New-build brick and render estate houses with grey tile roofs

Roofers in Eldene

Roof repairs, re-roofing, flat garage and porch roofs and roofline work across Eldene, from the 1970s estate streets laid out on former Snodshill Farm land to the extensions added to them since.

Get a quote Call 01793 626096

Eldene's roofs, from Snodshill Farm to today

Semi-detached estate homes under tile — The 1970s estate houses

Eldene was built in the 1970s on the site of Snodshill Farm, and the 1948 Ordnance Survey map still shows the ground as farmland. That puts the houses at roughly fifty years old, the age at which a roof starts asking questions. The tile covering may be sound while everything beneath and around it has aged: bitumen felt underlay gone brittle at the laps, battens split near old nail holes, ridge tiles bedded on cracked mortar, and verge strips that have loosened. None of this adds up to a new roof. It adds up to a survey that looks at each part separately and recommends the smallest repair that works.

Flat-roofed garage beside a brick house — Lean-to additions

Houses of this age have gathered extras over the decades: a built-in garage, a front porch, a kitchen extension, a conservatory, many with flat or shallow roofs. Felt on these small roofs tends to fail ahead of the main roof, usually at the upstand where the addition meets the old wall. Garages built before 2000 may also have corrugated cement sheeting, and the HSE advises assuming asbestos is present in buildings built or refurbished before that year. We identify the material before anything is touched, and tell you what that means for the job and its cost.

Gable end and gutter on an estate house — The estate edges

Eldene sits in the south-west of the Nythe, Eldene and Liden parish, with the Dorcan Stream forming part of the parish's western boundary and the A419 its eastern one. Houses on the edges of an estate, facing open ground rather than another terrace, give the wind a clear run at gable ends and verges, and leaves, seeds and moss find the gutters faster. Bird nests under eaves and in broken ridge ends are another edge-of-estate regular. Clearing, refixing and sealing these places is modest work that prevents bigger bills.

From Swindon to the Dorcan Stream

Distance: 3 road miles east-south-east of central Swindon
Council: Swindon Borough Council
Council: Swindon Borough Council, for planning and building control
Conservation area: None: Eldene is not among the 27 the council lists
Setting: 1970s estate in Swindon's eastern suburbs, built on farmland

Eldene roof questions

Why do ridge tiles on 1970s estate houses work loose?

Ridges of that period were commonly set in mortar alone. Mortar cracks and lets go over the decades, so a new bedding gets screws, clips or a dry-fix kit as well.

Is an Eldene garage roof likely to contain asbestos?

It can be. The HSE says to assume asbestos in buildings built or refurbished before 2000. We identify the sheeting before work starts and plan around the result.

Does a house on the edge of the estate need different fixings?

Verges, ridges and gable ends facing open ground take more wind, so their fixings matter most. We inspect those first and secure them with more than mortar alone.

What should I check on an Eldene roof from the 1970s?

Roofer dressing stepped lead flashing around a brick chimney

Brick chimney stack with new lead flashing on a clay tile roof

The short answer

Start with the parts that age fastest, not the tiles: the underlay beneath them, the mortar at the ridge and verges, the metalwork at wall junctions, and the timber roofline. A 1970s tile covering often outlasts all of these, so repairing the right part can add years without replacing the roof.

An Eldene house is now about fifty years old. Its tile covering may still shed water perfectly well, so a leak is rarely proof that the whole roof has failed. It usually traces back to one of four components, and each one has its own remedy. Working out which one is the whole point of a proper survey.

What happens to the underlay and battens?

Beneath the tiles sit battens, small timber laths nailed across the rafters, and under those a waterproof layer called the underlay. On a 1970s roof that layer is bitumen felt, and felt stiffens with age, then splits at the overlaps or around nail holes. From the loft you notice daylight at the eaves, dark staining on the rafters or damp insulation. Replacing the underlay means lifting the tiles on that slope, so we judge how widespread the damage is before we suggest it.

Why do the ridge, hips and verges work loose?

The ridge runs along the apex where the two slopes join, while the verge finishes the roof at a gable end. Both were commonly set in mortar on estate roofs of the period. Since BS 5534:2014, the ridge and hips need more than a mortar bed, so fresh bedding now comes with metal fixings, or the roof moves to a tested dry-fix kit. Our ridge, verge and dry-fix page sets out the choices.

What about the flashings and the roofline?

Where a roof slope meets a brick wall or a chimney stack, a metal strip called a flashing bridges the gap. Old mortar fillets crack there, and sheet lead replaces them for the long term. Along the eaves, timber fascias and soffits rot wherever a gutter has leaked. Spotting these early keeps each repair small, which is the way we prefer to work. Our roof repairs page explains the process.

From the pavement you can often spot early signs: ridge tiles no longer in a straight line, a verge with gaps, a gutter that overflows at one corner in heavy rain, or a green fringe of moss along the lower tile edge. Phone photographs of those help us plan the survey, though they never replace a look at the roof itself, and they let us bring the right materials on the first visit.

Is an Eldene flat garage roof worth replacing?

The answer

Often the covering is worth replacing, but the whole structure is not. A failed felt surface on sound decking is a proportionate job for a new single-ply or GRP finish. If the decking has rotted, or the roof is asbestos cement sheet, the job changes, and the survey will show which case you have.

Garage and porch roofs are the ones nobody looks at, so they are often the first to leak into the house. The question is whether the trouble lies in the surface, in the structure under it, or in the way the water leaves the roof.

Should it be felt, EPDM or GRP?

Felt is the traditional choice and still turns up on small roofs of this era, but it ages faster than the alternatives. EPDM is a synthetic rubber sheet that can be laid in one piece, leaving few joints to fail. GRP is glass-reinforced plastic, laid wet over a deck to form a continuous skin. A flat roof generally lasts somewhere between 15 and 30 years, according to MyBuilder's guide, and the figure depends on system, workmanship and upkeep. We recommend whichever suits the size of your roof and its details, then put the choice in writing.

Why do falls and drainage matter?

No flat roof is truly level. It needs a gentle slope towards the gutter, or water lingers and finds the weakest joint. Puddles that are still there a day after rain tell us the deck has dipped or the fall was too shallow. Correcting the fall costs more than patching, but a patch on a ponding roof tends to be repeated every year or two.

What if the garage has cement sheeting?

A pitched garage roof of corrugated cement sheet needs a different approach. Careful removal of intact asbestos cement is non-licensed work, while substantial breakage brings notification duties, so access and handling are planned before a sheet is moved. Our garage roof replacement page shows how we scope these jobs.

Once the new covering is down, afterwards we sweep the drive and carry the rubbish off. Where a garage is attached to the house, we also check the wall junction, because that is where rain tends to get into the property rather than just the garage.

What it typically costs

Single garage, flat roof£700 to £1,000
Double garage, flat roof£900 to £1,400
EPDM on a flat roof£70 to £100 per m²
Pitched garage roof£2,500 to £4,500

These are typical national figures, not our prices. Deck condition, size and any sheeting to be removed set the cost on your garage; the survey comes first and the quote follows in writing. MyBuilder garage roof replacement cost guide, updated 21/08/2026.

Who signs off a re-roof on an Eldene house?

Rolled lead roof covering over a bay above white windows

Loft room lit by two roof windows in a sloping ceiling

The short answer

Eldene sits within Swindon Borough, so the council's building control team, or a registered building control approver, handles notifiable roof work. The estate is not in a conservation area, which means a matching re-roof seldom needs planning permission. Changing the look of the roof is worth raising with the council first.

Most roof work on an estate house is maintenance and needs no application. Refixing tiles, renewing a ridge or replacing a flashing counts as repair. A few situations differ, and knowing them in advance saves surprises once a quote lands.

How large can a re-roof get before approval?

Two Planning Portal tests decide whether a re-roof needs approval. Under 25 per cent of the total building envelope must be touched, and under 50 per cent of the roof. Go beyond either limit and Building Regulations apply, with the insulation possibly needing an upgrade. Weight is the third trigger, once a new covering would be 15 per cent or more heavier. Swindon Borough Council runs its own building control team, and for notifiable work we handle the Building Regulations notification ourselves.

Does planning cover the look of the roof?

Swindon Borough Council's conservation areas page lists 27 areas, and Eldene is not among them. It names Article 4 directions only for Bishopstone and the Railway Village. Matching the existing tiles is therefore uncomplicated here. A new colour or material still deserves a conversation with Swindon Borough Council's planning team, since a run of identical roofs makes any change obvious.

What about roof windows and loft rooms?

New roof windows carry their own planning and Building Regulations points. Our skylights page covers them, including the escape and insulation standards for a loft room.

If you cannot tell which route applies to your house, ask before any work is priced. We will say what the council is likely to want to see, and put the answer in the quote.

MythA newer estate house can be re-covered in any tile without telling anyone.

FactA heavier covering, or a re-roof beyond the Planning Portal limits, brings Building Regulations into play.

Roofing services in Eldene

Nearby towns we cover

Questions from the Eldene streets

What fails first on a roof built in Eldene in the 1970s?

Usually the parts around the tiles, not the tiles themselves. Felt underlay stiffens, mortar at the ridge and verges cracks, and mortar fillets open at walls and chimneys. We examine each in turn, photograph your own roof, and put the findings and the repair needed in a written quote.

Can you re-cover a flat porch roof on an Eldene house?

Yes. Porches, bay roofs and small extension roofs are routine work. We check the deck, set a fall to the gutter, and choose felt, EPDM or GRP to suit the shape of the porch. The written quote names the system and every detail, and the 10-year workmanship guarantee comes to you on paper.

Does Eldene have a conservation area?

No. Swindon Borough Council's list of 27 conservation areas does not include it. Listed buildings are separate, and a roof change that alters the appearance of the street is still worth raising with the council's planning team before work begins.

Do you cover the rest of east Swindon around Eldene?

Yes. Liden, Nythe and the other eastern districts are close by, and the whole of Swindon lies inside our patch. Not certain we reach your street? The areas page lists every place within 30 road miles, and a call to 01793 626096 settles it.

Ask us about your roof

Tell us what’s happening and we’ll call you back.

Photos of what we find
A written quote
10-year workmanship guarantee

Or call 01793 626096