The repairs we carry out most
Most roof problems start small. A tile slips after a windy night, mortar on the ridge crumbles away, or a valley gutter fills with moss and starts to overflow. Left alone, each of these lets water reach the battens and timbers underneath, and that is where a cheap fix becomes an expensive one.
Typical repairs we handle include:
- Replacing slipped, cracked or missing tiles and slates
- Rebedding or re-fixing loose ridge and hip tiles
- Clearing and relining valleys where water collects
- Tracing leaks back to their real source, which is often not directly above the stain
- Repairing storm damage after high winds
- Fixing leaking gutters, fascias and soffits, covered on our guttering, fascias and soffits page
Flat roof repairs
Flat roofs fail differently from tiled ones. Felt splits and blisters, joints open up and water ponds where the deck has sagged. On a garage or extension, a localised repair to a split or a lifted edge can work well if the rest of the covering is sound.
Where the whole surface is tired, we will say so and talk you through a replacement in GRP fibreglass or EPDM rubber instead. You can read more about both systems on our flat roofing page.
Lead flashing and leadwork
Wherever a roof meets a wall, a dormer cheek or a roof window, there is a joint that has to be kept watertight. Traditionally that job falls to lead. Over the years lead can crack, lift away from the brickwork or lose the mortar holding it in place, and water then runs straight down the inside of the wall.
We repair and replace lead flashing, step flashing and soakers, and dress new lead where an old repair has been done badly. It is careful work, and getting it right often cures a leak that has been patched several times before.
Getting a leak looked at quickly
If water is coming into your home, see what to do when your roof is leaking, then call Lee on 07947 758052. Active leaks are prioritised, and we aim to get someone out as quickly as possible during our normal working hours, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm.
When you ring, it helps to tell us where the water is showing, roughly how old the roof is and whether it is tiled or flat. A photo from the ground can help too. Until we arrive, a bucket and a towel under the drip and moving anything valuable out of the way is usually all you need to do. Please do not climb onto the roof yourself.
Honest advice on repairing or replacing
Not every leak means a new roof, and we will never push one on you. Lee looks at the whole roof, not just the problem spot, and tells you plainly whether a repair will do the job. If the tiles, felt or battens have genuinely reached the end of their life, he will explain why and quote for a re-roof as a separate option.
That way you can decide with the full picture in front of you. If a replacement is the sensible route, our new roofs and re-roofs page explains what is involved, and our main roofing page covers everything else we do.
What happens when Lee comes out
A repair visit starts outside, looking at the roof from the ground and checking the slopes, ridge, valleys, flashings and gutters. Where it is safe and useful, we will also look in the loft, because stains on timber and daylight through the tiles tell their own story about where water is getting in.
Lee then explains what he has found in plain English: what has failed, why it has happened and what the options are. Some repairs are straightforward and can be booked in soon. Others need scaffold or more materials, and those are set out in a written quote so you can see exactly what is involved.
We would rather fix the real cause once than come back every few months. That is why we take time to trace a leak properly instead of smearing sealant over the first likely spot. A tidy, lasting repair is what keeps customers coming back to us, and recommending us to their neighbours.
Roof repairs across Essex and east London
We work from Witham and cover Essex and the Essex side of London's outskirts. Some of the places we are called out to most are listed below, each with its own page:
- Chelmsford roof repairs
- Colchester roofer
- Romford roofer
- Southend-on-Sea roofer
- Basildon roofer
- Braintree roofer
- Elsewhere in Essex? Send us a message and we will let you know.
Roofing guides
Useful reading if something has gone wrong with your roof.