Swanage Railway
Heritage railway running steam and diesel trains on the Purbeck line from Swanage, first opened in 1885.
Learn more about Swanage Railway on Google MapsRoof Repairs In Swanage
Has a slate slipped, or a ceiling started to stain, in your Swanage house?
Diagnosis first, then a proper repair to slate, tile, stone and lead
A roof repair in Swanage usually means a Victorian or Edwardian roof that has done well for a century and has started to tire in one or two places. The red-brick houses around the High Street, Northbrook and up towards Durlston were mostly finished in slate or tile, and the weak spots are predictable: rusted slate nails, cracked ridge mortar, and lead flashings where the brick chimneys and dormers meet the roof. Then there are the few Purbeck stone roofs, which need a slower and heavier hand. Because Swanage is the furthest town we cover, we diagnose carefully at the survey and come back once, with the right materials on the van, to fix it.
Roof Repairs Quote In Swanage
Tell us a little about the roof and we will call you back.
Why our Swanage roof repairs hold up
A repair is only worth paying for if it stops the water and leaves the roof around it sound. Here is how we approach that on Swanage roofs.
01
We trace the leak to its source
Water travels along battens and felt before it shows on a ceiling. On Swanage houses the damp patch is often a metre or more from the actual fault, so we follow it back instead of replacing whatever slate happens to sit above the stain.
02
Slates refixed, not glued
When a Victorian slate slides because its nails have rotted, we refix it with a copper tingle or a proper hook. We don't smear sealant across it. Sealant traps water in this salty, sunny climate and makes the next repair harder.
03
Stone slates matched in stone
On the small number of Purbeck stone roofs in Swanage, we can source new hand-fettled Purbeck tiles from Langton Matravers to fill gaps, so the repair matches the old courses in colour and thickness.
04
Ridges fixed for the wind
A ridge that has lost its mortar is the classic storm casualty on this coast. When we rebed or replace ridges and hips, we add mechanical fixings in line with BS 5534, rather than trusting mortar to hold on its own.
05
Lead dressed to the brickwork
Red-brick Swanage houses usually come with brick chimney stacks. We cut stepped lead flashings into the mortar joints and dress them tight, because a smear of cement fillet against the stack cracks within a couple of seasons.
06
One visit, fully stocked
Being 50-odd minutes from Weymouth, we treat the survey as the planning stage. We note slate size, tile profile and lead code so the repair day has everything it needs on board.
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
Swanage
What goes wrong with Swanage roofs
Swanage is drier than most of England, with roughly 853mm of rain a year at the Met Office station against an average of about 1,163mm for the UK. That doesn't mean roofs have it easy. Rain on this coast arrives on a wind straight off the sea, and Storm Ciarán in 2023 was bad enough for Dorset Council to close the High Street between Seymour Road and the pier. The damage we get called to after weather like that is loose slates and lifted ridge tiles.
Day to day, it is age. Many slate roofs here are well over a hundred years old, and the original iron nails are the first thing to give up. Clay tiles lose their nibs, mortar bedding on ridges cracks in the sun, and valleys silt up with debris. On the rare Purbeck stone roofs, the stone itself often outlasts the pegs, battens and even the rafters below it, which is why we look underneath before we quote.
If a survey shows the problems are spread across the whole roof rather than in one place, it may be time to look at roof replacement in Swanage instead of paying for repair after repair.
"Most slipped slates we refix in Swanage haven't broken at all - the slate is fine and the hundred-year-old nail holding it has simply rusted away."
Step by step
Our roof repair process in Swanage
- 1
Free survey and diagnosis
We look at the roof itself and, where we can, the loft underneath. Staining on rafters and daylight through the slates usually tell us more than the ceiling does.
- 2
Fixed written price
You get a quote that names the fault, the repair and the materials, with one figure at the bottom. If scaffold is needed on the pavement, that is included too.
- 3
Safe access set up
Small jobs can often be done from ladders and roof ladders. Chimney and ridge repairs on taller Swanage houses usually need a scaffold or tower, which we arrange in advance.
- 4
Open up around the fault
We lift the slates or tiles around the problem, not just the obvious one, and check the batten and underlay beneath. Rot or a perished felt patch gets dealt with while it is exposed.
- 5
Repair with matching materials
Slate for slate, tile for tile, stone for stone. New pieces are nailed, hooked or clipped, ridges get mechanical fixings, and any flashing we touch is redone in lead rather than patched.
- 6
Test and check
Where it is safe to, we run water over the repaired area and watch the loft. We also look along the rest of the roof and tell you honestly if anything else is close to needing work.
- 7
Clear up and report
Old slates, mortar and offcuts are bagged and taken away. You get photos showing what was wrong and what we did, which is handy if you ever sell the house.
Our guarantee
Ten years on a new roof, written down and signed
When we replace a roof in Swanage, 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
Signed paperwork at handover, with photos of the roof taken before, during and after.
Repair, patch or replace a Swanage roof?
For a century-old slate roof in Swanage, the honest answer depends on how widespread the faults are. This table sets out how the three options usually compare.
| 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 |
What a roof repair costs in Swanage
Most Swanage repairs fall within £150 to £1,500. Where yours lands depends on the four things below, and your written quote will spell out each one.
Slate, tile or Purbeck stone
Refixing a few slates or replacing a clay tile is at the cheap end. Purbeck stone slates are bought new from the quarry or reused, are much heavier and are laid in graded courses, so even a modest stone repair takes longer and costs more.
Height and pavement access
Where a Swanage house fronts straight onto the footway, as plenty near the town centre do, scaffold may have to stand on the pavement. That takes more setting up and protection, which adds cost and lead time compared with a back-garden tower.
What is underneath
If lifting a few slates reveals rotten battens or perished felt, that has to be put right before the covering goes back. We price for the likely state at survey and tell you before we change anything.
Chimneys and lead
A lot of Swanage repairs turn out to be lead flashings or chimney pointing. Leadwork costs more per metre than slating, and tall stacks may need scaffold of their own, which is often the deciding factor in the price.
Roof Repairs in Swanage: your questions
Why do Swanage slate roofs start leaking after a storm?
Mostly because the wind finds whatever was already loose. On old Swanage slate roofs the original nails have often rusted, so a strong gust lifts a slate that was only being held by its neighbours. Ridge tiles on cracked mortar go the same way. Refixing them mechanically stops a repeat.
Do you do roof repairs in Swanage, given how far it is from Weymouth?
We do. Swanage is the far edge of our area, around 50 to 55 minutes away, so we book repairs into planned days rather than dashing over. The survey is careful so that the repair visit has everything it needs.
Do I need planning permission for a roof repair in Swanage?
Generally not for like-for-like repairs. Dorset Council is the planning authority, and Swanage has the Swanage Conservation Area, which has an Article 4 direction, plus the Herston Conservation Area. The town is also in the Dorset National Landscape. If a repair would change the roof material or its appearance, check with Dorset Council first.
Can a single Purbeck stone slate be replaced?
Yes, though it is rarely a single slate. Stone slates are hung in overlapping courses, so we usually lift a small area to reach the gap and refix it properly. We use a sound reclaimed slate or a new Purbeck tile of matching size.
Will you tell me if the roof isn't worth repairing?
Yes. If we find slates slipping all over the roof, felt that has perished throughout or rafters that have sagged, we will say that repeated repairs are poor value and explain what replacement would involve. The decision stays yours.
What to do in Swanage
Durlston Country Park & Castle
320-acre country park and nature reserve on the edge of Swanage, home to Durlston Castle and the Great Globe.
Learn more about Durlston Country Park & Castle on Google Maps
Swanage Pier
Victorian pier built in 1895 for passenger steamers at the southern end of Swanage Bay.
Learn more about Swanage Pier on Google MapsFind us working in Swanage
Reviews
What customers around Swanage 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 Swanage when we come out to quote - seeing a finished roof on a house like yours tells you more than any star rating.
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Get your Swanage roof repair booked
Send us a photo or describe the problem and we will arrange a free survey on our next day in Swanage, then give you a fixed price to put it right.