Roofers in Bearsted

Bearsted's oldest homes, around The Green and Church Lane, are timber-framed houses dating from the 15th to 18th centuries, and the historic core is covered by two conservation areas. Many of these houses have steep roofs covered in handmade clay tiles. Traditional Kent peg tiles were hung on wooden pegs, which rot over time, so tiles slip one by one. A few slipped tiles are a quick repair, but if it's happening across the roof, stripping and relaying it, reusing the sound tiles and making up the rest with matching reclaimed or handmade tiles, is usually the right answer.

On a listed house, or one in a conservation area, check with Maidstone Borough Council before you change the roof covering, add roof lights or alter a chimney. Repairs that match the existing materials are usually straightforward, but replacing old clay tiles with concrete ones, or changing the look of the roof, may need consent. Choose a roofer who has worked on period roofs and will match the tiles, the lead work and the lime mortar.

In Madginford, most homes were built in the 1960s, with concrete interlocking tiles, gable ends and flat-roofed garages or extensions. Here the common jobs are different: rebedding the ridge, repointing or replacing the verges at the gable ends, or fitting a dry ridge and dry verge system that uses mechanical fixings instead of mortar. Older felt roofs on garages and extensions often start to leak after 15 to 20 years.

Bearsted's mature trees mean gutters and valleys fill with leaves each autumn. Clearing them before winter stops water backing up under the tiles and spilling down the walls.

Scaffolding is often the biggest single cost in a roofing quote, so ask whether it's included and how long it will be up. Ask the roofer to send photos of the problem from the roof, and check what guarantee comes with the work. Reviews on Trade Pilot come from real, invoiced jobs, so you can see which roofers have finished similar work for other homeowners.