from above on 20 October, with the whole roof membraned and battened, shows how many there are.
Membrane and battens first
The old covering came off and new breathable membrane went down with new battens over it. Around the dormer the membrane and battens were taken right up to the dormer side rather than stopping short of it, because that edge is where water finds its way in if the detail is rushed.
Lead at the chimney
The chimney sits where several slopes meet, which makes it the most awkward junction on the roof. The lead around it was dressed in on 23 October, while the battens were still open, so the tiles could then be laid up to it.
Tiling up to the solar
With in-roof solar, the mounting trays are fixed in at batten level and the tiles are laid up to them, so the panels end up almost flush with the roof instead of standing on brackets above it. It only works if the tiles are set out to meet the trays cleanly at the top, bottom and sides, and the trays have to go in while the roof is open, which is why it makes most sense when the roof is being replaced anyway. The 27 October photo shows the tiles going up to the trays, the panels went in on 29 October, and by 30 October the scaffold was down.
The job, in order
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