Roofers in Wotton-under-Edge

A roof in a hollow between hills behaves differently from one on an open plain. In Wotton-under-Edge the hills sit close to the town on two sides, so the sun goes behind them earlier in the day, trees stand on the slopes above and rain that runs off the hillsides finds its way down through the streets. None of this causes a leak by itself, but it creates the conditions in which small faults grow.

The first condition is damp. A north-facing slope that dries slowly is where moss gets hold. Moss is a plant that grows in the gaps between tiles and slates, and it holds water against the covering. A thick growth can lift the edge of a tile, and when it dries and falls it heads for the gutter and blocks it. We look at roofs like this for the moss, but also for what it has been covering: cracks, slipped courses and worn edges that a clean surface would reveal.

The second condition is leaf fall. Trees close to the roof drop leaves, seed and twigs into gutters and valleys, and a valley is the channel between two slopes that gathers most of it. A blocked valley overflows under the tiles. Clearing it is simple and quick, and it prevents a leak that is difficult to trace afterwards.

The third is access. A house on a hillside may have a front that is two storeys high and a back that is three, or a drive that cannot take a lorry. Scaffold has to be planned for the lie of the land, and the cost depends on it. We look at it on the survey and tell you what the access involves, so the quote has no surprises in it.

If moss is the main issue, the methods we use, and when we advise against them, are set out on our roof cleaning page.

Wotton-under-Edge Town Hall was substantially rebuilt in 1872, in the period when public buildings were expected to be solid and visible. Roofs of that era tend to be large, with long slopes, deep valleys and gutters behind a parapet. A shop terrace or a works building in the centre of town is built on a similar scale, and the same careful reading applies to them.

On a commercial roof the main differences are size and access. A long roof collects a great deal of water at one outlet, and a lining that is slightly too narrow or an outlet that is slightly too small will overflow in the first heavy storm. A roof over a shop has staff and customers below it, which means planning the work around opening hours, the pavement, the delivery bay and the neighbours. We agree the sequence with you before work starts.

The roof may include sections that are flat or very shallow: a valley, a lantern, a rooflight, a rear extension. A rooflight is a window set in a flat or gently pitched roof, and its curb or upstand, the raised edge that the glass sits on, is a typical leak point. A box gutter is a metal-lined trough running between roofs or hidden behind a parapet, and it needs clearing and checking as part of regular maintenance.

The scope of work on a commercial building varies so much that we do not quote from a list. We survey the roof, record the condition of each part and price the work as a whole. For a flat or low-pitched commercial roof, the covering, the insulation and the drainage are all part of the same decision. The commercial roofing page describes the options.

We can also plan a maintenance visit so that outlets are cleared and defects found before they cost more.