Costessey lies north-west of Norwich, a suburban settlement with a mixed housing stock. That variety means roofing work here covers a wide spread of materials, pitches and construction methods, and you need a roofer who knows the difference. We work across Costessey and the surrounding villages from our base in Poringland, bringing local knowledge to the job.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Costessey lies in the valleys of the rivers Wensum and Tud, about 4 miles north-west of Norwich, and is adjacent to Bowthorpe.
Older properties in the area still have traditional roof coverings. Traditional coverings can last a long time when they are maintained, but the mortar bedding on ridge tiles and verges eventually fails, and individual slates crack or slip. Common work on this kind of roof includes ridge re-bedding and repointing, or sourcing replacement slates that match the originals well enough to avoid patchy-looking repairs.
Post-war housing often uses concrete interlocking tiles. Concrete tiles are heavier than clay and as the roof ages the battens underneath can soften with moisture, which is when tiles start to rock or lift slightly at the tail. That movement breaks the lap seal and lets water in. Replacing individual tiles is straightforward, but it is worth having the whole roof surface checked if one area has started to move, because the battens tend to fail across a section rather than in one spot.
Some post-war homes have flat or low-pitch roof sections over extensions, garages, or outbuildings. The original material on most of these is mineral-felt, typically three-layer torch-on felt or bonded felt laid over timber decking. Felt flat roofs have a realistic working life of around 10 to 15 years, and when they blister, crack or pull away from the upstand at the parapet wall, they need to be addressed promptly.
Where a flat roof is being replaced rather than patched, EPDM rubber membrane is a good option to consider. EPDM is laid as a single sheet with very few joints, which removes the most common source of failure on felt roofs. It handles the temperature swings between a cold January frost and a warm summer well, staying flexible without cracking. The material itself is rated for a long service life, though as with any roof the quality of the installation determines how it performs in practice.
A common problem on Costessey's older housing is failed flaunching at chimney stacks. Flaunching is the mortar bed that holds the chimney pots and seals the top of the stack, and it cracks over time as it dries out and is worked by frost. Once it fails, water tracks down between the stack and the pot and into the loft or wall. The fix is to hack off the old flaunching, prepare the surface and lay fresh mortar, which is a straightforward job but one that needs the right mix and good weather to cure properly.
Lead flashings where the chimney meets the main roof slope are another regular source of leaks. On older properties the original lead may have been dressed correctly but has now lifted at the edges as the mortar in the raggle joint has failed. Raking out the joint, re-dressing the lead and re-pointing with an appropriate mortar restores the seal without replacing the lead itself, which is expensive.
Some older properties still have their original cast-iron guttering. Cast iron looks good when painted and maintained, but when the paint breaks down, rust follows quickly and joints open up. Leaking joints send water down the face of the wall, causing damp ingress over time. uPVC is the standard replacement and is low maintenance, but the fixings into older timber fascia boards matter - a soft or rotten fascia board will not hold the new gutter properly and should be replaced at the same time.
UV exposure turns white uPVC cream and eventually makes it brittle. When soffits break away or fascias pull from the wall, the area behind becomes exposed to birds, insects and moisture. Replacing the whole run while the scaffolding is up for other roofing work is almost always more cost-effective than returning for a second visit.
After a spell of stormy or windy weather, it is sensible to have your roof visually checked even if there is no obvious leak. Tiles can lift slightly, lead can be blown back, and ridge caps can crack without the damage being visible from the ground. A proper roof survey means getting up on the slope and checking fixings, laps, and flashings properly rather than viewing from a ladder. If any work is needed, we provide a clear description of what it is and why, so you can make an informed decision.
For commercial or larger residential properties in Costessey, we also carry out flat roof surveys to identify ponding areas, membrane failures or overflowing outlets before they become a structural problem. Blocked or poorly-positioned outlets are a common cause of flat roof deterioration because standing water shortens the life of any membrane.
We cover Costessey as part of our regular working area from Poringland, and also work across neighbouring communities including Bowthorpe, Taverham, Drayton, and into central Norwich.
If you have noticed a damp patch, a lifted tile or a guttering problem on your Costessey property, call us to arrange a roof survey and we can tell you exactly what is needed and what it will cost.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
