Roofing Specialists
in Reading

Reading sits at the confluence of the Thames and the Kennet. Persistent winter humidity and river mist keep roof slopes wet for longer than on higher, drier ground, and that accelerates moss growth and timber decay at the eaves.

Moss dams valleys and gutters and holds water at the tile laps. We clear it by hand and treat with biocide, and check the drainage while we are up there — a blocked valley causes more damage than the moss itself.

Reading's Victorian expansion left long streets of brick-and-tile terraces, many with clay plain tiles on riven battens or Welsh slate on iron nails. Both reach the end of their fixing life at around the same age, and slippage starts on the weather side.

Where the tiles themselves are sound, stripping and relaying with new battens and breathable membrane keeps the character of the street and gives a properly guaranteed roof.

Nearly every Reading terrace has a rear addition, and most have picked up a flat-roofed extension, utility or kitchen at some point. Those flat roofs and their abutments to the main wall are where the leaks are.

We check the deck as well as the covering. Where replacement is needed, felt, EPDM, single ply and GRP are all available with a 15-year guarantee plus the manufacturer's own cover.

The Thames Valley boom filled Earley, Woodley, Lower Earley and Shinfield with concrete interlocking tiles over bitumen felt. Those tiles are now porous and the felt is brittle and split at the eaves.

The tell is a roof that looks acceptable but leaks in driving rain. Once the underlay has gone, the only durable answer is renewal with a modern breathable membrane and mechanical ridge and verge fixings.

Reading has a lot of converted lofts, particularly across Caversham and the inner suburbs. Dormer cheeks, rooflight kerbs and the junction to the main roof are the standard leak points when the original work was done cheaply.

Correct lead soakers and upstand heights fix these permanently. Sealant across the junction does not, and it is one of the repairs we most often remove.

Spray foam insulation is common in Reading lofts and now routinely derails a sale, because surveyors cannot inspect the timber and lenders treat it as unacceptable risk.

We remove the foam completely and reinstate the deck so the roof can be surveyed again. Every removal we have carried out has been signed off by building control and surveyors without issue.