Three kinds of roof in Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a spa town in the High Weald of Kent, and it is built on hills. Mount Pleasant, Mount Sion and Mount Ephraim are among its slopes, and sandstone breaks through the ground in outcrops. The Pantiles is a colonnaded walk of mainly 18th and 19th century buildings, several of them tile hung. Calverley Park, a group of villas laid out by Decimus Burton from 1828, lies in a conservation area with many listed buildings. Southborough is the next town to the north and Rusthall lies to the west.
Three kinds of roof turn up again and again here, and each has a usual fault:
- Steep tiled roofs above tile hung walls. Clay tiles crack and slip, and the valleys between gables wear through.
- Shallow slate roofs behind parapets. Regency and early Victorian villas hide their gutters behind the parapet wall, and a blocked or split gutter sends water into the top of the wall.
- Flat roofs on extensions. Water ponds where the fall is poor, and the covering splits at the edges and where it turns up against a wall.
Ours is a family firm in its third generation, and our own team works on all three.
Roof Repairs in Tunbridge Wells
Our roof repairs stop leaks, replace tiles and slates that have broken or come away, renew damaged leadwork and flashing, sort out faults at the roofline and gutters, and make good after storms. What that means in practice depends on the roof.
On a steep tiled roof we replace cracked and slipped tiles with ones matched to the originals and remake worn valleys. On a villa we start with the leadwork: the parapet gutters, the lead valleys between slopes, the box gutters and the flashings where the slates meet the parapet. Slipped slates are put right once the lead is sound.
The slopes of the town put many houses in the path of the wind, so ridge and hip tiles are worth a look after every gale. Storm damage that cannot wait is treated as an emergency repair.
Flat Roofing in Tunbridge Wells
Flat roofs here sit on kitchen extensions, garages and dormers, and on the newer wings added to older houses. Our flat roofing for homes and commercial buildings uses four systems: fibreglass (GRP), rubber (EPDM), torch on and felt. A leak is traced and sealed, a blister or tear is cut out and patched, and weak joints and edges are reinforced. Where water stands on the roof after rain we improve the drainage, since standing water shortens the life of any covering. If the whole roof is worn, a new covering is the better course, and we will explain why before you decide.
Brick Repointing in Tunbridge Wells
Brickwork on a hill takes more weather than brickwork on level ground. Wind drives rain onto walls that would be sheltered elsewhere, and parapets and chimneys catch it on both faces. Once mortar has washed out, water gets into the wall and frost widens the gap.
In our brick repointing work we rake out the worn mortar and repoint in mortar matched to the colour of the old. Parapets, chimneys, boundary walls and full elevations are all covered, and on a heritage or listed building we follow traditional methods where these are required. The parapets of the older villas deserve particular care, because the parapet wall forms one side of the hidden gutter behind it. Rendering is available too.
Damp Proofing in Tunbridge Wells
A house built into a slope often has a lower ground floor with earth against one wall, and that wall lets water through unless it is protected. Our damp proofing includes tanking and waterproof membranes for walls below ground. For walls above ground there are injected damp proof courses, external treatments and upgrades to ventilation. A damp survey comes first, since condensation, rising damp and penetrating damp each need a different answer.
Property Refurbishment in Tunbridge Wells
Older houses need work inside as well as out. Our property refurbishment service deals with both. Indoors that means plastering, tiling, flooring, decorating and updating bathrooms and kitchens. Outdoors it means rendering, structural improvements and repairs to the roof and chimneys. On a larger scheme we can help with surveys and the planning application, structural engineering, drawings and managing the project, which is useful where a building is listed.
New Roof in Tunbridge Wells
When a roof is past repair we replace it. Our new roof work takes in pitched roofs of tile or slate, extensions to a roof, flat roofs and full reconstruction. On a period house the new covering should match what was there, slate for slate and clay tile for clay tile. Scaffolding for a new roof is our own, put up free of charge.
Chimney Repairs in Tunbridge Wells
Tall chimneys are a feature of the villas and the tile hung houses alike. Our chimney repairs mean rebuilding, repointing or capping a stack and mending the flashing round it, and a stack with no further use can be removed where that is allowed. Lead valleys and step flashings are renewed during the same work.
Facias Replacement in Tunbridge Wells
Fascias, soffits and bargeboards finish the edge of a tiled roof and carry the gutters. We install uPVC soffits and fascias, renew bargeboards and box ends, and repair or replace downpipes and gutters. A gutter that overflows soaks the wall below, and on a tile hung house the water runs behind the tiles. We clear and realign gutters where that is all they need.
Roofing questions for Tunbridge Wells homes
What does a parapet or valley gutter leak look like indoors?
A parapet gutter leak shows as a damp patch high on an outside wall or on the ceiling beside it, often with paint or paper peeling just below the cornice. A leak from a valley gutter in the middle of the roof shows as a stain across a ceiling well away from any outside wall. Both tend to appear after heavy rain or when leaves have blocked the outlet, then dry out and come back. These gutters cannot be seen from the ground, so they have to be inspected from above.
Does a conservation area limit the roofing materials I can use?
It can. Mending a roof with the same slate or tile it already has is rarely a problem. Swapping the covering, for instance slate for concrete tile, changes how the roof looks and may call for planning permission, and some streets carry extra controls set by the council. On a listed building, anything that changes its character has to be approved first. The planning office will tell you where your house stands. We match new slates and tiles to the old and can help with the application.
How are tile hung walls repaired?
Hung tiles are fixed to timber battens on the wall, each row overlapping the one below as on a roof. A single broken tile can be eased out and a new one slid in and fixed. Where the nails or battens have rotted and tiles are falling, a section is taken down, the battens are renewed and the tiles are rehung, with the sound originals reused and new ones matched for colour and shape. Corners, window openings and the joint with the roof above need the most care.
Our work is guaranteed and covered by public liability insurance. Contact us for a free site visit and quotation.