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Stockport School with Rosemary Clay Classic
The Project
Every roof has a limited life span, and every roof needs repairing eventually – but when the roof of a large and very busy school is beginning to fail, immediate action is needed to protect the heritage school building from potential damage. After many years of wear and tear, the roof of Stockport School in Greater Manchester, was in dire need of a roof refurbishment, and had been identified as a priority by Stockport Council to upgrade. Due to the strong reputation of its SpecMaster specification service and the quality of its tiles, BMI Redland was chosen by Fulwood Roofing and Conlon Construction to supply the new roof system and solutions for a complete roof refurbishment.
The school building itself dates back to the early 20th century and is comprised of 24 individual roofs with many hips and valleys. Each roof was in urgent need of refurbishment to retain the lifespan of the building and ensure safety of students and staff for years to come. This made for a 4,000 square metre retiling, equating to roughly 240,000 Rosemary Clay Classic tiles.
The refurbishment was part of a 12-month contract starting from August of 2020. A major requirement for the successful completion of this project was that BMI Redland needed to have sufficient tiles in stock from a product lead time perspective. But as would quickly become apparent, this was on the smaller side of the challenges that would present themselves.
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The Challenge
The Challenge
A complete Redland SpecMaster service was designed, which provides a 15-year whole roof guarantee, a bespoke design brief and specification, and therefore a roof that would truly fit the project. In doing so, the Redland Rosemary Clay Classic Tile in Russet Mix was identified as the most fitting solution for the project, both because the high-quality tile offers great durability and performance but also because the tile fit the aesthetic requirements for a school in a conservation area.
While Rosemary Clay Classic tiles come into their own for longevity and aesthetics, laying clay plain tiles requires higher skill than standard interlocking tiles tiles. Clay tiles are heated at 1000OC in a kiln and then left to cool, and because clay is a natural material, the shrinking process can result in a slight variation in size of the finished tiles (up to 5mm). While this natural variation creates much of the character and look of a traditional clay roof, on a roof of this size obviously a lot of small variances can add up.
The Solution
The Solution
Fulwood Roofing implemented a smart process to ensure the tiles were laid straight. They took a mean measurement of ten tiles and ensured that every set of ten tiles was in keeping with this measurement along a perpendicular line. This showed that the installers, one of which had never worked on clay plain tiles before, were highly skilled, smart, and capable of working on such a difficult task.
The roofers overcame the irregular surface of the roof by laying the underlay system in such a way that from the outside the roof appeared level, despite the internal structure telling a different story. Fulwood Roofing were able to prevent the UV degradation that the underlay was at risk of too. By working small sections at a time and then tiling over the underlay almost immediately. This was especially important as the installation ran over two summers, which is when the sun is its most potent.
To avoid disruption between roofers and students the contractors gave a schedule to the school detailing which of the school’s 24 roofs they were going to work on and when. The school could then meticulously manoeuvre students around the school and had certain areas closed off in accordance with the roofing schedule. COVID affected this aspect of the project too, however in a more unique fashion. Although the installers were undergoing stringent COVID tests, the restrictions actually made installation easier, as the students were not actually attending school for some of this time.
Testimonial
Testimonial
“Everything was first class from a product point of view. You can’t get quality work done without quality products, and luckily for us, we had a great team on site, as well as great products. Working during covid and the supply chain issues that came with that, BMI Redland really kept the project going. The product and the finished aesthetics are really great.”
Stephen Bithell, Roofing Contractor, Fulwood Roofing
The Impact
The Impact
The refurbishment of Stockport School has restored not just a lively school, but a key building in the area. Fulwood Roofing were able to deliver a complete solution just two weeks after the date outlined in the initial contract. However, running slightly over was to be expected, as the school increased the scope of the project towards the end.
The recent roof refurbishment of Stockport School in Greater Manchester is a key example of expert craftsmanship to ensure that a school with a long and prestigious history can continue to serve its community for decades to come.
The completion of all 24 roofs, whilst battling many external challenges, speaks to the potency of the custom Redland SpecMaster specification but also the importance of highly skilled and professional standards of work.
Stockport School project scoops NFRC 2023 Industry Choice Award
Stockport School project scoops NFRC 2023 Industry Choice Award
Fulwood Roofing, in collaboration with Redland, has been honoured with the esteemed Industry Choice Award for their remarkable re-roofing project at Stockport School, Greater Manchester. The project showcased the exemplary workmanship and the successful utilization of BMI Redland's SpecMaster service and Rosemary Clay Classic system. Despite facing various challenges, such as century-old wooden timbers, and the need for UV degradation protection, on the 24 roofs of the school, Fulwood Roofing's ingenuity and the support from BMI Redland ensured a successful outcome.
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