Roofers in Slough

Slough's roofs follow the age of its housing. In the Victorian streets of Upton and Chalvey, many houses still have natural slate roofs and chimney stacks. On roofs that old, the most common problem is nail sickness. The nails holding each slate corrode, and slates slip one by one, often after autumn winds. A few slipped slates are a quick repair, but lots of them suggest the roof needs re-slating, often reusing the sound slates. Chimneys need checking too: worn mortar joints, cracked flaunching and failed lead flashing all let water in.

Inter-war semis, common in Cippenham and Langley, often have hipped roofs and bay window roofs. On roofs this age, the battens and the felt under the tiles can be past their best even when the tiles look fine. Post-war homes more often have concrete interlocking tiles, where the usual jobs are rebedding the ridge, or fitting a dry ridge and dry verge system that uses mechanical fixings instead of mortar.

Many Slough homes have been extended upwards or outwards, so dormers, loft conversions and flat-roofed rear extensions are common. Older felt flat roofs often start to leak after 15 to 20 years, and leaks around a dormer are often caused by failed flashing rather than the roof covering itself. If your garage, outbuilding or flat-roof sheets were built before 2000, they may contain asbestos cement. Don't drill, cut or break them, and ask the roofer to check before work starts.

If your home is in one of Slough's conservation areas, such as Upton Park and Upton Village or Sussex Place and Clifton Road, check with Slough Borough Council before you change the roof covering or add dormers or roof lights.

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.