Victorian brick terrace street with slate roofs and chimneys

Roofers in Fulbrook

We repair and replace roofs in Fulbrook, from the old houses clustered around the Norman church to the newer homes where the village runs into Burford, and a written quote follows our survey.

Get a quote Call 01793 626096

Fulbrook's roofs, from church to Windrush

Stone-walled houses around a village church — The Norman church and old houses

St James the Great is the village's oldest building: Norman, with a north aisle added around 1200, a 15th-century bell tower, and a plaque recording that the church was re-roofed in 1827 and restored in 1892. Two renewals within 65 years show how often even a very old building needs its roof attended to. Houses of similar age beside it tend to have steep pitches, thick walls and deep eaves, and their chimney stacks are often wide enough to need a proper scaffold platform beside them. If a house carries stone slate, the stones get steadily smaller up the slope, and what fails first is nearly always the peg, the batten or the nail rather than the stone itself. Anything listed is planned with the council beforehand, because the covering is part of what the building is.

Large stone house with several roof ranges — Manor houses by the river

Ladyham, beside the River Windrush, was built in the 16th century and given a five-bay Georgian facade, and Westhall Hill Manor dates from the 16th or 17th century with Georgian additions. A house altered in several periods carries several roofs in one: an older range, a later front, and the valleys, parapets and lead gutters where they meet. We start at those joins, since a buried gutter or a worn flashing between two roofs can drip into a wall cavity for seasons without a mark appearing on any ceiling. Roofs of that scale also need proper access, and scaffolding is a genuine part of the cost on a house this size, whatever the covering.

Modern tiled houses on a village edge — Village edges beside Burford

Fulbrook sits immediately north-east of Burford, so the village edge runs straight into a busy town. Away from the old centre are homes from later periods: pairs of houses, bungalows, garages and rear extensions, usually tiled in concrete or clay. The problems here are plainer. Bedding falls out from under the ridge, verges crack, the underlay perishes where it is tucked behind the battens, and flat or shallow roofs over kitchens and porches give up after a couple of decades. Most are quick, clear jobs, and a modest repair done on time can postpone a full re-roof for a good many years, which is usually the outcome people want. A garage roof that has gone soft at the edges, for instance, is cheaper to re-cover now than after rot has reached the rafters.

Out from Swindon, past Burford

Distance: 21 road miles north-north-east of central Swindon
Council: West Oxfordshire District Council
Council: West Oxfordshire District Council
Landscape: Cotswolds National Landscape (AONB)
Setting: A village beside Burford in the Windrush valley

Fulbrook roof questions

Is Fulbrook a conservation area?

West Oxfordshire's published list of conservation areas does not name Fulbrook, though the council's map is the place to confirm an address close to Burford. A listed house is a separate matter: consent is required before its character is altered, roof included, so ask before ordering anything.

Does the Cotswolds designation limit my roof options?

Not when you renew the roof as it stands. It does restrict some bigger changes, dormers included, so run any such idea past West Oxfordshire's planning officers first.

Can a roof in Fulbrook be repaired when I cannot see the problem?

Yes, often by starting indoors. Damp patches and daylight in the loft show where water enters, and the survey photographs then trace the path back to its cause.

What roofs stand around Fulbrook's Norman church?

Brick end-of-terrace gable beside a limestone house, slate roofs

Reclaimed Cotswold stone slates sorted by length beside a limestone wall

The short answer

St James the Great is Norman, with a north aisle from around 1200 and a 15th-century bell tower, and a plaque records that it was re-roofed in 1827. Houses of similar age nearby have heavy walls and steep roofs, so repairs are planned around keeping as much original material as possible.

The village's oldest roofs tell a story of renewal. Even a Norman church has needed a new roof more than once, because no covering lasts for ever, however carefully it was laid. The plaque dated 1827 shows how normal that cycle has always been, and the restoration of 1892 shows it happening again.

Why do steep roofs on thick walls cost more to work on?

Older houses in a village like this typically have thick walls, deep window reveals and steep roof pitches. A steep roof sheds water quickly, yet it loads the eaves heavily and makes access harder, so scaffolding is a real part of any quote. Thick masonry also means gable ends and chimney stacks are weighty things to work around, and the lead that dresses their junctions with the roof deserves a close look before anyone decides the tiles are to blame.

What actually holds stone slate on a Fulbrook roof?

Where a house is roofed in stone slate, the stones go on in diminishing courses, which means graded rows: large stones low down, small ones high up beside the ridge. Pegs, battens and nails fail years ahead of the stone, so the sensible repair is often to take stones off, sort them, renew the fixings and hang them again, not to buy a different covering. Our Cotswold stone roofing page explains the method.

A barn or outbuilding deserves the same attention, since rotted pegs and rusted nails are the usual reason stones slip.

Where a roof has been repaired before, the old work often tells you more than the new fault does. That is why we take photographs from above and from inside the loft during the survey, and why they reach you alongside the quote.

How are Fulbrook's manor house roofs kept watertight?

The answer

By treating each roof range, valley and gutter as its own problem. Houses like Ladyham and Westhall Hill Manor were altered over several periods, so their roofs meet at valleys, parapets and hidden gutters that fail quietly. Checking those junctions first saves large bills later.

Ladyham was built in the 16th century and given a five-bay Georgian facade, and Westhall Hill Manor, from the 16th or 17th century, also gained Georgian additions. Whatever their detail, both are the sort of house where the roof is really several roofs fastened together.

Where do a manor's roof ranges leak first?

Where two slopes meet at an inward angle you get a valley, and it takes the run-off from both sides at once. On houses built or altered in stages, valleys, parapet gutters and abutments are lined in lead, and old lead can crack, split at the laps or lift at the edges. A swept valley, in which tiles or slates curve gently round the angle with no exposed lead, looks neat but is harder to mend, because each piece is cut to shape.

What do scaffolding and lead add to a manor roof job?

Big roofs with high eaves need proper scaffolding and enough time to work safely, and anyone quoting for a house this size should say whether scaffolding and VAT are in the price. The lead roofing page explains lead codes, the numbered thickness grades, and why the right code matters in each position.

On a listed house, new lead should look like the original and be fixed in the traditional way. A cheaper-looking material in its place can alter the building's character, which is exactly what listed building consent exists to catch.

If a ceiling stain appears below a parapet or valley, treat it as a job for soon, but do not assume the stain lies directly under the leak, since water often runs along a timber before it drips.

What permission does a Fulbrook roof job need?

Rolled lead roof covering over a bay above white windows

Brick and limestone cottages around a small village green

The short answer

Small repairs need nothing. A big re-roof can bring in building control, and a listed house has its own consent rules. Planning here rests with West Oxfordshire District Council, whose conservation area list leaves Fulbrook out.

Most roof work in Fulbrook is simple to classify: mend or renew like for like and no planning application is usually involved. The finer points depend on the building and the scale of the job, and three of them can change the picture.

Does a listed Fulbrook house change the rules?

Planning decisions are made by West Oxfordshire District Council, and the village lies within the Cotswolds National Landscape, whose body advises without deciding. Fulbrook is missing from the council's conservation area list. A listed building anywhere, however, needs listed building consent before anything is done to alter what makes it special, and a roof is among the first features that count. Not certain about your house? A short email to the planning office settles it, and a written reply is worth keeping.

Do Fulbrook's old Article 4 directions touch house roofs?

The council holds two old Article 4 directions for Fulbrook, from 1958 and 1968. Both deal with agricultural buildings and works on farmland, so neither reaches the coverings on a house.

When does a Fulbrook re-roof need building control?

Under Planning Portal guidance, repairs or re-covering normally need no building control application where less than 25 per cent of the building envelope and less than 50 per cent of the roof is touched. Fit a covering 15 per cent or more heavier, or go beyond either figure, and approval is required, with a thermal upgrade possibly following. You choose between the council's building control service and a registered building control approver, and we take care of the notification wherever one is due.

The rules for roof windows sit on our skylights page.

Before you start

Find out whether the house is listed first; everything else follows from that.

Roofing services in Fulbrook

Nearby towns we cover

Questions from the Windrush valley

Can stone slate on a Fulbrook house be re-hung without replacing it?

Often, yes. The stones usually outlast the pegs, nails and battens that hold them, so the typical job is to strip carefully, sort by size, renew the fixings and lay the same stones back in their courses, with new stone only where pieces have perished. The roof then looks as it did before, and the cost stays below that of a new covering.

Is a leaking valley on a larger Fulbrook house an emergency?

It needs prompt attention, because a valley carries a great deal of water. A leak goes to the front of the queue: water is kept out first and the lasting repair comes second, which may be new lead lining or a rebuilt valley with fresh battens and boards. Buckets and towels buy time and nothing more, so call early rather than late.

Do you work on barns and converted outbuildings near Burford?

Yes. Barn roofs are large and simple, which helps, but old timbers, long spans and stone slate or tile coverings need careful assessment. The village and the farmland around it sit comfortably within the 30 road miles we cover, and a photograph or two sent in advance helps us plan the survey visit.

Why does my chimney stack in Fulbrook keep letting water in?

Usually the flashing or the mortar around the stack has failed, or the lead has lifted at the back gutter. Cracked pots and open joints let water in too. We examine the stack from the roof, photograph each defect and quote for the repair that cures it, not a coat of sealant smeared over the top.

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