Great Thurlow is a quiet rural village in west Suffolk, with older properties that require careful and considered roofing work. The village sits within the Stour valley landscape and its older buildings reflect the vernacular building traditions of this part of Suffolk. Haverhill Roofers works across Great Thurlow and the neighbouring village of Little Thurlow. We handle everything from emergency tile repairs to full re-roofs and chimney restoration on period properties.
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Great Thurlow sits in the rolling west Suffolk countryside between Haverhill and Newmarket, in an area where the agricultural heritage means converted farm buildings and older brick-and-flint structures are common. The village is part of the Thurlow group of settlements alongside Little Thurlow.
Great Thurlow's older housing stock presents roofing challenges that are quite different from those on a modern estate. Period farmhouses and flint cottages typically have natural slate or clay plain tile roofs, lead valley gutters, and chimney stacks in varying states of repair. Where a property is listed or sits within a conservation area, the choice of replacement materials and the method of working may be subject to planning conditions. We can advise on what is likely to be acceptable before any work starts.
Where agricultural buildings have been converted, they often have large roof areas in profiled metal sheeting, concrete fibre or plain tile depending on when the conversion was carried out. Each material has its own failure modes and repair approaches.
In a village like Great Thurlow, where properties are older and roofs may not have been inspected for some years, a sudden leak can be tracing a path from a relatively small failure point. Ridge tiles are a frequent cause: the mortar bed beneath them dries and cracks, the tile shifts slightly, and water finds its way in during driving rain. The repair involves removing the affected tiles, cleaning down to sound masonry and re-bedding and pointing with a suitable mortar. Simply re-pointing the surface joint without lifting the tile is a short-term fix that rarely lasts.
Lead flashings around chimneys and where a roof slope meets a parapet or side wall are another common failure point on older Great Thurlow properties. Lead moves with temperature change and, over many decades, the upstand can work loose from the mortar joint or develop stress cracks. Re-dressing or replacing a lead flashing is skilled work; the lead needs to be properly dressed into a mortar chase and secured with lead wedges (tingles), not just sealed with mastic over the top of the original.
For urgent situations, the priority is to make the building watertight. We can advise over the phone on the severity of what you are describing and what needs to happen first.
When a roof on a Great Thurlow property has been patched repeatedly and the underlying felt, battens or even rafter timbers are failing, a full replacement becomes the right answer. On a period property, the stripping phase often reveals more than expected: felt from the 1950s and 1960s that has shredded to nothing, battens that snap under light pressure, and in some cases rafters that have been cut or notched in the past and need sistering or replacing.
The sequence of a proper re-roof is: strip the existing covering, inspect all structural timber and replace what is unsound, install new breathable roofing membrane (a modern breathable underlay rather than the old impermeable bitumen felt is now standard), fit new treated softwood battens at the correct gauge for the chosen tile, and lay the tile or slate. The batten gauge matters because it determines how much of each tile is exposed to weather, and the wrong gauge leads to water ingress at the head of the tile.
For older Great Thurlow properties where appearance is important, reclaimed clay plain tiles are worth considering. They weather to match the originals, satisfy conservation officers, and are available from specialist salvage suppliers, though supply can be variable. A good alternative where reclaimed material is not available is a high-quality handmade or machine-made clay tile from a manufacturer that produces a profile compatible with the original.
As a general guide, a new pitched roof covering in this part of Suffolk costs in the region of £70 to £120 per square metre for the covering itself, with natural slate and clay tiles at the upper end and concrete interlocking tiles at the lower. Complex roofs with multiple hips, valleys and dormers cost more than simple gable roofs of the same area.
Extensions and outbuildings on Great Thurlow properties often have flat or low-pitch roofs, and felt flat roofs installed in the 1970s and 1980s are now well past their design life. When felt blisters, cracks or holds standing water, patching over the existing surface buys limited time. The correct repair, once the covering has failed, is to strip back to the deck, check the deck boards or concrete base for rot or movement, and install a new covering.
EPDM rubber membrane is a practical and durable option for flat roofs on rural properties. It is installed as a single sheet or in bonded sections, with the edges mechanically fixed and sealed at all perimeters and penetrations. Properly installed, it remains flexible at low temperatures (relevant in a frost-prone rural area) and does not degrade quickly under UV exposure. It is also lighter than some built-up systems, which matters if the deck structure is older.
Standing seams in the flat covering, a pooling of water that does not drain within 48 hours of rain, or damp patches on the ceiling below are all signs that a flat roof needs attention. A common cause of flat roof leaks is not the membrane itself but the edge trim or where a pipe or vent penetrates the surface.
The chimneys on Great Thurlow's older properties are often substantial structures, built to serve multiple fireplaces and finished with clay or terracotta pots. Even where the fireplaces below are no longer in use, the chimney stack still needs to be weathertight. A disused stack that is not capped allows rain to enter the flue, saturates the surrounding brickwork, and can cause damp patches on bedroom walls or ceilings below.
Repointing a stack on a period property requires care over mortar selection. A traditional lime-based mortar is appropriate for older soft brickwork; a cement-heavy mix applied to Victorian or Edwardian brickwork can trap moisture and cause the brick face to spall over time. Any repointing should begin by raking out the old mortar to at least 15mm, then filling in two stages to avoid shrinkage cracking.
The flaunching around the pots should be checked at the same time. This is the mortar cap that holds the pots in place and sheds water from the top of the stack. Cracked flaunching allows water to sit against the pot and eventually into the stack. Where pots are being retained, the flaunching is replaced. Where pots are being capped or removed, a mortar finish over the full top of the stack provides weathering.
Any work at chimney level requires safe access, either scaffolding or a properly erected tower. A quote for chimney work should state clearly how access is to be provided.
Older Great Thurlow homes may still have their original timber fascia and soffit boards, and in some cases original cast iron guttering. Timber boards rot from the back where condensation accumulates and paint breaks down. By the time rot is visible on the face, it has usually progressed further behind. Replacement with cellular uPVC boards is a long-term solution that removes the painting cycle and protects the rafter feet from ongoing moisture exposure.
Cast iron guttering, where it is structurally sound, handles large volumes of water well and suits the character of older buildings. It needs painting inside and out periodically, and the joints between sections require fresh mastic when they start to weep. Where cast iron guttering has rusted through, sections can often be replaced individually. Where the whole run is failing, replacement with a modern system in an appropriate profile is the practical answer.
Blocked gutters on rural properties are often caused by moss and lichen washed off the roof surface, as well as leaves and windblown debris. When guttering overflows consistently at the same point, the cause is either a blockage or a gradient issue (the gutter has sagged on its brackets). Both are straightforward to fix but tend to be ignored until the water running down the wall causes a more expensive problem.
A periodic inspection is particularly valuable on older rural properties where the roof may not have had any professional attention for many years. A thorough maintenance check covers the full roof surface for cracked, slipped or missing tiles or slates; the condition of all ridge and hip tiles and their mortar beds; all lead and mortar flashings at chimneys, valleys and abutments; the condition of verge mortar or dry-fix systems at the gable ends; guttering alignment and the condition of fascia boards; and, where accessible, a loft inspection for daylight, moisture staining and felt condition.
Small repairs identified at this stage, a handful of cracked tiles, a section of ridge that needs re-bedding, cost a fraction of what the same problem costs after a winter of water entry. Properties in Great Thurlow and the neighbouring settlements of Little Thurlow, Sturmer, Kedington and Steeple Bumpstead are all within the area we cover from our Haverhill base.
Loft conversions on Great Thurlow properties frequently include roof windows, and the junctions between the window frame and the surrounding tile or slate are a common source of leaks as the proprietary flashing kit ages. The EPDM apron at the base of a roof window can lift if not properly fixed under the tiles below, and the side flashings can allow water tracking if the tiles around them have not been correctly cut and bedded.
Where the window unit itself has failed, whether through a broken sealed unit or a damaged frame, replacement is usually more cost-effective than repair. Proprietary flashing kits for current models fit the standard opening sizes and integrate cleanly with the surrounding covering.
We are based in Haverhill and work across the villages and towns of the surrounding area. As well as Great Thurlow, we cover Little Thurlow, Sturmer, Kedington, Clare, Steeple Bumpstead, and further afield towards Newmarket, Sudbury and Cambridge where the job requires it.
If you have a roof that needs attention, the most useful thing we can do is come and look at it properly. Call us to arrange a roof survey and ask for a clear written quote for the work needed. If it turns out to be a small repair rather than a major job, we will tell you that. We work on all property types in Great Thurlow, from listed farmhouses to modern extensions.
Great Thurlow's housing stock includes older rural properties.
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