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

Roofers in Westlea

Pitched roofs, flat roofs, flashings and commercial units across Westlea, from the planned housing around the Link Centre to the industrial buildings set aside in the original West Swindon plan.

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Westlea's roofs, from Link Centre to Toothill

Terraced and linked homes in a planned estate — Master-planned housing

The Westlea Down master plan covered 570 acres next to Toothill, with 266 acres set aside for housing. Bradleys, Barratts and Costains were named as builders alongside council housing, and about 11,000 extra residents were expected. A scheme laid out like that produces long runs of similar houses, with terraces and linked homes sharing party walls and gables. On roofs like these the repeatable weak points are the junctions between neighbours: the flashing along a shared wall, the valley where two roofs meet and the ridge tiles that run on across several homes. We check those first, and if the cause turns out to sit on a neighbour's roof, the photographs show it plainly. That saves arguments, and it saves paying to repair the wrong roof.

Flat-roofed shops and a covered walkway — The district centre and its flat roofs

Westlea is home to the West Swindon district centre, which includes the Link Centre. The Link Centre was planned to serve an expected West Swindon population of 50,000, and it opened its doors in April 1985. Shops, a leisure building, offices and covered walkways bring flat and low-pitched roofs, parapets, rooflights and drainage outlets into the picture. These are commercial-scale details, with falls to check, outlets that block and upstands that open, and they call for a roofer who works on larger buildings as well as houses.

Industrial units and a row of garages — Garages, porches and the industrial units

The same plan set aside 71 acres for industry and 87 acres for woodland and public open space. Industrial buildings of this kind may carry profiled metal or cement-based sheeting, long gutter runs and rooflights that wear out sooner than the sheets around them. Back among the houses, garages in blocks, porches and rear extensions carry low-pitched or flat roofs that suffer most from ponding and moss. Trees and the open space around the estate add leaf litter to gutters, which is why overflowing eaves are an early item on our list at any Westlea house.

From Swindon west to the district centre

Distance: 3 road miles west of central Swindon
Council: Swindon Borough Council
District centre: West Swindon, including the Link Centre
Conservation area: None in Westlea, according to the council's list
Planned expansion: The 570-acre Westlea Down site beside Toothill

Westlea roof questions

Why do Westlea terraces leak where the neighbours join?

Shared walls mean shared flashings and valleys. Water gets in where two roofs meet and one side has been patched differently, so the junction is the first place we look.

Can you reroof a unit near the West Swindon industrial land?

Yes. Units are covered by the same survey routine as houses: sheeted pitches, flat sections and rooflights are all photographed, then costed in a written quote for the building.

Do Westlea flat roofs near the Link Centre need replacing?

Not always. Many faults sit at outlets, upstands and laps, and a local repair can be enough, while a roof that has failed all over is better renewed.

What shaped the roofs of Westlea's planned estates?

Blocked gutter full of leaves overflowing down a brick wall

Rainwater running off slates into a black gutter and downpipe

The short answer

Westlea grew out of a master plan for 570 acres at Westlea Down, with housing by named builders, council homes, industry and open space. That mix means terraces and linked homes with shared junctions, commercial buildings with flat roofs, and plenty of garages and extensions.

A Link magazine article describes the Westlea Down master plan: 570 acres beside Toothill, approved by Wiltshire County Council, with 266 acres of housing to be built by Bradleys, Barratts and Costains as well as the council, and around 11,000 more residents expected. Alongside the housing came 71 acres for industry and 87 acres of woodland and public open space.

Why do faults spread along shared walls?

Terraced and linked houses share a roofline, so a defect at a party wall can send water into two homes at once. Typical culprits include a flashing that has lifted from the wall, a valley gutter silted up with debris and a mortar fillet that has cracked away from the tiles beside it. We trace the water back from the stain, and where the fault lies on the neighbouring roof, the photographs show it, so you can talk to your neighbour with evidence in hand.

Why do roofs on one estate differ in age?

Planned estates are built in phases, so roofs on one street may differ in age by several years. Tiles from different batches weather differently, and repairs made over the years may not match. When we repair a roof, we match the existing tile for size and profile as closely as we can, and we tell you when an exact match is not available.

Our ridge, verge and dry-fix page explains the modern way of securing the edges of a roof, which suits long terraced rooflines well because the same system runs the full length.

A dry-fix ridge or verge often cures a leak that has come back more than once, because it replaces a bed of mortar that keeps cracking with a mechanical fixing that does not rely on it.

How are flat roofs near the Link Centre repaired?

The answer

The first job is to find the exact point of entry, which is usually an outlet, an upstand, a lap or a rooflight edge rather than the open membrane. Where the covering is sound, a local repair works. Where it has failed across the roof, renewal with a suitable system is better value.

The West Swindon district centre brings together shops, offices and public buildings, and many have flat or low-pitched roofs. The same principles apply to a small garage and a large commercial roof, but the scale and the access change what the job involves.

How is the entry point found?

Water on a flat roof travels along the deck before it appears inside, so the stain on a ceiling may be metres from the hole. We look at drainage first: outlets, gutters and gullies, because a blocked outlet leaves standing water that tests every seam. Then the upstands, the short vertical edges at walls and parapets, and the laps, where sheets overlap. Rooflights and their kerbs are another common source. Photographs go to the building owner with the quote so the repair is clear.

Which system suits which building?

On a small domestic flat roof we often suggest EPDM rubber or GRP fibreglass. On larger commercial roofs, a single-ply membrane or built-up system may suit better, and the choice depends on the deck, the falls, the foot traffic and the budget. Our commercial roofing page covers how we survey and price larger buildings, and the flat roofing page covers the materials.

Where a commercial roof is shared between tenants or leaseholders, the survey photographs show where each fault sits, so every party can see what affects their own space and what affects the building as a whole.

A leak over stock or equipment is a worry for any tenant, so the first visit concentrates on keeping water out, with the longer repair planned afterwards. Storm damage and active leaks go to the front of the queue.

Who approves roof work at a Westlea home or unit?

Industrial units with grey metal roofs beyond a roof under repair

Roofers fitting profiled metal sheets on a commercial unit roof

The short answer

Westlea falls under Swindon Borough Council, which runs its own building control team, though a registered building control approver is an alternative. The council's conservation area list has no entry for Westlea, so a matching repair or re-cover rarely needs a planning application.

Most day-to-day roof work in Westlea is repair and maintenance, and needs no formal approval. The rules matter when a job grows, when a building changes use or when a roof is being replaced as a whole.

What applies to a house re-roof?

A house re-roof sits outside building control while less than 25 per cent of the total building envelope is affected and less than 50 per cent of the roof itself is re-covered. Past either figure, approval applies and the Part L insulation standards may follow. Weight is a separate test, and the Planning Portal says that a new covering weighing 15 per cent or more beyond the old needs approval. At quote stage we tell you where your job sits against these tests and arrange any notification that is required.

What extra applies to commercial buildings?

Shops, offices and industrial units have the same building control route as homes, but other duties sit on top. Fire safety, fall protection for anyone working on the roof, and asbestos in older sheeted roofs all affect how a commercial job is planned. The HSE publishes guidance on asbestos, and careful removal of asbestos cement is non-licensed work with strict handling rules. If we find sheets we cannot identify, we treat them as asbestos cement until tested and say how they will be removed.

Is planning permission needed in Westlea?

There is no conservation area in Westlea and no Article 4 direction in the borough outside two named places, so replacing a roof in matching materials does not normally call for an application. Changes to the shape of a building are different, and Swindon Borough Council's planning team can advise on those before you spend money on drawings.

When a job finishes, the site is left clear, the waste is taken away, and you receive the written 10-year workmanship guarantee together with the survey photographs, so there is a record of what was done to the building and where.

MythCommercial roofs always need a full strip when they leak.

FactMany flat-roof leaks begin at an outlet, upstand or rooflight edge, and a local repair can often cure them.

Roofing services in Westlea

Nearby towns we cover

Questions from around the Link Centre

Why do Westlea roofs on the same street need different repairs?

A planned estate went up in phases, so neighbouring roofs may have different tile batches, different maintenance histories and different exposure to trees and wind. Two houses that look identical from the road can fail in different places. We survey each roof on its own merits and write a quote for the one in front of us, not for the street.

Can you quote for a roof on one of the industrial units off Westlea?

Yes. Commercial and industrial roofs are part of our work, including sheeted roofs, flat roofs and rooflight replacement. We survey with photographs, check for asbestos cement in older sheeting, and explain in writing whether repair or renewal makes more sense, so the building owner or manager can decide how much to do.

My terrace shares a roofline with the next house. Who pays for a joint fault?

That depends on who owns what, and we cannot advise on legal liability. What we can do is trace the cause, photograph it and tell you which roof it sits on. With that evidence you and your neighbour can agree who does what. Some work to a shared wall can bring the party wall rules into play, so ask before anything starts, and we will keep our work to your side of the line. The quote and its photographs make that conversation simpler, since everyone can see exactly what is being proposed and where.

Do garage blocks on Westlea estates need a different kind of repair?

Often they do. Garage roofs are usually flat or very low in pitch, and shared runs may have a common gutter and common flashings. We look at the whole block before pricing, so a repair on yours does not leave a leak at the next door, and we tell you if the cost is better shared with the other owners.

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