Get a structurally-sound cut roof that lines through, sheds water and passes building control first time, designed from your drawings, cut on site by carpenters who read a rafter square, not a manual.
Traditional roof carpenters · Building-control ready · Free fixed-price quote within one week
A cut roof is a traditional pitched roof built on site from individual rafters, purlins, ridge and ceiling joists, cut, marked and fixed by hand rather than delivered as prefabricated trusses. It's the right choice whenever geometry gets complicated: hips, valleys, dormers, cathedral ceilings, room-in-roof designs and any project where the loft is going to be lived in.
Architects and homeowners on extensions, self-builds and full renovations; developers building period-style homes; and homeowners converting attics where a trussed roof simply won't leave usable head-height.
Any new roof or major roof re-cover where the design has hips, valleys, dormers, vaulted ceilings or a habitable loft, situations where prefabricated trusses either can't be used or would waste the space beneath.
A cut roof is the most tolerance-critical carpentry on a house. Rafters that aren't cut to the same length walk out of line. Wall-plate that isn't dead level throws every ridge off. Valleys and hips are where water goes when the geometry is wrong. It rewards experience and it punishes shortcuts.
Every risk below is something we've seen and put right. Every mistake below is something a competent, accountable team removes from your project entirely.
We measure the wall plate, check for square and level, and read your engineer's drawings for rafter size, spacing and connections.
Line-by-line quote for labour, graded timber, fixings, straps and clips, with a firm start date.
We bed and strap the wall plate to spec, mark the birdsmouth positions, and set the ridge datum before any rafter is cut.
Every rafter is cut from one master pattern, checked in place, and fixed with the specified nails, straps and truss clips.
The finished carpentry is signed off with building control and handed to your roofer on a defined date, battened felt if requested.
Any pitch, any hip, any valley, any dormer, a cut roof follows the architecture instead of forcing the architecture to follow the truss.
No web bracing running through the middle of the loft means you can convert the space now or in 10 years without ripping the roof off.
For irregular plans, hipped ends and valley intersections a cut roof carries load more cleanly than a trussed compromise.
Correctly-specified graded timber, treated where required and detailed to shed water, comfortably outlasts the building's first roof covering.
Period properties and conservation-area builds usually require cut carpentry to match original character; we work to match existing sight-lines and detailing.
Materials, methods, variations and how the service applies to your specific project.
Trusses are faster and cheaper for simple gable-to-gable rectangles with no loft use. A cut roof is the right answer when you have hips or valleys, when the loft is habitable or convertible, when the pitch is unusual, when there are dormers or rooflights that break truss layouts, or when the property is period and needs to look right from the street. On most extensions we quote both, then recommend the option that fits your brief and budget.
Rafters, purlins, ridge boards and ceiling joists are typically C24 graded timber sized to the structural engineer's schedule. Treated wall plates are strapped to masonry with galvanised restraint straps at maximum spacing per building regs. Truss clips fix rafter to wall plate; skew nails alone are not accepted by modern building control. Where the roof is exposed inside (vaulted ceilings) we plane and case the visible timbers, or specify feature grade material to your architect's finish.
Dormers are cut in with full trimming, trimmers, cripple rafters, cheeks and flat or pitched dormer roofs designed for the covering. Rooflights are formed to Velux, Fakro or Roof Maker structural openings so the finished window sits without twist. Valleys are laid boarded or open, depending on covering; we work with your roofer on the interface so the lead or GRP lands on a proper substrate.
Residential cut roofs, extensions, self-builds, period restorations, are our regular work across Newport, Cardiff and the Valleys. On light-commercial and agricultural work (barns, offices, holiday cabins) we build to the same standard with heavier timbers and additional bracing as the engineer specifies. Historic and listed-building restoration is on request, we've replaced rotten purlins and ridge sections on properties over 150 years old while keeping the roof line intact.
A cross-section of finished carpentry, joinery and extension work across South Wales.
For a straightforward hipped roof on a single-storey rear extension, labour and materials typically start around £4,500–£8,500 depending on span, pitch and covering. Larger two-storey and self-build cut roofs vary widely. Every quote is a fixed price in writing after a site survey.
A modest hipped extension roof is typically 3–6 working days from wall-plate to felt-and-batten. A large self-build roof with valleys, dormers and rooflights can take 2–4 weeks. Weather can extend timescales; we phase to keep the property watertight throughout.
Yes. Cut roofs are fully compliant with Building Regulations Part A (structure) and Part L (thermal) provided the timber is correctly graded, the connections are correctly specified and the insulation and vapour control layers are correctly detailed. All of which we do as standard.
In most cases yes, a traditional cut roof is far easier to convert than a trussed one because the load path is already designed around a clear loft space. See our loft conversions page for full details and pricing structure.
Both. Many clients bring their own roofer, we sign off the carpentry, batten the felt if required, and hand over on a defined date. On managed extension and new-build projects we bring in one of our trusted roofing partners so the interface is coordinated end-to-end.
All structural carpentry is guaranteed, the specific term is written into the terms & conditions you sign before we start. Guarantees are backed by our £15m public liability insurance and our employers' liability cover.
Yes. MG Timber Construction Ltd carries £15,000,000 of public liability insurance covering the business and every carpenter on site, plus employers' liability. Certificates are shared with your quote on request.
We aim to be on site within one week of your first enquiry. After the survey you receive a written fixed-price quote; no hourly rates, no surprises, no pressure to sign on the spot.
A 15% deposit is taken on booking to secure your slot in the diary. The balance is paid in staged payments tied to milestones on the works, agreed in writing before we start.
For existing clients and structural safety issues we prioritise urgent call-outs and can usually be on site the same week. Emergency propping and make-safe works are quoted directly with the client before we begin.
Fixed-price written quote after the survey. 15% deposit to book. Staged payments tied to milestones. £15,000,000 public liability insurance and a written guarantee on every job.
