Roofing in Lausanne: re-roofing, maintenance and quotes

You are looking for a professional for a roof in Lausanne: a leak after a storm, displaced tiles, insulation to redo or a roof covering at the end of its life. This page presents the most common roofing work in the Vaud capital, what the city’s terrain and buildings change, and how to request quotes you can compare. People who search for “roofer in Lausanne” or “roof renovation in Lausanne” are really looking for the same thing: a well-defined job, priced in writing.

Lausanne roofs, from Ouchy to the upper town

Lausanne rises in tiers between Lake Geneva and the heights above. The same trade covers very different jobs here. Near the lake you will find apartment blocks, villas and grand townhouses. Moving up towards the centre and the northern districts, roofs crowd together, buildings touch and shapes grow more complicated: broken pitches, dormers, chimney stacks, valleys, eaves gutters.

The most frequent jobs are the following:

• Spot repair: replacing broken tiles or slates, redoing a ridge tile, sealing a leak around a chimney or a roof window.
• Re-roofing: stripping the old covering, checking the battens and underlay, laying a new material (tiles, slate, fibre cement).
• Flat waterproofed roofs: common on apartment buildings and extensions, with the waterproofing, upstands and drainage reworked.
• Flashing and sheet-metal work: gutters, downpipes, sills, chimney flashings, often renewed at the same time as the covering.
• Roof insulation: especially when the loft is converted or when you want to reduce heat loss.
• Roof windows: new installation or replacement, with careful waterproofing around the frame.

The slope of Lausanne changes site access

In a city built on a slope, the roof is rarely the only issue: access weighs on the organisation of the job. A steep street, a narrow lane or a plot with no room for a lorry complicates the delivery of materials and the erection of scaffolding. In a busy area, a site may also require temporary use of public space, to be checked with the municipality.

On a plot that drops towards the lake, the height of a building on the downhill side can be much greater than on the street side. Say so in your request: the company will then know to allow for larger scaffolding than the façade visible from the street suggests. Work at height requires fall protection (Suva guidelines): this is an item to list in the quote, not an option.

Snow, rain and wind: the load to plan for

In Lausanne, on the shore of Lake Geneva, the climate is milder than in the Vaud Alps or the Jura, but snow does occur and roofs are still designed for the load at their location (SIA 261 standard; SIA is the Swiss society of engineers and architects). This load is higher at altitude: a building in the upper town does not have the same requirements as one near Ouchy. If you replace a roof frame or radically change the covering, ask the company or an engineer whether the weight of the new material remains compatible with the existing structure.

The lakeside is also exposed to driving rain and wind. Careful fixings, well-sealed ridges and properly sized gutters matter as much as the choice of tile.

Roofs in the Cité old town and on protected buildings

Around the cathedral, the old town of the Cité has a character to preserve. Changing the colour, material or shape of a roof, creating a dormer or fitting a roof window may require a permit there, as on any protected building. The precise rules depend on the building: only the municipality, possibly with the cantonal departments concerned, can tell you what applies to your address.

For an old roof, the choice is often between a restoration using materials close to the existing ones and a simpler replacement. The latter is not always possible. State in your request whether the building is in the old town or is listed in the heritage inventory, so that companies price the right material from the start.

Solar panels and insulation: doing it all at once

A re-roofing job is the moment to think about two other subjects. First, insulation: if the covering is stripped, roof insulation becomes easier to integrate. Second, solar panels: it is better to plan them before the covering is laid, so that the fixings are placed and the waterproofing is redone only once. Vaud has an energy law, a cantonal energy department and a subsidy programme; conditions change, so check them with the cantonal department before signing. If the subject interests you, see also solar panels in Lausanne.

Permit, co-ownership and landlord: who decides?

The rules depend on the scale of the work. In Lausanne, the building permit is issued by the municipality. When cantonal departments must give an opinion, the file goes through the cantonal permit centre (CAMAC). Routine maintenance is not treated like a conversion, but the line is not always obvious: change of appearance, new openings, panels, raising the building. Ask the municipality before you order.

Who decides next?

• House owner: you order the work, after the checks above.
• Co-ownership: the roof is generally a common part. The decision rests with the owners’ meeting according to the rules and the law; do not have a binding quote drawn up without the agreement of the building manager or administrator.
• Tenant: the roof is not yours. Report the problem to the managing agent or landlord, and use the form only with their agreement.

Preparing your quote request for a Lausanne roof

The more precise the request, the more comparable the quotes. Gather the following:

1. The address and type of building: apartment block, villa, town house, old or protected building.
2. The type of roof: pitched (tiles, slate, fibre cement) or flat and waterproofed.
3. The problem observed: leak, slipping tiles, moss, perforated gutters, damp in the loft. Photos help.
4. The scope wanted: repair, full re-roofing, insulation, roof windows, flashing.
5. Access: sloping street, narrow courtyard, room for scaffolding.
6. Related projects: solar panels, loft conversion.

Comparing quotes without being misled

A good roofing quote itemises every item: scaffolding and fall protection, stripping and removal of the old covering, condition of the underlay and battens, materials with their references, insulation, flashing, waterproofing of openings, final cleaning. If one of these is missing, the difference in price is often only apparent.

Several factors make the cost vary: the surface area, the pitch, the complexity of the roof shape (valleys, dormers), the chosen material, the real condition of the roof frame discovered during stripping, and site access. Do not rely on a single overall figure: ask what is included, what is optional and how the unexpected is handled, for example roof timber that has to be replaced.

To start the process, you can request a quote. Your request is passed on to tradespeople and companies in the region, who contact you to prepare a free, no-obligation quote.

To complete your project in Lausanne

• The trade in general: roofing
• All the work in the city: work in Lausanne
• The cantonal context: canton of Vaud
• Other work in the same municipality: interior painting in Lausanne, carpenter in Lausanne, solar panels in Lausanne