Older and newer buildings in Westerham
Westerham is a small Kent town in the Darent valley. The chalk scarp of the North Downs rises to the north, the Greensand ridge lies to the south, and the River Darent rises close by. The town sits inside the Kent Downs protected landscape, near the Surrey border, and Brasted is the next village along the valley.
For a roofer the town falls into two parts. The Green is lined with listed buildings, several with 17th and 18th century origins, under clay tiles and behind walls of brick and local stone. Out towards the edges the homes are newer, and most have concrete tiles, uPVC at the roofline and here and there a flat roofed extension. We are third generation roofers and a family run firm, and every job is done by our own team.
Roof Repairs in Westerham
Our roof repairs put right leaks, tiles and slates that have cracked, slipped or gone, failed leadwork and flashing, and whatever a storm leaves behind, as an emergency repair when the roof has been left open. Two houses can share a fault and still need different repairs, because the age of the roof decides the method.
Clay tiled roofs around The Green
Clay tiles made by hand differ a little in size, curve and colour, and that unevenness is a large part of how the older streets look. We lift the tiles around the fault, put the sound ones back where they came from and make up the numbers with tiles matched for size, colour and texture.
Newer roofs on the edges of town
Concrete tiles are all one size and easy to find, so a cracked one is simple to swap. The faults on a newer roof are usually somewhere else. Mortar along the ridge and at the gable ends cracks and lets tiles work loose. The underlay wears out at the eaves, where it dips into the gutter. Valleys fill with moss and leaves and send water sideways under the tiles.
Chimney Repairs in Westerham
A chimney stands clear of the roof and takes wind and rain on every side, so it often wears out before the roof around it. Our chimneys and leadwork service covers repointing, flashing repairs, capping, rebuilding and removal.
Stacks on listed and older buildings
Old stacks are tall, built in soft brick and bedded in lime, and they do much to shape the skyline round The Green. The aim is to keep them. We repoint in a mortar that suits the old brick, renew the flashings in lead, and rebuild only the courses that have come loose, in matching brick laid to the same pattern. Taking down or shortening a stack on a listed building needs consent.
Chimneys on newer houses
A newer chimney is shorter and built in harder brick with cement mortar, and many now serve no fire at all. Flashing that was only bedded in mortar can lift. An open pot lets rain straight down a flue that nobody uses. A cap on the pot keeps the rain out and still lets air through. If the stack is not wanted any more, we can take it down and tile over the opening.
Facias Replacement in Westerham
The roofline is made up of the fascia board that holds the gutter, the soffit under it and the bargeboards on the gable ends. Our fascias, soffits and guttering work takes in new uPVC fascias and soffits, bargeboards and box ends, downpipes, and gutters repaired or replaced.
Rooflines on older buildings
Many older buildings have painted timber at the eaves, and some have no boxed soffit at all, only the rafter ends showing. Swapping timber for uPVC changes the look of a listed building and can need consent, so ask the council before deciding. Often the timber is sound and it is the gutters that want attention: clearing, realigning, or a new length of downpipe.
Rooflines on newer homes
On a newer home, new fascias put an end to the round of rubbing down and repainting. Timber rots first behind the gutter, where a paintbrush cannot reach, and the first sign is often a gutter that sags or pulls away from the wall. The new uPVC boards go on together with new gutters, so the whole roofline is renewed at one time.
Brick Repointing in Westerham
Ragstone quarried at Hosey Common was used for the church and for walls around the town, and it sits alongside old red brick. Both depend on sound joints to keep water out. In our brick repointing work we take out the old mortar and put back mortar matched for colour, working in the traditional way where a building calls for it. That covers boundary walls, whole elevations, parapets and chimneys, heritage and listed buildings included.
Flat Roofing in Westerham
Flat roofs in the town are mostly on rear extensions, garages and outbuildings. We lay and repair flat roofs in EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass, torch on systems and traditional felt. On an existing roof we find and seal leaks, mend blisters and tears, strengthen joints and edges, and improve the drainage where rain stands.
New Roof in Westerham
When repairs no longer hold, a new roof is the lasting answer. We build pitched roofs in tile and slate, new flat roofs and roof extensions, and we reconstruct a roof where its structure has failed. Our own scaffolding goes up at no charge on a new roof. We can help with surveys and planning applications.
Damp Proofing in Westerham
Old solid walls on a valley floor are prone to damp. Condensation, penetrating damp and rising damp look alike on a wall but have different causes, so our damp proofing begins with a survey. Depending on what it finds, the answer may be better ventilation, a treatment to the outside of the wall, an injected damp proof course, or tanking with a waterproof membrane.
Property Refurbishment in Westerham
Our property refurbishment service brings the trades together for homeowners and landlords: kitchens and bathrooms updated, tiling and flooring, plastering, rendering, decorating and structural improvements. Work on the roof and chimney can form part of the same project.
Questions about roof work in Westerham
Is listed building consent needed for a roof repair?
Usually not, if the repair is like for like: broken clay tiles swapped for matching ones, say. Consent comes in when the work alters how the building looks or how it is put together. A different roof covering, a new rooflight and the loss of a chimney all fall on that side of the line. The council draws the line, so ring its conservation officer first. Going ahead without a consent that was needed is an offence.
What mortar suits ragstone?
Lime mortar. Ragstone is hard, but the walls built from it were laid in lime and have always dried out through their joints. A hard cement mortar seals those joints, holds water in the wall and in time cracks away from the stone. Lime is softer than the stone and lets the wall dry.
Why does moss build up on north facing slopes?
A slope that faces north gets little direct sun, so it stays damp for longer after rain, and moss needs that moisture to grow. Moss holds water against the tiles, and clumps wash down to block gutters and valleys. We remove moss and clean tiles, and we look for cracked or slipped tiles while the roof is clear.
Site visits and quotations are free, the work is guaranteed, and we carry public liability insurance. Contact us to arrange a visit.