Roofers in Heytesbury

Heytesbury was rebuilt after the fire of 1766. That has a consequence two and a half centuries later. A covering laid within a few years of its neighbours tends to age at about the same pace, so the faults arrive together: nails that have corroded through, battens that have softened where water sits against them, and slates or tiles that have begun to slide in their courses.

The covering itself is rarely the first thing to give out. In the field, a sound slate sitting on a rotted nail is a common sight, and a slipped course shows up from the road as a gap or a dark line. What matters is the distinction between local failure and general exhaustion. A few slipped units among many sound ones can be dealt with individually, each secured with a tingle, which is a thin copper or lead strap standing in for the failed nail. When the nails have gone across a whole slope, patching is a false economy, because the next row will follow.

The decision is made from under the roof as much as from over it. Old roofs often have no underlay, only the back of the covering. Light shining between slates from inside, soft battens and dark stains at the foot of the rafters give a more reliable picture than the surface does. Where a roof has to be stripped, we sort and keep the good slates, fit fresh battens and underlay, and bring in replacements that match for size, colour and thickness. Our slate roofing page explains how that works for natural slate.

For listed buildings in the village, the nature of the repair decides whether consent is needed. A straight match, material for material, is one conversation with Wiltshire Council. A change of covering is a different one.

Heytesbury House was rebuilt in 1782 and is listed Grade II*. In the early 21st century it was converted, with its stables, into several residences. Whatever the details of the tenure, the physical fact is that a single large roof now covers several households. A fault over one front door may start over another.

This is the situation where a survey of the whole roof earns its keep. We go over every slope and every valley, then divide the findings by area: what is the owner's own responsibility, what is shared, and what affects everyone. The aim is a clear scope that all the parties can read once, with photographs that show each fault in place, so that decisions are made on the same facts. A managing agent or a residents' committee can then circulate one document instead of six conversations.

Large country house roofs also carry details that small houses lack: parapet gutters of great length, lead-lined valleys between ranges, cupolas or lanterns, tall stacks and extensive flashing. The lead work deserves a specialist's care. Lead sheet is dressed in bays with allowance for the metal to expand and contract; if the bays are too large the sheet creeps and splits. The slate roofing approach to matching covering applies here too, and if the covering is replaced, the aim is the same size and colour as the original.

Where a Grade II* building is involved, the scope of consent is wide, and nothing beyond like-for-like should be assumed. Wiltshire Council's conservation officers are the people to ask. We write the proposed work in terms they can assess without a site visit.