Roofers in Cambridge

Slate, clay tile and chimney work on Cambridge roofs

Cambridge is a city of old roofs. Streets like Mill Road, Romsey, Petersfield and Newnham are packed with Victorian terraces, and above them sits a great deal of natural slate and clay tile, with more chimney stacks and valley gutters to the street than almost anywhere else we work. Those are the details that leak. A valley patched one time too many, a stack that wants repointing, a couple of slates that have slipped off their nails. We travel out from Wisbech for exactly this kind of work.

The other thing that shapes a Cambridge job is the standard people expect. This is a city where period property, college buildings and centuries-old brickwork set the tone, and a roof repair that looks like a patch stands out badly on a terrace where every other house matches. We work to the roof that is already there rather than to whatever is quickest.

Conservation areas, listed buildings and matching materials

Large parts of Cambridge sit inside conservation areas, and listed buildings are scattered right through the city. That changes how a roof gets repaired. Replacement slate or tile normally has to match what is already up there rather than whatever is easiest to source, and on a listed property consent can be required before anyone lifts a tile. We talk that through before we quote and point you to the city council where permission is likely to apply, so you know where you stand from the start.

Access and scaffolding on a Cambridge terrace

Access is the other thing that makes this city different. On a terraced street with cars parked nose to tail and no side entry, getting a scaffold up and materials off the road takes planning rather than luck. We work that out before the job is booked, keep the pavement passable, and clear up behind us at the end of every day. It sounds like a small thing. On a street where your neighbours park two feet from your front door, it is the whole difference between a tidy job and a fortnight of arguments.

Our roof repairs cover the slipped slates, tired valleys and failed flashing that Cambridge terraces throw up. Where a covering has genuinely reached the end, we fit new roofs and re-roofs in slate and tile chosen to sit right on the street. The city is full of rear kitchen-diners and loft conversions, so our flat roofing in fibreglass and EPDM rubber re-covers a lot of old felt here. We also take on chimney repairs and leadwork on the tall period stacks, fit uPVC fascias, soffits and guttering where the roofline suits it, and offer roof cleaning for the moss that builds up on the shaded north-facing slopes between terraces.

Cambridge homeowners ask good questions, and we like that. Ask us what is actually wrong, why it happened and what it will cost, and you will get a straight answer, a free written quote that stands for thirty days, and a repair priced instead of a re-roof whenever a repair will hold. You can read more about how we work, or get in touch for a free quote.