Roofs in Godstone: The Green, Church Town and the Main Roads
Godstone has two historic centres. One is gathered round the green and its pond. The other, Church Town, lies a short walk to the east beside the parish church. Both are conservation areas, and between them they hold most of the village’s oldest houses: timber framed cottages, later brick fronts, steep roofs of clay tiles and tall brick chimneys.
A roof like that has to be repaired with what is already on it. A handmade clay tile differs from a modern machine made one in size, colour and curve, and a patch of the wrong tile shows from the road for years. The same goes for chimneys. An old stack built in soft brick and lime mortar needs a mortar that suits it, because a hard cement mix on soft old brick does more harm than good.
Most other homes in Godstone stand along the main roads and in the streets behind them, close to where the A22 and A25 meet. These are later houses, with concrete or machine made tiles and uPVC along the roofline, and they bring different jobs: slipped tiles, cracked mortar on the ridge and leaking flat roofs over extensions and garages.
CRB Roofing Building Ltd is family run, now in its third generation, and its own team carries out every job.
Roof Repairs in Godstone
Most roof repairs come down to a short list of faults, and we deal with all of them:
- Roofs that leak
- Tiles and slates that are missing, slipped or broken
- Flashing and leadwork that has been damaged
- Faults in the guttering and along the roofline
- Damage from storms and bad weather
The first job is to find where the water is getting in. That is often not where the stain appears on the ceiling, because water can travel along a rafter or the underlay before it drips. Once we have traced it, we tell you what we found and what it will take to put right, with no hidden costs.
On an older clay tile roof we match the replacement tiles for size and colour so the repair blends in. On a later roof we also check the tiles beside the broken ones.
Godstone lies just below the North Downs, and slopes that face open ground take the full force of the wind. If a storm lifts tiles or loosens a ridge, call us: emergency roof repairs are available across South London and the South East. More on our roof repairs page.
New Roof in Godstone
There comes a point where patching stops making sense: tiles failing on every slope, battens that will no longer hold a nail, or an underlay that has perished. At that stage it is time to renew the roof.
Our new roof work covers slate and tile roofs on a pitch, full reconstructions, roof extensions and flat roofs. If a chimney is part of the job, we can rebuild it or take it down. The scaffolding for a new roof is our own, and we make no charge for supplying it or putting it up.
Inside either conservation area, the choice of tile matters as much as the workmanship. Where a change of material needs consent, we can help with the planning application and any survey that goes with it. Our new roof page has more detail.
Flat Roofing in Godstone
Flat roofs in the village are mostly found over rear extensions, garages, porches and outbuildings. We repair and replace them using GRP fibreglass, torch on felt, standard felt or EPDM rubber, on commercial buildings as well as homes.
A repair might mean tracing and sealing a leak, mending a tear or a blister, strengthening the edges and joints, or improving the drainage where water stands after rain. There is more on our flat roofing page.
Damp Proofing in Godstone
Damp takes three main forms. Rising damp starts at the foot of a wall, penetrating damp comes through brickwork or a roof fault, and condensation builds up where a house is short of ventilation. Each has its own cure, so we begin with a damp survey.
Older cottages have solid walls with no cavity, and they rely on sound pointing and working gutters to stay dry, so we look at those first. Where treatment is needed it may be an injection damp proof course, a waterproof membrane or tanking, a treatment applied to the outside wall, or added ventilation. Read about our damp proofing service.
Brick Repointing in Godstone
In a brick wall the mortar is the part designed to give way first. Once the joints have receded, rain sits in the wall and frost opens it further. We remove the old mortar and replace it with new mortar matched for colour.
The work may be a single chimney or parapet, a boundary wall or every elevation of the house. Heritage and listed buildings are given traditional methods where those are required. The details are on our brick repointing page.
Property Refurbishment in Godstone
A refurbishment can bring several trades into one house. Our own team plasters, renders, decorates, lays floors and tiles, updates kitchens and bathrooms and carries out structural improvements, with roof and chimney repairs done as part of the same job. Our property refurbishment page lists what is covered.
Chimney Repairs in Godstone
A chimney is the most exposed part of any roof. Our work on stacks includes repointing, capping, rebuilding and, for a chimney nobody uses, removal. Flashing at the foot of the stack is repaired too, and our leadwork takes in step and cover flashings, lead valleys and box gutters. More on chimney repairs.
Facias Replacement in Godstone
The fascia is the board the gutter is fixed to, and the soffit closes the gap beneath it. When either rots or works loose, water runs down the wall. We fit uPVC fascias and soffits, repair and replace gutters and downpipes, and renew box ends and bargeboards. We also clear gutters and realign them. See fascias, soffits and guttering.
Three Questions About Roofs in Godstone
Do I need consent to change the roof materials in a conservation area?
Repairing a roof with matching materials does not normally need planning permission. A change of covering, for example from clay tile to concrete tile or slate, may need it, depending on the controls the council has placed on the area. If the house is listed, any change affecting its character needs listed building consent as well. Ask Tandridge District Council before work starts. Should an application be needed, we can help prepare it.
Can you match old clay tiles?
In most cases, yes. The match is made on size, colour, texture and the curve of the tile. Sound tiles lifted during the work can go back on, and where new ones are needed we place them so they do not stand out. Tile matching and heritage roof restoration are part of our slate and tile work.
What should I check after a storm on an exposed roof below the Downs?
Stay on the ground. Walk round the house and look for slipped or missing tiles, a ridge tile out of line, lead that has lifted beside the chimney and gutters hanging loose. Pieces of tile or mortar on the path or lawn are a sign that something has moved. Then look in the loft in daylight for chinks of light or damp timber. If you find any of these, call us. Site visits are free.
We hold public liability insurance and guarantee our work. For a quotation, free and with no obligation, contact us.