Local roofers · Harlow
Roofers in Harlow.
Harlow was planned from the late 1940s around Sir Frederick Gibberd’s masterplan, with neighbourhoods set among green wedges and a real variety of housing designs. That variety means roofs here don’t all follow one pattern, and shallow pitches, timber boarding and flat-roofed additions all need different handling. We look at how your particular roof was built before recommending anything.
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Roofs in a planned town
Harlow’s neighbourhoods, from The Stow and Netteswell to Great Parndon and Staple Tye, were built in phases, and designs change from one group of homes to the next. Most of these homes are now old enough for original roof materials to be wearing out. Some tile profiles from that period are hard to find today, which affects whether a small repair blends in or a wider section makes more sense.
- Original concrete tiles and felt from the post-war decades are ageing
- Discontinued tile profiles may need the closest available match
- Porches, stores and link blocks often have small flat roofs of their own
- Terraced groups can mean shared roof lines and neighbouring repairs
Shallow pitches, wide eaves and green wedges
Lower-pitched roofs shed water more slowly, so a lifted tile or torn underlay matters more than it would on a steep roof. Wide eaves and exposed timber boards take years of weather, and the trees that make the town’s green wedges so pleasant also drop plenty of leaves into gutters. Together these make the roofline a common place for trouble to begin.
- Slower run-off makes tile laps and underlay more critical
- Wide timber soffits and fascias can rot from behind
- Leaf-filled gutters overflow and wet the wall and fascia
- Replacement uPVC roofline comes with vented soffits for the loft
Old Harlow and the newer neighbourhoods
Old Harlow predates the new town and has older buildings, where repairs need more care over matching materials. At the other end of the scale, Church Langley and Newhall have much newer homes. A newer roof can still have problems, most often with mortar at the ridge and verge rather than with the tiles.
- Older properties may need existing tiles matched
- Mortar on newer roofs can crack at ridges and gable ends
- Dry verge and dry ridge systems can replace failed mortar
- Flat-roofed dormers and extensions need the falls checking
How the job works
- 1Work out how it was builtWe check the pitch, the tile type and what sits beneath, because the right repair depends on how your home was put together.
- 2Look for a tile matchIf tiles need replacing, we look for the closest match to what is on the roof and tell you how it will look.
- 3Put it in writingYou get clear advice and a written price, with no obligation to take it further.
- 4Repair and recordWe carry out the agreed work and take photos so you have a record of what was done.
Why choose us in Harlow
- We look at how your roof was built before suggesting any work
- A clear written price, free of charge and with no pressure to go ahead
- Photos of every job, so you have a record for later
Common questions
Can you match roof tiles that are no longer made?
Sometimes a close match is available, and sometimes it isn’t. Where the exact tile has gone out of production, we look for the nearest profile and colour, and we’ll tell you honestly how visible a repair will be before you decide.
My roof has a very shallow pitch. Does that change the repair?
It can do. Water sits on a shallow roof for longer and wind can push it up under the tiles, so laps, underlay and the type of tile all matter more. We check the pitch before suggesting a replacement tile, as not every tile suits a low slope.
Why is mortar falling out of the gable on my fairly new house?
Mortar on verges and ridges is exposed to the weather, and it can crack as it ages or as the roof moves slightly. Once loose it can drop into gutters or onto paths. A dry verge system fixes the edge mechanically, so it’s a good alternative to simply re-pointing it.
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Speak to our team today. London, Essex, Kent, Sussex and the Cotswolds.