Roofers in Yatton

The North Somerset Levels are flat, and a flat landscape gives wind a clear run. A house on the edge of Yatton has open fields in one or more directions, and the roof takes whatever comes. Over the years that means loosened ridge tiles, slipped tiles at the verge, and rain driven sideways into any gap in the covering.

The first check we make on an exposed roof is the fixing. Tiles stay put through their own weight, clips, nails or a mix, which varies with the roof's date and pitch. On older roofs, a tile may be held by gravity and a single nail on every fourth course, and that is a thin margin in a gale. If we find several loose tiles in the same area, we look for the pattern: a line of slips along a course, for example, suggests the battens, the laths the tiles hang from, are failing, not the tiles.

Ridge and hip lines come next. Mortar was the standard bedding for ridge tiles for many years, but it shrinks and cracks. The British Standard BS 5534:2014 says a mortar bed cannot be relied on alone, and calls for mechanical fixings. Dry-fix ridge kits, which are tested under BS 8612:2018, use clips and flexible caps and need no mortar. On a roof that stands in the open, they are often the right long-term choice.

After a storm, glance at the lawn and the gutters as well as the roof. Slipped tiles and bits of ridge often land on the lawn or in the gutter. A visible fragment is a good reason to book a survey, even if no leak has appeared. Our roof inspection service is designed for exactly that: a written look at the whole roof, with pictures.

St Mary's Church was built around 1400, and the Old Rectory, a Prebendary house, dates from the 15th century. Both are Grade I listed, the highest grade, so any change to their roofs is a matter for the council, North Somerset Council, and for specialist advice. Most of our work will not be on buildings of that rank, but people who own older houses nearby ask the same question: does my roof need consent?

The answer depends on the building. Work that touches the character of a listed house calls for listed building consent, which can take in the covering, the lead and the chimneys. A house inside a conservation area, or one under an Article 4 direction, may be allowed less than a house with neither. The only safe course is to ask North Somerset Council, and to ask before ordering materials. Listing information is public, and the Historic England list is a good place to check a property.

Large historic roofs are repaired with large historic tools: scaffold, a good deal of lead and a careful eye. Church roofs often combine tiled or slated slopes with lead gutters behind parapets, and those gutters are where leaks start. Rain enters at a split in the lead, tracks down inside the wall, and appears as a stain far below the roof. We lift the debris out, trace the failure and replace the damaged length of lead, set at the correct falls and with drips of sufficient height.

For owners of older houses within reach of the church, a free survey is the first step. We take pictures, write up the defects and say up front whether they are matters for repair, replacement or a conversation with the council. The related lead work is explained on our lead roofing page.