Roofers on a buff brick estate house with grey tile roofs

Roofers in Weyhill

Leaks, loose tiles, worn flashings and tired flat roofs in Weyhill, the Hampshire village that grew around an ancient sheep fair, from the houses near St Michael and All the Angels to the converted fairground units.

Get a quote Call 01793 626096

Weyhill's roofs, from church to fairground

Old parish church beside village cottages — Around St Michael and All the Angels

The church is partly Norman, with a sixteenth-century nave, and it stands on the site of a Saxon church. It is Grade II* listed. A building with that pedigree shows how long people have been sheltering under roofs here, and the houses beside it deserve a slow, careful look before anyone proposes a repair. Chimneys, valleys and eaves details on houses of this kind often hide the real cause of a leak. Old roofs often carry the history of earlier patching: a slope re-covered in a different tile, a chimney flashed twice, a valley lined with lead then felt. We photograph each slope, the stack and the loft side, so that the repair answers what is wrong today and leaves the character of the street untouched.

Converted barn units with shallow roofs — The old fairground, now studios and shops

Weyhill Fair has been held on the site since the eleventh century, and at its height up to 100,000 sheep a day were auctioned there. The last fair took place in 1957. In 2005 the parish council bought the derelict fairground and converted it into craft studios and shops. Buildings put to new use like this tend to have broad, simple roofs that were made to shelter a crowd, not to keep a studio warm. Typical faults are failed joints in sheeting, rooflights that leak at their upstands, gutters that overload in a downpour and flat sections that pond. A landlord or the parish needs a repair that holds, not a patch that returns next winter.

Terraced houses with slate roofs and chimneys — Later houses along the Harrow Way

Weyhill lies on the Harrow Way, an ancient route just north of the A303, and Weyhill station opened in 1882 and closed in 1961. Railway arrivals often bring a run of Victorian and later houses, and wherever those stand they bring the usual faults of their age: slates or tiles whose nails have rusted away, ridge tiles on crumbling mortar, leadwork at chimneys and bay windows, and porches and extensions with flat roofs of their own. Newer homes and bungalows on the edges of the village have their own wear, in tile clips, verges and fascias. Our approach is to mend what can be mended, and to re-cover a slope only after the photographs show that nothing else will serve.

From Swindon to the Harrow Way

Distance: 30 road miles south-south-east of central Swindon
Council: Test Valley Borough Council
Council: Test Valley Borough Council
Parish: Penton Grafton, about 2.5 miles west of Andover
Church: St Michael and All the Angels, Grade II* listed

Short answers for Weyhill roofs

Can the converted fairground units be re-roofed without closing them?

Often, yes. We work one section at a time, close up each section before we leave, and agree the noisy tasks with the occupiers. The survey sets the order.

Is a house near the Norman church treated as listed?

Not unless it is on the list itself. The church carries a Grade II* listing, though every building is assessed on its own, and Test Valley Borough Council can confirm the position at your address.

Does an old roof near the Harrow Way need full replacement?

Only when the covering, battens and felt are all failing together. Many ageing roofs recover well from a targeted repair, and the photographs show which kind yours is.

What roofs surround Weyhill's Norman church?

Roofer repointing a stone chimney stack above lead flashing

Brick and limestone cottages around a small village green

The short answer

Houses of many ages stand around St Michael and All the Angels, a partly Norman, Grade II* listed church with a sixteenth-century nave. A roof's real condition cannot be judged from the road, so the survey photographs each slope, stack and valley before we say what needs doing.

A village on a site that has held a Saxon church, a Norman building and a famous fair has seen plenty of building and rebuilding. The roofs around the church are the product of that history, and a sound survey starts by reading it rather than assuming it.

How do you tell how old a roof really is?

From the underside as much as the top. In the loft we look at the rafters, the battens, the felt and any sign of earlier repairs, and on the outside at the tile or slate type, the nail heads and the state of the ridge. A roof can look uniform from the road and still have three different generations of repair on it. The loft view often tells us more than the lane view.

Is it better to patch a worn slope or re-cover it?

Choose a patch when one thing has failed: a split tile, a ridge that has lifted, a flashing that has perished. Choose a re-cover when the entire slope is tired together, since patching a roof that is worn throughout only relocates the leak. We tell you which one you have, and show you why in the photographs. The roof repairs page explains the decision in more detail.

What changes if my house proves to be a listed one?

Then a change that affects its character calls for listed building consent, and swapping the roofing material would be one. Our starting point is to reuse or match what is there, and Test Valley Borough Council can confirm whether your address appears on the statutory list or falls within a conservation area.

A chimney that leans or sheds its mortar is dealt with in the same visit, stack and flashing together, so the scaffold goes up once.

Who repairs a roof on the converted fairground units?

The answer

The building owner is normally responsible for the roof, which may be the parish or a landlord, not the individual tenant. Larger, simpler roofs call for a commercial approach: a proper survey, work in phases and a written quote. If the building dates from before 2000, asbestos should be assumed until it is checked.

When a derelict fairground becomes a row of craft studios and shops, the buildings change use faster than their roofs get attention. Responsibility for the roof usually sits with whoever owns or manages the building, and the lease or agreement will say. Our job is to give that person a clear picture and a repair that lasts.

What goes wrong on a converted agricultural-style roof?

Joints in sheeting open up, fixings corrode, rooflights leak around their upstands, and valley gutters clog and overflow into the building. Flat or shallow sections hold water, and water that lies on a roof ages it quickly. A repair to the exact point of failure, rather than a coating over the whole slope, is usually the better value. Our commercial roofing page covers the larger jobs.

Could the sheeting contain asbestos?

It might. The Health and Safety Executive advises that anything built or refurbished before 2000 should be presumed to contain asbestos until a check shows otherwise. Asbestos cement sheeting lifted off carefully and whole counts as non-licensed work; breaking it up changes that and makes the job notifiable. We never break up or drop old sheets, and we tell you at the survey if the roof needs testing before anything starts.

Can the shops keep trading during the work?

Usually, if the job is sequenced sensibly. We take one section at a time, make it weathertight before we leave, and keep walkways clear for customers and staff. The written quote sets out the phasing, so everyone knows what happens on which days.

If you manage the units, send us any previous survey or repair record you have; it speeds the visit.

MythWeathered asbestos cement sheets are safe to smash up and drop.

FactCareful removal is the rule, because breaking the material up releases fibres and makes the job notifiable.

Which council deals with roof work in Weyhill?

New brick house with a red tiled roof inside scaffolding

Terraced house roof stripped to rafters inside scaffolding

The short answer

Weyhill is in Hampshire, and planning questions go to Test Valley Borough Council. Building control for notifiable work goes through the council's building control team or a registered building control approver. A matching repair seldom needs either, while a larger re-roof, a much heavier covering or a listed property will.

A good share of Weyhill roofing is plain upkeep that needs no permission at all. Fitting a replacement tile, bedding a ridge afresh or renewing a lead flashing, all in matching materials, are examples. A few cases change that, and checking them before you sign anything is sensible.

When is a Building Regulations application needed for a re-roof?

Where repairs or re-covering touch under 25 per cent of the total building envelope and under 50 per cent of the roof, no building control application is normally required. Cross either limit and approval is required, with improvements to the insulation as a possible consequence. The Planning Portal names a weight trigger as well: approval is needed if a replacement covering weighs 15 per cent or more above the one it replaces. We explain which situation you are in and send the notification ourselves where it is required.

Does Weyhill have a conservation area or an Article 4 direction?

That is a question for the planning team at Test Valley Borough Council, which holds the maps, and it is best to have the answer before work begins. Outside a conservation area and away from listed buildings, matching repairs seldom need an application at all. Inside either, the council examines changes to the way a roof looks.

What about the church and other listed buildings?

St Michael and All the Angels is Grade II* listed, and listed buildings need consent for work that affects their special character. A nearby house does not share the church's status. If you are unsure, the council confirms it in writing.

Whoever quotes, check whether the quote includes VAT and scaffolding.

Before you commit

Check listing and conservation status with the council first; a phone call is cheap and a refused application is not.

Roofing services in Weyhill

Nearby towns we cover

Questions from the old fair site

What usually goes wrong with roofs on large, simple buildings like the fairground units?

Water finds the joints. Sheeting laps open, fixings rust, rooflights leak around their upstands and gutters overflow in a storm. Because such roofs are large and shallow, one small defect admits a surprising volume of water, and the damage inside builds quietly behind ceilings and cladding. A survey finds the actual failure points, and a targeted repair is often better value than covering the whole roof.

Weyhill station closed in 1961, so are the houses near it all Victorian?

Not necessarily. The station opened in 1882, but houses of other ages stand nearby too. We never assume a roof's age from its street; the survey checks the covering, the nails and the timbers, and the repair is based on what is found.

Do you work in Andover and the villages around Weyhill?

Yes. Weyhill is within the area we cover, and so are many of the villages nearby. If you are unsure about a place, the areas page and a phone call will settle it.

What comes with the quote for my Weyhill roof?

Once we have surveyed, your own roof is photographed and a written quote follows. Completed work comes with our 10-year workmanship guarantee, in writing, and the plot is left tidy, with waste removed. If you want an early view of the job, phone photographs sent to us first are a useful start, and we will say whether a visit is needed.

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