Roofers in Windsor

Many of Windsor's Georgian and Victorian townhouses have roofs hidden behind parapet walls, with lead-lined gutters and valleys between the slopes. When those leak, the cause is usually the lead or the gutter behind the parapet rather than the slates, and leaves and debris that collect there make it worse. Lead work is a specialist job, so ask whether the roofer has worked on parapet gutters before, and check that lead is laid in short enough lengths to allow for expansion.

The Victorian and Edwardian terraces of Clewer and around the town centre more often 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. On a terrace, a chimney stack is often shared with the house next door, so talk to your neighbour before work starts.

Post-war homes in Dedworth 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. Flat roofs on garages, dormers and rear extensions are common across the town, and older felt roofs often start to leak after 15 to 20 years.

If your home is listed or in a conservation area, check with the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead before you change the roof covering, or add roof lights or dormers. Like-for-like repairs are usually fine.

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.