Great Dunmow is a town in Essex. The town has a mix of older and newer housing. Whether you own a period cottage needing ridge tile repointing or a newer house with a failing flat roof extension, a proper inspection is the place to start.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Great Dunmow sits in the Uttlesford district of Essex, close to the Stansted corridor, and has seen steady population growth that has brought a wider mix of roof ages and types into the town.
We cover Great Dunmow for the full range of roofing work: repairs, full re-roofs, flat roof replacement, chimney repairs, leadwork, fascias and guttering. The town's mix of ages and property types means no two jobs are quite the same.
A common problem on older roofs in this area is failed mortar at the ridge and hip ends. Lime-bedded ridges from Victorian and Edwardian construction eventually crack and shrink, letting water track down into the roof space. Re-bedding and repointing ridge tiles in a sand-and-cement mix, or using a modern dry-fix system, addresses this properly. On concrete tile roofs from the 1980s and 1990s, a common fault is tile breakage from foot traffic during previous repair work, or cracked nibs that let tiles slip out of position.
We identify the true source of a leak before we start work. A damp patch on a bedroom ceiling might come from a slipped tile, a failed lead flashing around a chimney, or a blocked valley. Getting this wrong and patching the wrong spot wastes money and leaves the real problem in place.
After strong winds, ridge tiles and verge mortar are the first things to go, particularly on roofs that were already showing signs of deterioration. If a tile or section of ridge has come down, the exposed felt underneath is a temporary barrier at best and will not cope with sustained rain. We aim to make a roof safe and weathertight as the priority, then assess what longer-term repair or replacement is needed once the immediate risk is contained.
A full re-roof on a typical three-bedroom semi in Great Dunmow involves stripping the existing tiles or slates, inspecting and replacing any rotten or damaged roof timbers, fitting new breathable membrane, battening out and laying the new tiles or slates. Fitting proper breathable underlay as part of a re-roof makes a genuine difference to long-term performance.
For new roof coverings, the choice of material matters. Clay plain tiles suit period properties in Great Dunmow's older streets and will outlast most other options if the roof structure is sound. Concrete interlocking tiles are a cost-effective alternative for larger roofs where the weight of plain tile would need structural consideration. Natural slate remains the choice for the best-looking result on a period building, and good-quality Welsh or Spanish slate carries a long manufacturer's lifespan.
Flat roofs appear on extensions, bay window tops, garage roofs and some 1960s-1970s house designs. A felt flat roof that was laid more than fifteen years ago is approaching the end of its serviceable life, regardless of whether it is currently leaking. Felt becomes brittle, surface dressings wash away, and laps start to lift. EPDM rubber is the material we recommend for most replacement flat roofs: it is a single-ply membrane that does not rely on laps and joints in the same way as felt, handles thermal movement well, and carries a long manufacturer's lifespan. For larger flat roofs, torch-on felt systems remain a practical option when specified correctly with proper falls to drains or outlets.
Falls are critical on any flat roof. Water pooling on a flat surface accelerates deterioration and adds load to the structure. Part of any flat roof job is checking that adequate falls exist and, where they do not, making provision for proper drainage.
Chimneys can be a source of roofing problems. The mortar flaunching that beds the pots can crack and allow water into the stack. The lead flashings around the base of the stack are vulnerable to thermal movement over decades and can lift, crack or pull away from the brickwork. Repointing the flaunching, re-dressing or replacing lead flashings, and repointing any open joints in the brickwork are all straightforward jobs when caught early. Left alone, water tracking down a chimney stack can damage ceilings, plasterwork and timbers that are expensive to put right.
Lead is the correct material for flashings, valleys and soakers on a well-built roof. It lasts far longer than most alternatives when fitted correctly to BS EN 12588 code thicknesses. Code 4 or Code 5 lead is standard for most flashing applications; thicker codes are used where larger areas of lead are dressed, such as parapet gutters or back gutters behind chimney stacks.
Roofline work is often overlooked until it becomes visually obvious or causes a problem. Timber fascias can rot where gutters have been blocked or overflowing, or where the paint has been neglected. Rotten fascia boards can allow damp into the roof void and, in some cases, affect the feet of the rafters. uPVC fascia, soffit and bargeboard replacement is a long-lasting solution that removes the need for ongoing painting. We also replace cast-iron or old plastic guttering and downpipes where they have cracked, sagged or pulled away from fixings.
Gutter clearance is something any property owner can arrange annually, but blocked gutters that overflow repeatedly cause damage to fascias, soffits and sometimes masonry. If your gutters are overflowing in moderate rain, the outlet or a downpipe section is usually blocked rather than the gutter being undersized.
Roof windows are often fitted to loft conversions, particularly where loft space is substantial. A leaking roof window is almost always a flashing problem rather than a fault with the window unit itself. The factory-supplied flashing kits for branded roof windows need to be fitted correctly and in the right sequence; when they are rushed or bodged, water finds its way under the tray and onto the ceiling below. We supply and fit new roof windows and repair the flashings on existing units.
Preventative maintenance on a roof costs significantly less than reactive repair after water has entered the building. A visual inspection from ground level with binoculars will often show slipped or broken tiles, open joints in ridge mortar, or gutters pulling away from the fascia. On older roofs, a closer inspection from a ladder or by a roofer walking the roof will reveal problems that are invisible from below: failed underlay, rotten battens, corroded fixings and cracked hip tiles.
Moss itself does not damage tiles but it retains moisture and, where it is thick enough, can lift tile edges and allow water to track laterally. Treating moss and clearing it from valleys and gutters is worthwhile on older roofs with established growth. We do not pressure-wash tiles: the force strips the surface of clay and concrete tiles and shortens their life.
From our Haverhill base we cover Great Dunmow and the surrounding area.
A full re-roof on a standard three-bedroom semi using concrete interlocking tiles typically costs between £4,500 and £8,000 depending on the size of the roof, condition of the timbers, and access. Natural slate or clay plain tile adds to the material cost. These are realistic current UK figures; any quote well below this range warrants careful scrutiny of what is and is not included.
Common signs include damp patches on upper-floor ceilings, visible slipped or missing tiles from the ground, daylight visible in the loft space, granules from felt in the gutters, and cracked or open mortar at the ridge or around the chimney. Gutters overflowing at the same point in every rain shower usually indicate a blockage rather than a roof fault, but persistent overflow can cause fascia rot that then involves roofline work.
Storm damage to a roof is generally covered under most buildings insurance policies, but gradual deterioration or lack of maintenance is not. If you need to make a claim, a roofer can provide a report describing the damage and confirming that it is consistent with storm or wind damage rather than age-related wear. Ask for a written description of what was found and what repair is needed.
If you have a roofing job in Great Dunmow, call us to arrange an inspection and a clear, itemised quote. We will tell you exactly what the roof needs, what materials we recommend and why, and what the work will cost before anything starts. Call Haverhill Roofers to book your roof survey in Great Dunmow.
Great Dunmow has a varied housing stock, including older parts of town and newer builds on the expanding fringes.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
