The stain is not where the hole is.
Water gets in at a flashing or a slipped slate, runs down the back of a rafter and drops off somewhere else entirely. Chasing the damp patch is how people end up paying to fix three things that were never wrong.
No call-out charge, and the phone is answered 24 hours.
Written prices
the quote is the price, agreed before we start
Free quotes
no call-out charge, and a written price before anyone starts
24 hours
someone answers the phone, storm or shine
Fully insured
every job covered, from a single slate to a full re-roof
01/
Leaking roof repair.
A leak has two ends and they are rarely in the same place. Water finds its way under the covering, then travels — along the top of a rafter, down the side of a purlin, along a nail, sometimes several metres across a loft — before it finds a gap in the plasterboard and announces itself. So looking only at the ceiling below the stain tells you where the water gave up, not where it got in.
That is why we go into the loft first on any leak that is not obvious from the ground. In daylight, with the lights off, a hole in the covering usually shows itself. Tide marks and dark staining on the timbers show the run. Wet insulation in one spot and dry either side tells you where it is landing. Ten minutes up there saves an afternoon of guessing on the roof.
It is also worth ruling out the things that are not the roof. Condensation in a poorly ventilated loft soaks insulation and drips without a drop of rain involved. A leaking waste pipe or a failed shower tray in a bathroom below a flat roof does a convincing impression of a roof leak. We would rather tell you it is a plumber's job than sell you a repair that changes nothing.
How we find it
- The loft checked first, in daylight with the lights off
- Timbers read for tide marks and the run of the water
- Insulation checked for where it is actually landing
- Flashings, valleys, abutments and chimney fillets inspected
- Slates lifted where a suspect fixing needs checking
- A hose test where the source is genuinely not obvious
- Condensation and plumbing ruled in or out honestly
- Photographs of the cause, with the repair priced in writing
Also called Leaking roof · Roof leak repair · Damp patch on the ceiling · Water coming through the ceiling · Find a roof leak
Want a price for this?
Describe what you can see from the ground and we'll tell you what it is likely to be. Coming out to look costs nothing.
What the work looks like.
Our own photographs, taken on our own roofs — not a stock library.
02/
Worth knowing.
- Leak or condensation?
- A leak follows the weather. Condensation turns up on cold still mornings and soaks the insulation evenly. Different problem, different fix, and one of them is in the loft.
- Chimneys first
- If there is a stack anywhere near the stain, that is where we look first. Cracked cement fillets and tired flashings are the most common single cause we find.
- It stopped by itself
- Leaks that come and go are usually wind-driven — it only gets in when the rain arrives from one particular direction. That is a real fault, not a fluke.
- Insurance
- Gradual wear is not usually covered, storm damage usually is. We photograph what we find either way so you have something to send them.
03/
The rest of repairs and leaks.
These sit alongside this one under repairs and leaks. If yours turns out to be one of those instead, the price is worked out the same way.
The other things we do.
Most jobs turn out to be more than one of these at once. If you're not sure which you need, describe what you can see and we'll work it out.
Slating and tiling
Nearly every pitched roof on this coast is slate. Stripping them, re-covering them, matching them to the terrace next door and putting stone back on the ones that had it.
Flat roofs
Fibreglass, EPDM rubber and torch-on felt for extensions, dormers, garages and porches. Laid to falls so water actually leaves the roof.
Repairs and leaks
Slipped slates, cracked tiles, failed valleys, damp patches on the ceiling. We find where the water is getting in before we quote for anything bigger.
Chimneys and leadwork
Repointing, flaunching, chimney removal and rebuilds, plus lead flashings, valleys and soakers cut and dressed on site.
Gutters, fascias and soffits
The cheapest part of the house to look after and the one most often left. Clearing, repairing and replacing gutters, downpipes, fascias and soffits.
Storm damage
Emergency call-outs, tarpaulins and temporary covers when the weather comes in off the Irish Sea. We work with insurers and can supply photos and reports.
- Roof maintenanceGeneral maintenance · Annual roof check · Roof survey · Moss removal
- Commercial and industrial roofingIndustrial and factory roofing · Factory roofing · Farm building roofing · Warehouse roofing · Commercial roofer
- Roof windows and glazingRooflights · Sky lights · Roof glazing · Daylight into a loft
- Roofing materialsRoofing material · Roofing supplies
Get the leak found.
Coming out to look costs nothing and there's no call-out charge. You get a written price before anyone lifts a slate.
Fill this in and we'll come back to you the same day, usually within a couple of hours. If water is coming in right now, don't type — phone.
07743 455071- 01We ring you back to talk through what you've got.
- 02We come out and look at the roof properly, free of charge.
- 03You get a written price with nothing hidden in it.