Roofers in Carterton

When a close of houses was built in a couple of years, the roofs share a specification, and the same ageing. That gives us a fair idea of where to look before we are even up the ladder.

Q1.1Why do verges and ridges go first?

A verge is where the covering finishes along a sloping gable wall. On many roofs of this period it was finished with a mortar fillet under the last tiles. That mortar cracks and falls away, the outer tiles lose their support, and wind lifts them. Ridge tiles on the same roofs were bedded in mortar alone, and after the 2014 revision of BS 5534 that is no longer relied on. Re-bedding with mechanical fixings brings them up to the current standard, and it is usually a modest job when it is done before tiles start sliding.

Q1.2How do underlay and battens wear out?

Underlay is the sheet under the tiles that catches water that gets past them. On older roofs it can be felt that has gone brittle, torn at the laps or sagged between rafters. Battens are the narrow timber laths that carry the tiles, and they can soften wherever water has lain. None of this shows until a tile comes off, so we go into the loft as well as up the ladder, and each finding is photographed so you can follow our reasoning for yourself.

Q1.3What goes wrong on the flat sections?

Garage and porch roofs are usually flat or nearly so. Felt that has blistered or split, a trim that has lifted and a gutter outlet that has silted up are the common culprits. Our flat roofing page covers the coverings we fit.

If the ceiling below a flat roof has a brown stain, send us a photograph with the date. A stain that grows after rain points to a different fault from one that grows in dry weather, and the date lets us tell them apart. More often than not the culprit is a trim, a seam or an outlet rather than the whole roof.

Carterton does not appear among the 51 conservation areas on West Oxfordshire District Council's map page. For most owners that makes roof planning simpler. It does not make it rule-free.

Q3.1Is planning permission needed?

Re-covering a roof in matching materials is not normally a planning matter, here or elsewhere. Swapping to a different style, such as moving from interlocking concrete tiles to slate, changes how a house looks, and a word with the planning team at West Oxfordshire is the sensible first step. The council's records show Article 4 directions in the town only for business park uses, not for homes, though we would check the position for your road.

Q3.2Do Carterton re-roofs fall under Building Regulations?

Re-roofing falls outside the building control regime while less than 25 per cent of the building envelope and less than 50 per cent of the roof are touched. Past those limits, approval is needed and a thermal upgrade to the loft insulation can follow. According to the Planning Portal, a replacement covering at least 15 per cent heavier than the old one requires approval too. The route is a registered building control approver, or the council's own team, and the notification is filed by us if the job needs one.

Q3.3What about neighbours and shared chimneys?

Taking out a chimney breast needs Building Regulations approval every time, and a party wall notice too if it stands on a party wall. Many of Carterton's terraced and semi-detached homes share a wall, so this is worth knowing before the loft is touched. A stack that serves both houses is a shared structure, and it is not the owner's alone to remove or alter. Talk to the neighbour early, and tell us what you plan before the survey so the quote covers the right job.