Roof repairs
Most leaks are one tile, one ridge or one piece of lead. Found early, they stay that size.
Small roof repairs, before they are big ones
Most roof leaks start small: one slipped tile, a cracked ridge, a piece of lead flashing that has lifted at a chimney. Rain gets under the tiles, the felt carries it for a season or two, and by the time a stain appears on a bedroom ceiling the timber above has been wet for months.
A repair done early is a few tiles and an hour. The same leak left for two winters is a section of felt, a run of battens and a plasterer.
Common roof repairs
Slipped, cracked and missing tiles
Re-seating a tile that has slid, replacing one that has broken, and checking the nail or clip that let it go. The most common roof repair on any house.
Ridge and verge pointing
The mortar along the ridge and down the gable edges cracks and falls out with age. Loose ridge tiles are a storm away from coming off; re-bedding and pointing holds them.
Flashing and leaks
Lead flashing around chimneys, at abutments and in valleys lifts, splits or was never dressed properly. Water tracks in behind it and shows up a long way from where it entered.
Where roofs leak
Water finds the joins. On almost any pitched roof the leak is at one of these:
- The chimney — flashing, the back gutter behind it, and the pointing of the stack itself
- Ridges and hips — mortar that has cracked, or a ridge tile that has lifted
- Verges — the gable edges, where wind gets under the tiles first
- Valleys — where two slopes meet and all the water from both is funnelled
- Around anything that pokes through — vent pipes, roof windows, aerials
- The eaves — rotten felt at the gutter edge, so water drips behind the gutter instead of into it
Questions about roof repairs
There is a brown stain on the bedroom ceiling. Is it the roof?
Usually, if it appears or grows after rain. A stain that is the same in dry weather is more often a pipe. The leak is rarely directly above the stain: water runs along the felt and the timbers before it drops, so the entry point can be a metre or more away up the slope.
Can a few tiles be replaced, or does the roof need re-doing?
A few tiles, nearly always. A roof needs re-covering when the tiles themselves are failing across the whole slope — crumbling, delaminating, or so many have cracked that patching is continuous — or when the felt and battens beneath have rotted. One slipped tile is not that.
What should I check after a storm?
From the ground: tiles on the lawn or in the gutter, a gap or a dark patch in the rows of tiles, a ridge tile out of line, flashing flapping at the chimney, and anything hanging from the gutters. Inside: the loft, with a torch, for daylight or wet patches. There is a guide to this on the help and advice page.
Other services
PVC gutter repairs — full or part replacements
Repairing PVC guttering where it can be repaired, and replacing a joint, a run or the whole lot where it cannot.
Gutter leak & downpipe repairs
Dripping joints, split or blocked downpipes, loose brackets, and the damp patch on the wall underneath.
Gutter cleaning service
Clearing leaves, moss and silt so rainwater goes down the pipe and not over the edge.
Moss removal
Taking moss off the roof before it blocks the gutters, holds water against the tiles and lifts them.
Free inspections & quotes
A free look at the roof and gutters, what was found explained, and a quote before any work is agreed.