Commercial Roofing
/ Cladding

Cambridge Roof Exchange refurbishes the roofs and walls of working industrial and commercial buildings: warehouses, factories, distribution centres and offices. Whether your building needs new wall cladding, an overclad of a tired metal roof, or a full strip and re-sheet of an old asbestos cement roof, we design, supply and install the whole envelope, and we plan every job around keeping your site running.

Overcladding and replacement

Most of our cladding work is refurbishment rather than new build. Overcladding fixes a new insulated system over the existing roof or walls, so the building stays weathertight and in use throughout and the old sheets don’t need stripping and skipping. On our warehouse overclad in Swindon, for example, we installed a new system over a badly corroded metal roof without any tear-off. Because the new system is insulated, it also cuts heat loss and can help lift your EPC rating towards the standards landlords and occupiers now have to meet. Where the existing cladding has to come off, including asbestos cement sheeting, we remove it safely and replace it with modern profiled metal sheeting, finished with matching flashings, gutters and downpipes.

From survey to handover

We take each project from the first survey through to handover. Our in-house team covers design, procurement, project management and customer care, so you deal with one contractor from start to finish. We also handle building control and structural compliance on your behalf, and we’ll explain clearly what your building needs and why before any work is priced.

Experience

Our team has spent its working life in industrial roofing and cladding, and that experience shows in the advice we give as much as in the work on site. We have delivered large refurbishment programmes across the UK for clients including Sealed Air, Iron Mountain, Aldi, Wenzels, Luton Ambulance Station and Convatec, often on buildings that stayed fully operational while we worked overhead. Our 5,000 m² refurbishment of the Sealed Air warehouse in St Neots is a good example of the kind of project we do best.

Health, safety and accreditations

Working at height on a live site leaves no room for shortcuts. Every job is planned with its own risk assessment and method statement, and our dedicated Health and Safety Manager, accredited to the highest

levels, oversees safety across all of our projects. We are certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 for quality, environmental management and health and safety, and we are NFRC members, SafeContractor approved and CITB registered.

Closing call to action

Thinking about recladding or overcladding a building? Request a survey and we’ll come out, assess the roof and walls, and r

ecommend the right solution for your building and your budget. If you’re still weighing up your options, our guidesfor owners of older factories and warehouses cover repair versus replacement, asbestos roofs and planning insulation and solar together.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I overclad my building or replace the cladding completely?
It depends on the condition of what’s there now. If the existing sheets and the structure beneath them are sound, overcladding is usually quicker, less disruptive and better value, because nothing needs stripping out. If the sheets are badly corroded, failing structurally, or are asbestos cement that needs to come off, full replacement is the better option. Our survey will tell you which applies to your building.

Can you carry out the work while our

building is in use?
Yes. Almost all of our projects are on live sites, and we plan the sequence of work, access and safety arrangements so your operations can carry on underneath us.

How long does a cladding project take?
It depends on the size of the building, the system being installed and whether anything needs stripping out first. Our recent projects have run from around five weeks for an office overclad to around four months for a full asbestos strip and re-sheet. We’ll give you a programme for your building once we’ve surveyed it.

What types of cladding do you install

?
We install a range of profiled metal roof and wall cladding, including insulated overclad systems, trapezoidal and sinusoidal profiles and colour-coated finishes, along with the flashings and trims that go with them. The right choice depends on the building, how it’s used and the finish you want, and we’ll recommend the best option at survey stage.

Will new cladding improve my building’s EPC rating?
An insulated cladding or overclad system reduces heat loss through the roof and walls, which feeds directly into your EPC assessment. How much the rating improves depends on the building as a whole, and we can talk you through what to expect at survey stage.

Can you replace the gutters and rooflights at the same time?
Yes, and it’s usually the most sensible time to do it. New gutters, downpipes and rooflights are often fitted as part of a cladding project, as they were on our Sealed Air warehouse refurbishment, so the w

hole envelope is brought up to the same standard in one programme.

Can the new roof be prepared for solar panels?
Yes. If you’re planning to add solar, it’s far better to plan it alongside the roof work than to fit panels to an ageing roof. We can design the new roof with solar in mind, and our guides cover planning insulation and solar together.

Do you deal with building control?

Yes. We handle building control and structural compliance as part of the project, so you don’t have to manage them yourself.

Do you work outside Cambridge

?

Yes. We’re based near Cambridge but work across the UK, with recent projects in Swindon, Luton, Braintree, St Neots and Haverhill among others.

Do you look after the roof once the work is finished?
Yes. As well as refurbishment, we carry out ongoing maintenance such as gutter clearances, which helps keep your new roof and cladding performing as they should. Get in touch to talk about a maintenance plan.