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Roofing in Essex and east London
Romford, Brentwood, Basildon, Chelmsford, Ilford, Grays and Southend are dominated by postwar housing, and the work here follows the way that stock was built.
Interlocking concrete tile at end of life
Large parts of these estates were roofed in interlocking concrete tile in the fifties and sixties, much of it with no underlay worth the name by modern standards, and a first generation of battens that has now done seventy years.
These roofs tend to go all at once rather than gradually. Two winters of individual slipped tiles is usually the warning, and the honest answer at that point is to price both the patch and the replacement so the arithmetic is visible.
Extensions, and the flat roofs on them
This is extension country, and a very high proportion of the leaks here are not on the main roof at all. They are at the abutment where a rear extension meets the original house wall, or on the flat roof over it where the fall has gone.
The abutment detail is leadwork, not flat roofing, and getting that wrong is why the same extension leaks after two different contractors have re-covered the flat roof.
Open positions and wind
Out towards the estuary and the coast the housing sits in genuinely open positions with little shelter. Dry-fixed ridge and verge stop being a preference and start being the specification, because mortar-bedded details on an exposed gable are the first thing to go in a storm.
It also changes the maintenance conversation: on these roofs an annual look at the ridge and verge line is worth more than the same visit on a sheltered inner-suburb terrace.
Storm work and insurance
These postcodes get a bigger share of genuine storm damage than the inner boroughs, which means more insurance work, which means the quality of the documentation matters. Dated photographs, a stated cause, and a scoped quotation are what stop a claim stalling, and we write them that way as standard.
Where we work in Essex and east London
Our own team covers the whole county and the eastern boroughs. If your town is not listed, send your postcode anyway.
- Romford, Hornchurch and Upminster
- Ilford, Barking and Dagenham
- Brentwood and Billericay
- Basildon, Wickford and Laindon
- Chelmsford and the villages around it
- Grays, Thurrock and Tilbury
- Southend, Leigh-on-Sea and Rayleigh
- Harlow and Epping
Recent jobs in Essex and east London
Questions
Do you cover Southend and the coast?
Yes. Tell us the postcode at the enquiry and we will confirm cover the same day.
My whole street is having roofs done. Should I?
Only if yours needs it. Houses built together have not weathered together, and we will tell you if yours has years left.
Can you deal with my insurer after a storm?
We give you dated photographs, the cause stated plainly and a quote itemised by repair, which is what a loss adjuster needs, and we answer their questions about it.