Roof Repairs In Weymouth
Has something up top started letting you down?
Slates, tiles, ridges, valleys and leaks repaired properly on Weymouth homes of every age
Most roofs in Weymouth don't need replacing. They need someone to climb up, find the two or three things that have actually gone wrong, and fix those without inventing a fourth. A slate that has slid out of line after a blow off the bay, a ridge tile whose mortar has given up, a valley that's started holding water: these are the jobs we do every week, from the Georgian terraces behind the Esplanade to the postwar estate up at Littlemoor. We look first, explain what we found with photos, and give you a price that doesn't move.
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What a proper repair looks like, and why it lasts
A repair is only cheap if it holds. Here's what we do differently on Weymouth roofs so the job you pay for once stays paid for.
01
We find the cause, not the stain
Water rarely comes through the ceiling where it got in. It runs along felt, battens and rafters first. We trace it back from the loft side and the outside until we can show you the actual entry point.
02
Like-for-like materials
Welsh slate gets Welsh slate, clay gets clay, and a concrete interlocking tile gets the same profile from the same family. A mismatched patch lets water in at the laps and looks wrong from the street for decades.
03
Fixings that suit the wind here
Replacement slates go back on with copper nails or stainless hooks, and tiles are clipped or nailed rather than left to sit on their own weight. On an exposed bit of coast that small extra step stops a repeat visit.
04
Photos before and after
You can't easily see your own roof, so we bring it down to you. You get pictures of what was wrong and pictures of what we did, which is also handy if you ever sell or claim on insurance.
05
Honest about the bigger picture
If a roof is near the end of its life we'll say so, and tell you roughly how long a repair should buy. Sometimes the right advice is a few hundred pounds now and a plan for later, not a full re-roof this spring.
06
In and out without fuss
Most repairs take half a day to a day. We bag up broken slates and old mortar, sweep the gutters clear of our debris and leave your garden as we found it.
1,000+
Roofing projects completed
5★
Every review we have is five stars
10 yrs
Guarantee on roof replacements
Free
Roof surveys and written quotes
Why Weymouth roofs fail in the places they do
Weymouth is luckier than it looks on a map. Portland and the long bank of Chesil Beach take the worst of the south-westerlies before they reach the town, which is why the harbour has sheltered boats for centuries. But shelter isn't the same as calm. The Met Office station on Portland records an average wind speed more than half as strong again as the UK average, and Storm Eunice sent a 90mph gust across it in February 2022. Weymouth actually gets about two thirds of the national rainfall, but most of it falls in the windy months and arrives sideways. That wind-driven rain is what finds a lifted slate or a cracked mortar fillet.
The other half of the story is age. A huge share of the town's roofs went up in two waves: the Georgian and Victorian streets of Melcombe Regis and the old harbour, and the interwar and postwar estates at Southill, Littlemoor and around Wyke Regis. Both generations are now at the age where fixings, ridges and valley linings start to tire all at once. Knowing which era a roof belongs to tells us where to look first.
"Roughly two in three of the leaks we're called to in Weymouth turn out to be one localised fault, not a roof that's finished."
From your phone call to a dry loft, in seven steps
- 1
You tell us what you've noticed
A drip, a stain, a slate in the garden or just a feeling something's not right. Ring or use the form and give us the address and a rough idea of the problem.
- 2
We survey from outside and in the loft
We look at the roof from ground level, from ladders or a pole camera where it's safe, and from inside the loft. Inside is where the water trail is easiest to read.
- 3
You get photos and a written price
Before anything is agreed you see what we found. The quote lists the work, the materials and any access costs separately, and it includes VAT where VAT applies.
- 4
Access goes up safely
Small jobs are done from ladders and roof ladders. Anything higher or longer gets a tower or scaffold, and if it has to stand on the pavement we plan the layout so passers-by can still get past.
- 5
The fault is repaired at the source
Broken slates or tiles come out, damaged battens and felt beneath them are replaced, and new material goes back with proper fixings. Ridges and hips are re-bedded or dry-fixed.
- 6
We check the surrounding area
Before we come down we look at the courses either side of the repair and the flashings nearby, so a neighbouring weak spot doesn't become next month's call.
- 7
Clean-up and handover
Debris goes in our van, not your bin. You get the after photos and a plain explanation of what was done, and we tell you anything worth keeping an eye on.
Ten years on a new roof, written down and signed
When we replace a roof in Weymouth, the paperwork you're handed at the end will, on all but a handful of unusual jobs, include a 10 year guarantee on the work. If yours is one of the exceptions, you'll know at quote stage, not after. It names your address, says what was done and is dated the day we sign the roof off. It covers the installation itself, meaning the battens, membrane, fixings, the slates or tiles and the junctions where the roof meets walls and chimneys. If any of that lets water in through a fault in how it went on, we come back and fix it without charging you.
A guarantee that long only makes sense if the roof is built properly underneath, so it shapes the job from day one. Every slate or tile is mechanically fixed to the current British Standard rather than relying on its own weight, which matters on a stretch of coast where the wind arrives with nothing in its way. Breathable membrane goes on before the battens. Valleys, abutments and chimneys get proper lead or a tested dry-fix system, never a smear of mortar that cracks in its third winter.
Materials carry their own manufacturer cover on top, and that differs from product to product. Your paperwork says which one applies to your roof.
10
Year guarantee on roof replacements
1,000+
Roofing projects completed
What to look for in a roof repair company
They want to see the loft
A roofer who quotes from the pavement without asking to look inside is guessing. The underside of the roof shows staining, wet timber and daylight through gaps, which are the clues that turn a vague quote into an accurate one. Expect the survey to take twenty minutes or more, not two.
They can tell you what's under the slates
A good repair replaces whatever has failed underneath, not just the visible piece. Ask what condition the battens and underlay are in around the problem. Older Weymouth roofs may have no felt at all, or brittle bitumen felt that tears when touched, and the repair needs to allow for that.
They match the material and fix it properly
Ask what slate or tile they'll use and how they'll fix it. The right answer names a specific product or a reclaimed match and mentions nails, hooks or clips. Mortar on its own, or a tube of sealant, is a stopgap rather than a repair, and on an exposed roof it rarely lasts a winter.
Repair, patch or replace: how the options compare
Three ways to deal with the same leaking roof. They suit different situations, and the cheapest on the day isn't always the cheapest over five years.
| Comparison point | Proper repair | Sealant or quick patch | Full roof replacement |
|---|---|---|---|
| How long it lasts | Years, often until the roof is due for replacement anyway | Weeks to a couple of seasons | Forty years or more, depending on material |
| Time on site | Half a day to two days | An hour or two | One to three weeks for a typical house |
| Typical cost | £150 to £1,500 for most jobs | Low, but often paid more than once | £7,000 upwards for a terrace or semi |
| Scaffolding | Often not needed | Rarely needed | Always needed |
| Effect on the rest of the roof | Surrounding area checked and left sound | Can trap water and hide rot beneath | Everything renewed down to the rafters |
| When it's the right call | Isolated faults on a roof with life left in it | Emergency holding measure only | Widespread slipping, failed felt, or repeat leaks |
Slate, clay, concrete or stone: matching what's already there
The Weymouth area has more variety on its roofs than most towns its size. Welsh slate came in by sea and rail in the nineteenth century and covers most of the older streets. Postwar houses tend to wear concrete interlocking tiles. Out on Portland and down in Purbeck you'll still find heavy stone roofs that need a completely different approach.
We keep a stock of reclaimed slate in common sizes for repairs on older houses, because a new slate beside a 120-year-old one can look odd for years. On concrete tiles we identify the profile so the replacement locks into the courses either side instead of sitting loose.
When a repair won't do: roof replacement
What a roof repair costs in Weymouth
Replacing a handful of slipped slates from a ladder is at the bottom of the range. Re-bedding a full ridge, renewing a valley or repairing round a chimney sits in the middle. The top end is reserved for jobs that need scaffold, or where rotten battens have to come out over a wider area. The survey tells you which one you've got before you spend anything.
Roof repair questions we get asked in Weymouth
How quickly can you look at a leaking roof?
Leaks get priority. Ring us and we'll book the soonest slot we have; if water is coming in badly we can usually make the roof safe with a temporary cover before the permanent repair is done.
Do you need to put up scaffolding for a repair?
Usually not. Most single-storey and two-storey repairs can be done safely with roof ladders or a tower. Scaffold comes in for taller houses, long runs of work and anything near a busy pavement, and it's itemised on the quote if needed.
Can you repair a roof with no felt underneath?
Yes. Plenty of older Weymouth houses were slated straight onto battens with torching (lime mortar) on the underside instead of felt. We repair those in the same spirit, and we'll tell you honestly if the roof has reached the point where a strip and re-felt makes more sense.
Will my insurance pay for storm damage repairs?
Many home policies cover sudden storm damage but not gradual wear. We provide dated photos and a written description of the damage, which is what most insurers ask for. Check with your insurer before work starts if you intend to claim.
My neighbour's roof is attached to mine. Does that matter?
On terraces and semis it often does, because a fault on the shared ridge, valley or party wall can let water into either house. We survey across the junction and tell you plainly where the fault sits before anyone pays for anything.
How do I know if I need a repair or a new roof?
If the problems are in one or two places and the slates or tiles are generally sound, a repair is normally right. Widespread slipping, slates that crumble when touched, or felt that has perished across the whole roof point towards replacement. We'll give you our honest view either way.
Related: Chimney repairs · Lead work · Roofing costs
What customers around Weymouth say
More than a thousand roofing jobs finished, and every review customers have left us is five stars.
Those reviews are on their way onto this page. Until they land, ask us for photos of recent jobs near you in Weymouth when we come out to quote - seeing a finished roof on a house like yours tells you more than any star rating.
Roof repairs across Weymouth, Portland and nearby towns
Get the problem found and fixed
One visit, a clear explanation and a written price. Ring us or send the form and we'll arrange a time to come and look.