What Sevenoaks Roofs and Walls Are Made Of
Sevenoaks stands on the Greensand ridge, with Knole park on the edge of the town, and its older buildings were made from what the ground nearby supplied. Clay gave bricks and roof tiles. Kentish ragstone, quarried locally, went into walls, and it appears on old buildings and on many houses of the late 19th century.
The traditional roof here is the clay plain tile. The oldest are Kent peg tiles, each one hung on its batten by a small wooden peg. The same kind of tile was hung on upper walls, and tile hanging is widespread across the district. Slate came later. A slate roof here usually belongs to a house of the 19th century or after.
This matters when a roof needs work. A peg tile is smaller than a modern tile and no two are quite alike, which gives an old roof its uneven surface. Put a machine made tile among them and it shows at once, and it may not sit tightly against its neighbours. Repairing like for like keeps the roof weathertight and keeps the look of the house. CRB Roofing Building Ltd offers tile matching and heritage roof restoration within its slate and tile work.
Roof Repairs in Sevenoaks
Our roof repairs cover clay tile, slate and the concrete tiles found on later houses.
Leaking roof repairs. A leaking roof is the repair that cannot wait. Water coming through a ceiling may start at a cracked tile, a slipped slate, a split in the lead beside a chimney or a blocked valley, and the entry point can be some way from the drip. We trace the leak to its source, make the roof watertight and then explain what a lasting repair involves.
Tiles, slates and lead. Broken and missing slates and tiles are replaced, flashing and other leadwork is renewed where it has been damaged, and faults along the gutters and roofline are dealt with while we are there.
Storm damage. High winds lift tiles, loosen ridges and tear at lead. For a roof opened up by a gale we offer emergency repairs, a service that covers South London and the South East.
Every repair is done by our own team. Quotations are free, and the price has no hidden costs. See roof repairs for more.
Flat Roofing in Sevenoaks
Many houses with a traditional tiled roof also have a flat roof somewhere: over a dormer, a bay, a garage or a rear extension. We install and repair flat roofs in four systems: GRP fibreglass, EPDM rubber, traditional felt and torch on. That goes for domestic and commercial buildings.
Repairs start with leak detection, then sealing, and go on to blisters and tears, weak joints and edges, and drainage where water gathers. The join between a flat roof and a tiled slope or a tile hung wall needs particular care, because leaks tend to start where two coverings meet. For the full service see flat roofing.
Chimney Repairs in Sevenoaks
Tall brick stacks are a feature of older houses in the town, and they stand in the wind above the ridge. Our chimney service runs from capping and repointing to a full rebuild, and unwanted stacks can be removed. Flashing repairs are part of it, as are lead valleys, box gutters, step flashings and cover flashings. The service has its own page: chimney repairs and leadwork.
New Roof in Sevenoaks
When repairs no longer hold, we fit a new roof. It can be a pitched roof in tile or slate, a rebuilt roof, a roof extension or a flat roof. On a new roof the scaffolding is our own and costs you nothing, and help with a planning application or a survey is there if you need it. Read about a new roof.
Facias Replacement in Sevenoaks
Many Victorian and Edwardian houses have gables finished with bargeboards, and timber bargeboards, fascias and soffits all need replacing in time. Replacements are in uPVC. Box ends, downpipes and gutters are repaired or renewed alongside them, and a gutter that has dropped out of line is cleared and realigned. Full details: fascias, soffits and gutters.
Brick Repointing in Sevenoaks
Red brick is the usual walling beneath the tile hanging, and its mortar wears out before the brick does. We take out the worn mortar and point the joints again in a colour to match, on chimneys, parapets, boundary walls and entire elevations. Heritage and listed buildings are repointed the traditional way where that is called for. Rendering is available too. Visit the brick repointing page to read more.
Damp Proofing in Sevenoaks
Damp in a house is rising, penetrating or caused by condensation, and a survey shows which. A wall behind tile hanging stays dry only while the tiles and the flashings above them are sound, so we check the outside before treating the inside. Our treatments are ventilation upgrades, external wall treatments, tanking, waterproof membranes and injection damp proof courses. Our damp proofing page has more.
Property Refurbishment in Sevenoaks
We refurbish houses for homeowners and landlords and premises for commercial clients. The work runs from structural improvements through plastering, tiling and flooring to the final coat of paint, with updated kitchens and bathrooms and any roof or chimney repairs the building needs. Project management, structural engineering and architectural drawings can be arranged through us. Start with our property refurbishment page.
Questions About Older Roofs in Sevenoaks
Can old clay tiles be reused?
Often, yes. Clay tiles last a very long time, and it is usually the pegs, nails and battens beneath them that give out first. When a roof is stripped, the tiles are checked one at a time. Those that are sound go back on, and the shortfall is made up with tiles chosen to match. Reusing them keeps a colour and texture that new tiles take decades to gain.
Does a tile hung wall need the same care as a roof?
Yes. Tile hanging is a roof covering used upright. The tiles hang on battens and can crack, slip or lose their fixings, and the lead at window heads, sills and corners does the same job as flashing on a roof. A slipped tile on a wall lets rain reach the battens and the wall behind. Have it checked whenever the roof is, and repaired with matching tiles.
What does wind do to a roof on high ground?
A house on high ground gets more wind than one in a sheltered street. Wind lifts tiles at the edges of a roof first: the ridge, the verges and the eaves. It works at loose lead, and it drives rain up under tiles on shallow slopes. After a gale, look from the ground for tiles out of line and check the loft for damp. Small faults found early are simple repairs.
CRB Roofing Building Ltd is run by third generation roofers and uses its own team on every job. We are fully insured and our work is guaranteed. To ask for a free site visit, contact us.