Bennetts Water Gardens
Eight-acre garden in Chickerell holding national collections of water lilies, with a Monet-style Japanese bridge built in 1999.
Learn more about Bennetts Water Gardens on Google MapsRoof Replacement In Chickerell
Is it time your Chickerell roof was stripped and done properly?
Full re-roofs for older houses in Chickerell's village core, Charlestown and Buckland Ripers, plus newer homes with deeper faults
Most roof replacement work in Chickerell is on older houses rather than the new estates. A concrete tile roof from the late 1990s or 2000s should have plenty of life left, so when one of those needs replacing, something has usually gone wrong underneath. The older properties are another story. In the village core, at Charlestown and out at Buckland Ripers, some roofs have been patched so many times that the battens and underlay beneath have simply worn out. We strip back to the rafters, fit new membrane and battens, fix every tile or slate to the current code of practice and hand over with a 10 year guarantee as standard.
Roof Replacement Quote In Chickerell
Tell us a little about the roof and we will call you back.
What a new roof in Chickerell should give you
A re-roof is the one chance in a generation to get the hidden layers right. These are the things we make sure of on every Chickerell job.
01
Fixings that meet BS 5534
Older roofs often relied on weight and mortar to stay put. Your new one will have every single-lap tile mechanically fixed, with ridges and hips clipped or screwed down, as the current code of practice requires.
02
A breathable membrane
We replace old bitumen felt with a modern breathable underlay suited to the wind uplift in this region. It reduces condensation in the loft and stays where it should when a south-westerly works its way under the tiles.
03
Insulation brought up to date
If more than half the roof is renewed, Part L of the Building Regulations expects the insulation to be upgraded where practical. We explain what that means for your loft before we start, not halfway through the job.
04
A covering that suits the house
Slate, clay plain tile and concrete interlocking tile each make sense on different Chickerell houses. In the conservation area we lean towards matching what's there; on a newer house we check pitch and truss loading first.
05
New lead and roofline while we're up
With the scaffold already standing, it's the cheapest moment to renew lead flashings, replace tired fascias and fit gutters that can genuinely cope with a heavy shower on a long roof slope.
06
A 10 year guarantee
Every full replacement normally comes with our 10 year guarantee as standard. We hand it over in writing on the last day, along with photos of the layers you'll never see again.
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
Chickerell
Re-roofing in Chickerell's older streets and newer estates
Chickerell's old village grew up alongside brickmaking. Works at Crook Hill and Putton Lane turned Oxford Clay into red brick from the 1850s to the 1960s, and the village core has been a conservation area since 1990. Re-roofing in that part of town is mostly about care. We record what's there before stripping, set aside anything reusable, and match the finish so the new roof doesn't jar with the houses either side.
The newer estates rarely need a whole roof yet. Concrete tiles can typically last 35 to 60 years, and much of Chickerell's housing went up in the two decades to 2017. When we do replace one of those roofs, it's normally because of a deeper fault: badly lapped underlay, battens too light for the job, or water getting in at the verges for so long that the timber has suffered. Then a new roof works out cheaper than chasing leaks every winter.
If your roof only needs attention in one or two places, start with roof repairs in Chickerell instead.
"Hardly any of the full re-roofs we price in Chickerell are on houses from the last twenty-five years, and the few that are tend to trace back to underlay or batten problems left over from the build."
Step by step
How we replace a roof in Chickerell
- 1
Survey the roof and loft
We look at the covering, the timbers from inside the loft and the state of the lead and gutters. On older houses we also check whether the conservation area or a listing affects your choice of material.
- 2
Fixed written quote
You get one fixed price that itemises strip-out, membrane, battens, tiles or slate, lead, roofline and any insulation upgrade. If we expect Part L to apply, it's in the quote from day one.
- 3
Scaffold and protection
Full scaffold goes up around the roof, leaving room for people to pass if any of it stands on the pavement. We sheet over the garden and drive to catch falling debris.
- 4
Strip back to the rafters
Old tiles, battens and felt come off in sections, so the house is never left open overnight. We inspect the rafters and repair or strengthen any timber that needs it.
- 5
Membrane, battens and lead
Breathable membrane goes on first, then graded battens at the correct gauge, then new lead to chimneys, abutments and valleys. Ventilation at the eaves and ridge is built in at this stage too.
- 6
Tile or slate, fixed down
Every single-lap tile is nailed or clipped as BS 5534 requires, verges are mechanically fixed, and ridges and hips are dry-fixed or bedded with a mechanical fixing as well.
- 7
Handover with your guarantee
We clear the site, strike the scaffold and walk you through photos of each layer. Your 10 year guarantee, standard on every replacement, is handed over in writing the day we finish.
Our guarantee
Ten years on a new roof, written down and signed
When we replace a roof in Chickerell, 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.
Choosing a new roof covering for a Chickerell house
Concrete interlocking tile is the usual covering on Chickerell's newer estates, while some older houses in the village may suit slate or clay better. The table shows how the three main options compare.
| Comparison point | Natural slate | Clay plain tile | Concrete interlocking tile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expected lifespan | 80 years or more for good quality slate | 60 years or more | 40 to 60 years |
| Weight on the roof | Light | Heavy, needs sound timbers | Heavy |
| Minimum pitch | Generally 20 to 25 degrees, varies by size | Steep, usually 35 degrees and over | Low, some profiles to 15 degrees |
| Appearance | Traditional on Georgian and Victorian streets | Warm, textured, suits interwar houses | Practical, common on postwar estates |
| Relative cost | Highest | Mid to high | Lowest |
| Planning in conservation areas | Often the expected material | Acceptable where it matches | May not be accepted on older streets |
What a roof replacement in Chickerell costs
Most full re-roofs we price fall somewhere between £7,000 and £20,000 or more. These four things move a Chickerell quote up or down the most.
Size and shape of the roof
A plain gable roof on a semi goes quicker than a hipped roof with valleys and dormers. More cuts, more lead and more hours of labour all add up, which is why two houses on the same estate can come in at quite different prices.
Your choice of covering
Natural slate and clay plain tile cost more to buy and lay than concrete interlocking tile. Plain tiles also need a steeper pitch than many interlocking tiles, so they won't suit every newer Chickerell roof without structural changes.
Conservation area and older houses
In the Chickerell Conservation Area, matching the old roof can mean reclaimed materials and slower, more careful stripping. On older houses anywhere in the parish, from the village core to Buckland Ripers, we also allow for timber repairs that only show once the old covering is off.
Insulation and timber
If Part L applies, bringing the loft or rafter insulation up to standard adds to the cost. So does replacing rotten rafter feet or wall plates, which we come across far more often on older roofs than on newer ones.
Roof Replacement in Chickerell: your questions
Does the coastal wind around Chickerell change how a new roof is built?
It shapes the fixing pattern. BS 5534 bases the number of nails and clips on a wind-uplift calculation for the particular site, and the open ground towards the Fleet leaves some Chickerell roofs fairly exposed. We follow that calculation rather than guessing.
My Chickerell house was built in the 2000s. Should I be replacing the roof already?
Probably not. Concrete interlocking tiles can typically last 35 to 60 years. If yours is causing trouble this early, it's usually a fixing or underlay fault that a repair can sort out, and we'll tell you if it has gone beyond that.
Do I need permission to re-roof in Chickerell?
Re-roofing in materials that look similar to the existing ones generally doesn't need planning permission. Dorset Council is the planning authority. In the Chickerell Conservation Area, which covers the old village core, a change of material or appearance may need consent, and a listed building needs listed building consent. We know of no Article 4 direction affecting roofs in Chickerell. Building Regulations still apply, and Part L can require an insulation upgrade.
What guarantee comes with a new roof?
A 10 year guarantee, normally as standard on every full replacement, given to you in writing when we finish.
How long does a roof replacement take?
A typical semi-detached roof takes roughly a week to ten days once the scaffold is up, depending on the weather and what we find under the old covering. The quote includes a realistic timescale for your house.
What to do in Chickerell
The Fleet Lagoon & Chesil Beach
The Fleet is a shallow brackish lagoon behind 18-mile Chesil Beach, protected as an SSSI and part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site.
Learn more about The Fleet Lagoon & Chesil Beach on Google Maps
Fleet Old Church
Only the chancel of East Fleet's old church survived the Great Storm of 1824; it holds Mohun family memorials linked to the novel Moonfleet.
Learn more about Fleet Old Church on Google MapsFind us working in Chickerell
Reviews
What customers around Chickerell 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 Chickerell 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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Ready to talk about a new roof in Chickerell?
Book a free survey and we'll inspect the roof, the loft and the timbers before giving you a fixed written price. Full replacements come with a 10 year guarantee as standard.