What it is

Weather protection that keeps the job moving

A temporary roof is a covered structure built over the top of a scaffold, spanning the building so work can continue underneath with the existing roof stripped back or removed entirely. It's the difference between a re-roof that runs to schedule and one that stops every time it rains.

The cost of not having one is rarely just lost days. Water getting into an open building damages ceilings, plaster and floors that were never part of the job, and those repairs come out of somebody's budget. On an occupied house or a working commercial building, that risk is usually the deciding factor.

Systems are built to suit the span and the job - sheeted or shrink-wrapped, with the pitch and clearance set by what needs to happen underneath.

Request a temporary roof systems quote

Tell us about the job and we'll come back with a clear price - no obligation. Prefer to talk it through? Call 01223 756 576.

No obligation. We'll usually come back to you the same working day.

Why choose us

Dry building, predictable programme

Work doesn't stop

Trades keep working through wet weather instead of standing down, which is usually where the cost of a temporary roof pays for itself.

The building stays dry

No water into open ceilings, floors or plaster while the roof is off - the damage that isn't in anyone's quote.

Built for the span

Pitch, clearance and covering are set by what has to happen underneath, not pulled off a standard spec.

When you need it

When a temporary roof is worth it

Full re-roofs and roof replacements, structural repairs where the roof has to come off, fire or storm damage reinstatement, and any roofing work over an occupied building where water getting in isn't an option. Longer jobs running through autumn and winter are the obvious candidates - if the programme spans weeks of British weather, the maths usually favours covering it.

Temporary roofs sit on top of a scaffold structure, so they're normally quoted alongside residential or commercial scaffolding rather than on their own. Where work happens above an area still in use, safety scaffolding can be built in underneath.

We install temporary roofs across Cambridge, Ely, Royston and the surrounding area - see all areas we cover.

How it works

How a temporary roof goes up

1

We look at the span

The building's width, height and what needs to happen underneath set the design - there's no standard size.

2

Scaffold first

The supporting scaffold goes up and is checked, because the roof structure loads onto it.

3

Roof and sheeting

Beams span the building and the covering goes on, sealed at the edges to keep weather out.

4

Off when the roof's on

Once the permanent roof is complete and watertight, the temporary structure comes down with the scaffold.

Questions

Temporary roofs, explained

On a short job in settled weather, often not. On a full re-roof, an occupied building, or anything running through autumn and winter, it usually pays for itself in days not lost and water damage avoided. We'll tell you honestly which situation you're in rather than selling one in by default.

A properly built and sealed temporary roof keeps weather off the working area and the structure below it. It's designed to make the building workable in rain, not to be a permanent roof - which is why it comes off as soon as the real one is watertight.

Yes, and that's often exactly why one is needed. Keeping the inside of a lived-in house or a trading business dry while the roof is off is usually the whole reason for covering it.

Yes - the roof structure is supported by the scaffold beneath it, so the two are designed and quoted together rather than separately.

Get a free quote

Tell us about the job and we'll come back with a clear price - no obligation.