Roofers in Saltford

Saltford's older houses cover a wide stretch of history. The manor house goes back to around 1160 and was refronted in the 17th century. Saltford House was built in 1771, which makes it Georgian. Neither would have been roofed the way a new house is today, and neither has stayed unchanged. Each has been patched, partly stripped, reslated or retiled, and the structure beneath has moved to suit.

The first lesson from a roof that old is that a straight line is rare. Ridges dip, slopes sag between purlins and courses of tiles or slates wander. None of that proves the roof has failed. A building settles in stages, and a roof that has carried the same load for two centuries has often found its balance. What matters is whether water is getting in, and whether the timbers are still sound where they bear on the walls.

So we begin with what can be seen and then confirm what cannot. From outside we look at the covering, the ridge, the verges and the flashings. Up in the loft we study the underside: daylight through the covering, tide marks on the timber, the condition of the wall plates and the ends of the rafters. Where old repairs have used cement, hard sealant or a bitumen strip, those are often the places where the real problem sits, since a rigid fix on a flexing roof cracks and then hides the leak behind it.

When a repair is called for, we aim to leave the roof looking as it did. Where slate or clay tile can be refixed or reused, we reuse it, and where new material is needed it goes in matched for size, colour and texture. If a listed building is involved, we describe each step to you in writing so that you can show it to the conservation officer at B&NES. Our roof inspections page explains the survey that comes first.

Saltford lies on the A4 and the Avon, and the low-lying area is prone to flooding. A roof sits well above any flood, but flood weather is also roof weather, and the same sustained rain that lifts a river will test every gutter, downpipe and flat section in the village. If a roof is going to fail through drainage, it is likely to be during the kind of week that makes the news.

A box gutter is a gutter built into the roof structure, usually between two slopes or behind a parapet wall, and a parapet gutter is the same idea running along the foot of that wall. Older houses with parapets often have them, lined in lead or an older material, and they are the usual suspects after a wet spell. If the outlet clogs with leaves and moss, the gutter fills and spills into the wall. We clear, test and, where it has failed, reline.

Eaves gutters need a different kind of attention. Cast iron, aluminium and uPVC all have strengths, but each depends on its fixings. Brackets rust, joints open and a gutter that has been painted so many times that its profile has gone soft no longer clears what falls into it. Overflow streams down the wall face, and over time it feeds damp at ground level, which is a particular worry when the ground itself is wet. For renewal and repair, see gutters, soffits and fascias.

After a flood or storm the useful first step is to look and record. Photograph the roof from the ground and any stains inside before anything is dried or cleaned, and keep the photographs with the date. Insurers often treat wind damage and wear and tear differently, and a dated record helps you show which you have. A leaking roof gets made safe before anything else, and the lasting repair follows.