Roofing in Guildford
Roofers in Guildfordfor period roofs, hillsidehouses and tired flat roofs
Guildford's hills, period property and steeply pitched roofs make access and detailing central to the job. You get a proper inspection, a written quote naming every element, and up to 25 years' workmanship guarantee.
Up to 25 years' workmanship guarantee. £2m public liability, £10m employers' liability.
30+ years
Matt's experience on Surrey roofs
Guaranteed
Workmanship guarantee in writing
£2m / £10m
Public and employers' liability cover
Local to Guildford
Run from Bookham, not a call centre
Roofers in Guildford
Hillside town, steep roofs and a lot of period property
We cover Guildford from The Manse, Eastwick Road, Bookham, working out through the Horsleys and Effingham. Guildford is the furthest of our regular areas in one direction, and one of the most interesting to work in because of what the town is built on and built from.
The older parts of the town sit on the slopes either side of the Wey, and that topography shapes the roofs. Steeply pitched roofs, multiple levels, houses stepping up a hill and awkward access from narrow roads are all standard here. Access planning is a real part of quoting a Guildford job rather than an afterthought.
The building stock ranges from genuinely old property around the High Street, Castle area and Quarry Street (tile, slate, lead and tall stacks) through Victorian and Edwardian terraces and villas in Charlotteville, Stoughton and Onslow Village, to extensive inter-war and post-war suburbs at Burpham, Merrow, Bellfields and Park Barn, and modern development throughout.
The surrounding downs and the wooded slopes towards Pewley, Merrow and the Hog's Back mean serious tree cover on many streets. Gutters and valleys fill each autumn, and shaded slopes hold moss for most of the year.
Steep pitches and hillside access
Guildford's topography makes access and safe working part of the quote, not a variation added once the job starts.
Period tile, slate and lead
Older Guildford roofs need method matched to material. Slate, clay tile and original lead each behave differently.
Tree cover on the slopes
Heavy leaf fall into valleys and gutters on the wooded roads, plus moss on the shaded slopes, are routine Guildford issues.
Everything in writing
Photographs of the fault, then a detailed quote covering materials, method, access and the guarantee that applies.
What we do here
Roofing services available
across Guildford
Everything below is available in Guildford: the town centre, Charlotteville, Onslow Village, Stoughton, Merrow, Burpham and the surrounding villages.
New Roofs & Full Re-Roofs
Full strip and re-cover on Guildford houses including steep and multi-level roofs, with details re-formed. 25 year guarantee.
New Roofs & Full Re-Roofs in Guildford
Tiling & Tile Repairs
Clay, concrete and slate replaced and matched, important on period Guildford roofs where a mismatched tile is very visible.
Tiling & Tile Repairs in Guildford
Flat Roofs
Extensions, garages, dormers and link roofs re-covered with corrected falls and proper edge detail. 15 year guarantee.
Flat Roofs in Guildford
General Roof Repairs
Leak tracing on steep and complex roofs where the entry point is often a valley, abutment or stack rather than a tile.
General Roof Repairs in Guildford
Chimney Work
Repointing, spalled brick replacement, flaunching and new pots on the tall stacks of Guildford's older properties.
Chimney Work in Guildford
Leadwork
Valleys, flashings, soakers and abutments in dressed lead: the detail that decides whether a period roof stays dry.
Leadwork in Guildford
uPVC Fascias & Soffits
Timber eaves replaced with uPVC, which removes repainting at height on the taller hillside houses. 10 year guarantee.
uPVC Fascias & Soffits in Guildford
Guttering
Clearing, repair and replacement on the wooded slopes where autumn leaf fall reliably blocks outlets.
Guttering in Guildford
Moss Removal
Shaded slopes towards Pewley and Merrow cleared carefully, without pressure washing that damages older tiles.
Moss Removal in Guildford
Velux Roof Windows
Velux roof windows installed into loft conversions and weathered correctly into tile or slate.
Velux Roof Windows in GuildfordWhy us in Guildford
Why Guildford homeowners use us
You will not find invented job totals or arrival-time promises on this page. What we can put on record is the experience, the written guarantees and the insurance cover.
30+ years' experience
Over three decades on Surrey roofs, including period tile, slate and lead of exactly the kind Guildford's older housing carries.
Access planned properly
On steep and hillside roofs, safe access is designed into the quote, with £10m employers' liability cover behind the people doing the work.
Written guarantees
25 years tiled, 15 years flat, 10 years guttering and fascia, 10 years chimney and leadwork, stated on the quote.
£2m public liability
£2m public liability cover, which matters where work sits above conservatories, glazing, narrow pavements and neighbouring property.
Matching matters
On visible period roofs we take trouble over matching the covering, because a patch in the wrong tile is a permanent eyesore.
Tidy on narrow streets
Old material leaves with us and the frontage is cleared daily, necessary on Guildford's tighter roads and shared access.
| Tiled roofs | 25 years |
|---|---|
| Flat roofs | 15 years |
| Guttering & fascia work | 10 years |
| Chimney & leadwork | 10 years |
Local roofs, local problems
What fails on Guildford roofs
Steep pitches, period materials and heavy tree cover produce a recognisable set of Guildford roof problems.
Slipped tiles and slates on steep pitches
A steeply pitched roof sheds water well, which is why so many older Guildford roofs were built that way. It also means a slipped tile or slate travels, and can leave the roof entirely.
That makes slippage a safety issue as well as a leak. Where it is isolated, refixing is straightforward. Where it is happening across the slope, the fixings have reached the end of their life and we will tell you so.
Failed original lead on period roofs
Older Guildford property carries lead in valleys, around stacks, at abutments and on bay and porch roofs. Lead that has flexed for decades cracks along the fold lines.
A hairline crack passes a surprising amount of water, and the usual history is a mastic patch that fails within a couple of winters. Replacing the section in correctly sized, dressed lead is the repair that holds.
Valleys choked by leaf fall
The wooded slopes towards Pewley, Merrow and the downs fill valleys with leaf litter that rots down into a solid mass.
A blocked valley pushes water sideways under the covering, and because water travels along battens before it drops, the internal stain can be well away from the valley itself. Clearing, and re-lining where the valley has failed, is the fix.
Tall stacks and internal damp
Guildford's older houses carry substantial stacks, frequently unmaintained for decades. Pointing erodes, flaunching cracks around the pots and bricks spall.
Water gets into the masonry and shows internally as damp on a chimney breast, regularly misdiagnosed as condensation. Repointing, brick replacement, new flaunching or new pots stops the water at source.
Flat roofs on extensions and link roofs
Guildford's houses have been extended extensively, and older flat roofs on those extensions and link sections are usually past their design life.
Once the fall has flattened and the deck softened, water stands and finds the laps. We lift the build-up, replace failed decking, re-form the falls and detail the edges, upstands and outlets properly.
Moss on shaded slopes
Shade and damp on the wooded slopes suit moss, and moss holds water against the tile face, works into the laps and breaks free in heavy rain to block gutters and downpipes.
Careful removal extends the life of the covering. Heavy pressure washing on old clay tile or slate strips the weathered surface with the moss and does more harm than good.
How the job runs
The same six steps
on every Guildford job
Step 1
Your call or form goes to Matt
You describe what you have noticed (a stain on a ceiling, a slipped tile, an overflowing gutter) and Matt tells you on the phone whether it sounds like a repair or something larger.
Step 2
Inspection on the roof, not from the pavement
We look at the actual roof: the covering, the flashings, the valleys, the gutter falls and the loft side where water is showing. Guessing from the ground is how the wrong job gets quoted.
Step 3
Diagnosis explained in plain terms
You are shown what has failed and why, including photographs of anything you cannot see yourself, so the decision is yours rather than ours.
Step 4
A detailed written quote
Materials, method and scope in writing, with the guarantee that applies to the work stated on it. No verbal figures that change once the scaffold is up.
Step 5
The work, done tidily
We protect what is below, keep the site clear at the end of each day and take the old material away with us. Customers mention the tidy site as often as the roof itself.
Step 6
Checked, wetted down and guaranteed
Repairs and new work get tested before we call them finished, then your workmanship guarantee is confirmed in writing, up to 25 years on tiled roofs.
Questions from Guildford
Straight answers
before you commit
Do you serve Guildford?
Yes. We cover Guildford from our base at The Manse, Eastwick Road, Bookham, KT23 3BE, working out through the Horsleys and Effingham.
How quickly can you reach Guildford?
Guildford is one of the further areas we cover, so we are straight about it: timing depends on the diary, the weather and where else we are working. Call 07877 013968 for a realistic answer.
What will roof work cost in Guildford?
It depends on the covering, the cause, the pitch and the access; hillside and narrow-street properties can need more access work. You get a detailed written quote after the inspection.
Do you provide emergency roofing in Guildford?
We are not a 24-hour emergency service. Our hours are Monday to Saturday 8am to 6:30pm and Sunday 9am to 4pm, and urgent damage is fitted in as soon as the diary allows.
Can you match tiles on an older Guildford roof?
We take trouble over it, because a mismatched patch on a visible period roof is permanent. Where an exact match is not available we will tell you the options before starting.
My roof is very steep. Is that a problem?
No, but it changes how the work is accessed and how long it takes, and that is assessed at survey and priced into the quote rather than raised later.
Is the damp on my chimney breast coming from the stack?
Very often, yes. Eroded pointing and cracked flaunching let water into the masonry, and it appears internally as a patch that looks like condensation. The stack needs inspecting to be certain.
What guarantee do I get?
25 years' workmanship guarantee on tiled roofs, 15 years on flat roofs, 10 years on guttering and fascia work and 10 years on chimney and leadwork, stated on your quote.
Are you insured?
Yes: £2m public liability and £10m employers' liability cover.
Do you work on slate as well as tile?
Yes. Slipped and broken slates are refixed or replaced, and where the fixings have corroded throughout, we will say plainly that re-covering is the sensible option.
Can you replace a flat roof on a Guildford extension?
Yes: flat roofing is one of our strongest areas. Decking is checked, falls corrected and the new covering carries a 15 year workmanship guarantee.
Nearby
Areas next to Guildford
See every area we cover, all our roofing services or go back to the homepage.
Next step
Guildford roof needs looking atby someone who works on period detail
Send your postcode and what you have noticed, or call Matt directly. You get an honest assessment, access planned properly and a detailed written quote with the guarantee on it.
Call 07877 013968The Manse, Eastwick Road, Bookham, Surrey, KT23 3BE
Mon–Sat 8am–6:30pm · Sun 9am–4pm