The Tank Museum
Collection of almost 300 armoured vehicles at Bovington Camp, about a mile north of Wool, including the only working Tiger I.
Learn more about The Tank Museum on Google MapsRoof Repairs In Wool
Got a leak or a slipped tile on your house in Wool?
Repairs to slate, tile and flat roofs on Wool's village houses and the newer homes towards Bovington
Roof repairs in Wool tend to follow the seasons. Autumn brings blocked gutters and valleys after the trees along the Frome valley have shed, and winter gales then find any ridge or verge that has been relying on old mortar. We drive over from Weymouth, about thirty minutes, and look at the whole roof rather than just the wet patch on your ceiling. Many houses here are older village properties near Spring Street and the church, and plenty more are later builds between the village and Bovington Camp. Both sorts get leaks, but rarely for the same reason, so working out the cause comes first and the fix follows from that.
Roof Repairs Quote In Wool
Tell us a little about the roof and we will call you back.
Why repairs in Wool need a bit of thought
A repair only works if it deals with the reason the roof failed. In Wool that reason is often something you can't see from the garden.
01
Finding the real entry point
Water can travel a long way along a batten before it drips. We trace it back from the loft, which is how we often find the fault two rows up from where the stain appeared.
02
Valleys full of debris
Leaves and pine needles collect in valleys and behind chimneys around Wool. Once they hold water, it overtops the lead or tile edge. Clearing them is often half the repair.
03
Ridges set in old mortar
Many ridges here were bedded in mortar alone, which cracks and lets go in a gale. We re-fix them with mechanical fixings so they stay put next time the wind gets up.
04
Matching old slates
On older cottages in the conservation area, a new slate that doesn't match sticks out badly. We look for reclaimed or close-matching slates so the repair doesn't shout.
05
Chimney leaks
Cracked flaunching, failed pointing and lifted flashings on chimney stacks account for plenty of damp ceilings in Wool. We repair the stack and the lead together rather than smearing sealant over the gap.
06
Flat roofs on extensions
Felt on garage and kitchen extensions blisters and splits as it ages. Sometimes a patch is honest value; sometimes the felt is finished and we'll say that too.
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
Wool
Repairing roofs between Wool village and Bovington Camp
The older part of Wool, around Spring Street, Holy Rood church and down towards Woolbridge, has the oldest roofs we work on locally. Some cottages here are thatched, and we leave those to thatchers. The slate and tile houses among them usually need careful, small repairs: a few slates, a stretch of lead, a chimney that's lost its pointing. Because this is the conservation area, we stick to matching materials unless you've agreed something different with Dorset Council.
Further out, towards Bovington and the camp, roofs tend to be later and more often in concrete tile. The usual trouble there is different: slipped tiles where nails have rusted, cracked ridge tiles, and gutters filled with needles from the surrounding trees and heath. These are straightforward fixes when caught early. Left for a couple of winters, the battens and fascias underneath start to rot and the bill grows.
If your roof is past the point where repairs make sense, read about our roof replacement in Wool and what a full re-roof involves.
"When we get up on a roof in Wool after a storm, the damage is usually at the ridge or the verge, rarely in the middle of the slope."
Step by step
How we repair a roof in Wool
- 1
Look inside first
We start in the loft with a torch, looking for wet timber, staining and daylight. It tells us more about the source of a leak than standing in the garden does.
- 2
Check the outside
Then we inspect the roof itself: tiles, slates, ridge, valleys, flashings, gutters. Every fault gets photographed so you can see exactly what we're talking about.
- 3
Agree the repair
You get a written price for the repair we recommend, and an honest view on whether the roof has other weak spots worth doing while we're up there.
- 4
Make it safe to work
Small jobs use ladders and roof ladders. Bigger ones need a tower or scaffold, and if that has to go on the pavement, we set it up so people can still walk by.
- 5
Fix the cause
We replace broken slates or tiles, renew lead, re-bed and mechanically fix ridges, or repair felt, depending on what we found. Sealant is a stopgap, not a repair.
- 6
Test it
Where it helps, we run water over the repaired area and check the loft again. Gutters and downpipes get cleared so the same leak isn't caused by overflow.
- 7
Leave it clean
We take away the broken material, sweep up and send you before and after photos of the repair so you know what was done.
Our guarantee
Ten years on a new roof, written down and signed
When we replace a roof in Wool, 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: the choices for a Wool roof
Most roofs we see in Wool are worth repairing properly. Here's how a proper repair compares with a quick patch and with replacing the whole roof.
| 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 in Wool costs
Repairs in Wool usually fall between £150 and £1,500. Where yours sits in that range comes down to the things below.
How you reach the roof
A single-storey extension can be repaired from a ladder. A two-storey house with a chimney needs scaffold, and a cottage in the old village fronting straight onto the street may need scaffold out on the pavement too, which adds to the price.
Slate or concrete tile
Concrete tiles are cheap and easy to source. Old natural slates on cottages near Spring Street and Woolbridge can take time to match, particularly if the repair is inside the conservation area where appearance matters.
Debris and timber damage
Houses near the trees and heath around Bovington often have gutters and valleys packed with needles. If water has backed up long enough to rot battens or fascia boards, those need replacing as part of the repair.
Chimney work
A chimney repair can be small, like a cracked pot, or bigger, like full repointing and new lead flashings. Chimneys are a common source of leaks in Wool and can move a repair towards the top of the range.
Roof Repairs in Wool: your questions
Why does my roof in Wool leak after storms but not in ordinary rain?
Wind-driven rain gets pushed sideways and upwards under tiles, past joints that cope fine with rain falling straight down. In Wool that usually points to a loose ridge, a weak verge or lifted flashing. We'd check those areas first.
Do I need permission to repair a roof in the conservation area?
Like-for-like repairs normally don't need planning permission, even in Wool Conservation Area. Changing materials, such as swapping slate for concrete tile, is different, and you should speak to Dorset Council first. Listed buildings need listed building consent for work affecting their character.
Can you repair a roof that joins onto a thatched neighbour?
Yes, as long as the work is on your slate or tile roof. We don't touch thatch. Where the two meet, often at a chimney or abutment, we take care with the lead and access and we'll talk to your neighbour if needed.
Should I get my gutters cleared before or after a roof repair?
We'd do both at once. In Wool, blocked gutters and valleys are a common cause of leaks, so there's no point fixing tiles if the overflow will cause the same damp patch again next autumn.
Is it worth repairing an old felt flat roof?
If the damage is a single split or blister, usually yes. If the felt is cracked all over or the deck feels soft underfoot, you'll keep paying for patches, and replacing the covering is better value.
What to do in Wool
Monkey World
65-acre ape and monkey rescue centre near Wool.
Learn more about Monkey World on Google Maps
Durdle Door
Natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth, owned by the Lulworth Estate and open to the public.
Learn more about Durdle Door on Google MapsFind us working in Wool
Reviews
What customers around Wool 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 Wool 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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Book a roof repair survey in Wool
Send us a few details and, if you can, a photo. We'll come out, find the cause and give you a fixed written price for putting it right.