By Basingstoke Roofing Experts · Call 0125 624 2410
If you are re-roofing a 1960s property on one of Basingstoke's overspill estates, choosing the right replacement tile is important. The wrong choice can cause fitting problems, void guarantees, and even overload the roof structure. Here are the best options for Basingstoke's 1960s housing.
Most 1960s Basingstoke estates used concrete interlocking tiles: Redland 49, Marley Modern, Marley Ludlow Plus, and Redland Renown. These large-format tiles were quick to lay — critical during the rapid overspill construction — and relatively cheap. They were designed for a 50–60 year life, which is why so many are now failing.
Marley Edgemere — the most popular replacement for 1960s estate re-roofs. Same interlocking format, similar dimensions, wide colour range. Around £1.20 per tile. Excellent value and widely stocked.
Redland Grovebury — Redland's equivalent to the Edgemere. Slightly different profile but compatible with 1960s roof structures. Around £1.30 per tile.
Russell Grampian — another strong option with a slightly textured finish. Around £1.40 per tile. Good weather performance in exposed positions.
Do not use clay plain tiles on a 1960s trussed rafter roof without structural assessment — the different weight and fixing pattern may overload rafters designed for concrete interlocking. Do not use imported budget tiles from unknown manufacturers — quality control varies and replacement tiles may not be available in 10 years. Do not reuse original tiles even if some look sound — if the fixings have corroded, the tiles have also deteriorated internally.
Modern replacement tiles must be fixed with stainless steel or aluminium alloy nails — never iron or mild steel, which caused the nail sickness problem in the first place. BS 5534 specifies fixing requirements based on location and exposure — on Basingstoke's estates, every tile on perimeter courses and every other tile on general areas must be mechanically fixed.
Roofing is one of the few trades where the customer usually cannot see the work being discussed. That asymmetry is why getting a second opinion on any significant quote is sensible — not because most roofers are dishonest, but because specifications genuinely vary and comparing them is the only way to know what you are buying.
When comparing quotes, look past the headline figure. Does each quote include scaffold? Are materials named by manufacturer or described vaguely as "quality tiles"? Is waste disposal included? Is there a written guarantee, and what does it actually cover? A quote that is £500 cheaper but omits scaffold and dry ridge is not cheaper at all.
Ask what happens if additional problems are found once work starts. A good answer describes a process: stop, photograph, discuss, agree cost, then continue. A vague answer suggests you may face unexpected charges. Ask what guarantee is provided and request it in writing. Ask whether the guarantee transfers if you sell — a transferable guarantee is a genuine selling point.
Finally, ask for references from recent local work. Any roofer confident in their standards will provide them readily, and following up two or three takes ten minutes that could save you thousands.
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors publishes technical guidance for homeowners covering material selection, standards compliance and choosing a contractor. Your local authority building control department can advise on when notification or approval is required. For conservation area and listed building work, the Basingstoke and Deane conservation officer is the definitive source on what materials will be acceptable.
For anything specific to your own roof, a professional inspection is worth more than any amount of general reading. Call 0125 624 2410 — advice costs nothing and there is no obligation to book work.
General roofing advice only takes you so far, because the right answer depends heavily on what your roof is actually made of and when it went on. Basingstoke's housing splits into clear eras and each behaves differently.
The 1960s–70s overspill estates — Popley, Winklebury, South Ham, Oakridge, Buckskin and Black Dam — account for over a third of the town's stock and were roofed with concrete interlocking tiles on iron nail fixings. Those fixings are now 50 to 65 years old and failing across whole slopes at once, because they were all installed within a few years of each other. Anything you read about roof maintenance needs filtering through that: on these roofs the covering is often sound while the thing holding it on is not.
The 1980s–2000s estates — Chineham, Kempshott, Lychpit, Hatch Warren and Beggarwood — have decades of life left in the covering. What fails there is mortar and detailing: ridge and verge bedding, and flashing junctions at dormers and extensions where volume housebuilders used mastic instead of lead. Those are cheap fixes caught early and expensive ones left alone.
Old Basing and the older pockets around the Top of Town are different again. Handmade clay and natural slate last 80 to 150 years, so a century-old roof may have half its life remaining. Conservation area requirements mean matched materials and lime mortar, which changes both the method and the cost.
Roofing is one of the few trades where the customer cannot see the work being discussed, cannot watch it happen and cannot properly assess it afterwards. That asymmetry is why comparing quotes properly matters more here than almost anywhere else.
When you compare, look past the headline number. Does each quote include scaffold as its own line? Are materials named by manufacturer, or described vaguely as quality tiles? Is waste disposal included? Is there a written guarantee, and what does it actually cover? A quote £500 cheaper that omits scaffold, new battens and dry ridge is not cheaper — it is a smaller job wearing the same name.
Ask what happens if additional problems appear once work starts. A good answer describes a process: stop, photograph, discuss, agree the cost, continue. A vague answer means you may face charges you did not sign up for.
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors publishes technical guidance for homeowners on material selection, standards compliance and choosing a contractor. Your local authority building control team can advise on when notification or approval is required. For conservation area and listed building work in Old Basing or Whitchurch, the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council conservation officer is the definitive source on acceptable materials.
For anything specific to your own roof, an inspection is worth more than any amount of general reading. Call 0125 624 2410 — advice costs nothing and there is no obligation to book work.
Call 0125 624 2410 for a free, no-obligation quote.
Roofing decisions rarely exist in isolation. A question about repair costs usually leads to a question about whether replacement makes more sense, which leads to material choices, which leads to what a good quote should contain. Our other guides cover each of these in the same detail as this one.
If you are working through a specific decision and want to talk it through rather than read about it, call 0125 624 2410. There is no charge for advice and no expectation that you will book anything. We would rather you made a well-informed decision — even if that decision is to use someone else — than an uninformed one.
General guidance takes you only so far. The right answer for a 1960s system-built terrace in Popley is different from the right answer for a Victorian cottage in Old Basing or a 2000s detached in Beggarwood. Housing era, roof structure, exposure and existing condition all shape what is appropriate.
A free inspection resolves this in under an hour. We look at your actual roof, tell you what we find, and give you a written assessment you can act on or file for reference. No obligation either way.
Primarily Redland 49, Marley Modern, and Marley Ludlow Plus — large-format concrete interlocking tiles designed for rapid installation during the overspill building programme.
Marley Edgemere is the most popular choice — same format as the originals, widely available, around £1.20 per tile. Redland Grovebury and Russell Grampian are equally good alternatives.
Possible but requires structural assessment. Clay plain tiles use a different fixing pattern and the cumulative weight per square metre may differ. The roof structure must be confirmed as adequate before proceeding.
Stainless steel or aluminium alloy — never iron or mild steel. Iron nails caused the nail sickness crisis on 1960s housing. Modern stainless fixings will outlast the tiles themselves.
Not recommended. If the nails have corroded (which they have on 60-year-old roofs), the tiles have also been exposed to the same moisture for the same period. Internal deterioration may not be visible. New tiles and new fixings are the only reliable combination.
A typical 3-bed semi needs approximately 1,200–1,500 concrete interlocking tiles. We calculate exact quantities from roof measurements during our free survey.
Modern through-coloured concrete tiles maintain their colour for decades. The colour-coated surface tiles used in the 1960s faded because the colour was only on the surface — modern tiles are coloured throughout the concrete mix.
No call-out fees. No obligation. Just an honest quote from a local Basingstoke roofer who'll turn up when they say they will.
0125 624 2410Last updated: August 2026