Clay tile and slate rooftops of brick market-town terraces

Roofers in Upper Rissington

Roofing for Upper Rissington's post-war married quarters and the newer homes built beside them, on one of the highest village sites in the Cotswolds.

Get a quote Call 01793 626096

Upper Rissington's roofs, from the airfield to the square

Rows of matching post-war houses on a quiet estate — The former RAF married quarters

Much of the original housing in Upper Rissington was built after 1945 as officers' quarters for the neighbouring RAF Little Rissington airfield. Estates planned that way repeat the same house type along street after street, so a fault on one roof is often a fault waiting on the next. After more than seventy years the usual suspects on such houses are tired ridge bedding, flashings round shared chimney stacks, verges that have loosened, and old garage and store roofs. Because the houses look so alike, matching a repair is usually straightforward, and a neat result on one terrace tells you what to expect on yours. Neighbours who share a party wall or a pair of chimneys can also share the scaffold, which is worth raising before any firm is booked, though each owner still needs their own quote and agreement.

Newer brick houses with tiled pitched roofs — Homes built since the Ministry of Defence sale

The Ministry of Defence sold the housing in 1996, and more homes have been built since, so the village now carries several generations of roof side by side. A house from the last few decades will usually have a lighter roof structure, thinner battens and a breathable membrane beneath the tiles, and its weak points are more likely to be flashings, small flat sections over porches and bays, and poorly fixed dry-fix ridge components. Different builders also detail junctions differently, so we read each roof by its own details, not by the street it stands on. Ask us to look at the loft hatch, the eaves and the junction with any neighbouring roof, because new-build detailing is where early faults like to hide, and they are cheaper to deal with while the covering is still in good order.

Roofs and chimneys seen across an open hilltop village — A high plateau and the Village Square

Upper Rissington stands at about 275 m, one of the highest villages in the Cotswolds, and it has its own parish council and a Village Square of shops, opened in 2017. Height means open ground, and open ground means wind reaches the roof edges with little to break it. On a roof like that, the fixings along the ridge, hips and verges carry more of the load than they would down a sheltered lane, and gutters and fascias are worth a look each autumn before the leaves come down. Homes close to the square, including any with shopfront or community roofs, may mix pitched and flat areas, and each needs its own appraisal.

From Swindon to the plateau

Distance: 27 road miles north of central Swindon
Council: Cotswold District Council
Council: Cotswold District Council
Landscape: Cotswolds National Landscape
Height: About 275 m, among the highest Cotswold villages

Plateau roof answers for Upper Rissington

Are Upper Rissington's ex-RAF roofs due for replacement?

Not by age alone. Many need only ridge, verge or flashing work. We check the battens and underlay in the loft before suggesting anything bigger.

Does the Cotswolds National Landscape change what I can do?

It can matter for planning, though the decision sits with Cotswold District Council while the landscape body offers advice. A like-for-like covering seldom raises an issue; check before changing the material.

Why does a high plateau roof lose ridge tiles?

Wind meets the roof edge with little shelter, and old mortar beds crack. Mechanical fixing of ridge tiles is the usual cure.

What goes wrong on 1940s and 1950s estate roofs?

Torch showing a water-stained rafter beneath slates in a loft

Terraced house roof stripped to rafters inside scaffolding

The short answer

Age shows at the details, not the field of the roof. Ridge beds crumble, flashings round chimneys lift, verge mortar loosens and the battens and underlay beneath start to tire. Because estate houses repeat, one survey often shows a pattern that explains a whole street.

When the same builder put up the same house along a whole street, the same weaknesses arrive at roughly the same time. That is helpful, because a fault found on one roof gives us a map of what to check on the next.

Which details wear out first?

Along the crest runs the ridge, and the bedding beneath its tiles dries, cracks and lets go. The verge is where the covering meets a gable wall, and mortar there takes a beating from weather. Flashings, the strips of lead or metal that seal a chimney or wall junction, lift and split. None of this means the whole covering has failed. A good survey separates the repairable from the replaceable, and it explains which fault is causing which stain indoors, so the money goes on the real problem.

Can estate roofs be repaired to match?

Usually yes, though matching a weathered tile exactly is difficult. We aim for a close visual match, and place any replacement tiles where they will be least obvious, normally on the rear slope. Where a house is part of a regular run, a visible patch can spoil the look of the terrace, so we say if a section re-cover looks better than scattered repairs. Our roof repairs page explains how we decide.

Should the loft be checked at the same time?

Yes. A roof built in the 1950s may have an old felt underlay, or none at all, and the timbers can show where water has been entering for years. Dark tide marks on rafters, dry rot smell and sagging insulation all tell their own story, and you can only find them from inside. We photograph what we see so the report ties each fault to the exterior defect that caused it.

Gutters on these houses are worth a glance too, since cast or early plastic types can sag or split, and a blocked gutter sends water straight down the wall.

What about asbestos on old garages and sheds?

The answer

Garage and outbuilding roofs of the post-war period can be asbestos cement. If the sheets are intact, leave them alone and have them checked before any work. Never drill, scrub or break them. Under HSE guidance, carefully taking down cement sheet needs no licence, and the waste travels with a consignment note.

Post-war estates often came with detached or integral garages, stores and lean-to sheds, and some used corrugated sheeting that contained asbestos cement. A sheet in good condition and left undisturbed is generally low risk. Problems come when it is cut, drilled, pressure-washed or broken.

How do I tell if a garage roof contains asbestos?

You cannot tell by eye. Corrugated cement sheets from the period are a reason for caution, not proof. We would rather inspect and advise than guess, and if sampling is needed you hear about it before any work begins. Never scrub or jet-wash the roof, because that frees fibres.

Who can remove it?

HSE guidance says cement sheet taken down carefully needs no licence, but once it is substantially broken the job must be notified to the enforcing authority. Asbestos insulating board, which may turn up in old soffits, is mostly licensed work, so it must go to a specialist with the right licence, and we will tell you when a task falls into that category.

What happens to the waste?

Waste from a home has to travel with a consignment note and go to a site that accepts it. Do not put it in a skip or the household bin, and do not leave broken pieces in the garden. Our garage roof replacement page covers the replacement side of the job.

If you inherited a garage roof and do not know what it is made of, send us photographs. We will tell you what we can see and what the next step should be.

MythA garage roof with a few cracks can just be patched and painted.

FactIf it is asbestos cement, disturbing it can release fibres, so get it checked first.

Who decides roof work on the Cotswold plateau?

Reclaimed Cotswold stone slates sorted by length beside a limestone wall

Rolled lead roof covering over a bay above white windows

The short answer

Cotswold District Council. It decides planning, even in the National Landscape, and it runs its own building control team. Small repairs and matching re-coverings seldom need an application, but bigger re-roofs, heavier coverings or a change to the roof shape should be checked first.

Upper Rissington sits in the Cotswolds National Landscape, the name used since 22 November 2023 for what is legally still an AONB. The body that looks after the landscape gives advice, while the district council takes the decisions.

Does the National Landscape affect re-roofing?

A matching re-cover usually carries on as normal. Changes to materials, the roof shape or roof windows deserve a word with the planning team first, and if you want to know whether your address has any special status, ask them to confirm it in writing. Our skylights page explains the planning side of roof windows.

When does building control apply?

Planning Portal guidance says approval is not normally needed where less than 25 per cent of the total building envelope and less than 50 per cent of the roof is affected. A covering 15 per cent or more heavier brings approval into play too, and that matters if concrete tiles are going where lighter ones were. Building control here is run by Cotswold District Council itself, with a registered building control approver as the private alternative. Where notification is needed, we lodge it on your behalf.

What about a thermal upgrade?

If the re-roof triggers the Part L rules, new insulation may be needed. We explain that when we quote and show where it would go, so you can plan for it. That matters on a high site, where a warmer, better insulated roof has an obvious payoff in comfort.

The plateau gives long views, and a roof that is tidy and well fixed keeps a house looking cared for from every direction.

Our view

Ask Cotswold District Council before changing materials, not before matching repairs.

Roofing services in Upper Rissington

Nearby towns we cover

Questions from the high ground by Little Rissington

Can you repair roofs on the old RAF officers' houses in Upper Rissington?

Yes. They are post-war houses in regular rows, so repairs tend to be well defined: ridge refixing, verge work, new flashings at chimneys and replacement of broken tiles. We survey first, then send pictures of your own roof followed by a written quote, so you know exactly what is needed before anyone starts.

My roof is on the Cotswold plateau. Is it more exposed to storms?

Open high ground gives wind little to slow it, so exposed edges deserve attention, particularly on end-of-terrace houses and detached garages. Ridge, hip and verge fixings are the first things we check, and if water is coming in, we stop that before planning the lasting repair.

Do you cover Upper Rissington from Swindon?

Yes. Upper Rissington is inside our 30 road miles from Swindon. Nearby Cotswold villages are worth checking on the areas page, or send us the postcode on WhatsApp and we will say whether it is within reach. We group survey visits sensibly and tell you when to expect us.

Is it worth putting new roof windows into a loft on this estate?

It can be. Some lofts have the height for it, and the survey tells us which. Roof windows are not always straightforward in a National Landscape, so planning rules, means of escape and insulation all need checking first. Our skylights page explains the planning side, and the survey tells us what your roof structure allows.

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