Roofers in Amberley

1.1 Matching repairs come first

Putting back the same covering generally does not count as development, because work that leaves a building's outside appearance unaffected sits outside planning control. The checks that matter are listing and any Article 4 direction. No direction is confirmed for Amberley, so ask the National Park Authority before changing a covering's material, colour or pattern. We photograph the roof before we start, which gives the planners a record of what was there.

1.2 Listed roofs and the two churches

The Authority's guidance separates upkeep from alteration: routine maintenance and small in-place repairs in matching form need no listed building consent, whereas repairs that change or fully replace old fabric, and so touch the building's character, do. Amberley Castle and St Michael's are both Grade I. St Michael's is a Church of England church, so work there follows the Church's own faculty process under the ecclesiastical exemption; a house, barn or castle range goes the listed building consent route instead. Roof windows and dormers follow their own rules inside the Park, set out in our South Downs planning guide.

Planning consent is a separate matter from Building Regulations. A re-roof needs a building control application only beyond the Planning Portal limits: 25 per cent of the building envelope or 50 per cent of the roof. Wildlife law also protects bats and nesting birds, so before stripping an old village roof we search it for signs of either.

The written quote follows the survey and comes with photographs taken on your roof. If a covering has to change, because a worn tile pattern is no longer made, we explain the closest match and what to put to the Authority before work begins.

3.1 Gutters, moss and the first checks

On a roof with shade or overhanging trees, we look at the gutters first, since a blocked gutter sends water back under the lowest tiles. Moss comes next. MyBuilder puts manual scraping at roughly £5 to £10 per m², and cautions that high-pressure water can harm fragile tiles, so on an older covering we favour careful hand work. Our roof inspections and surveys page lists what the survey covers.

3.2 Costs for an older house

Checkatrade gives roughly £160 to £210 per m² for a stone slate roof, a general average for the covering. Lead flashing replacement on a chimney is typically £350 to £460 without scaffold, according to MyJobQuote, and moderate roof repairs run between £500 and £1,000 on MyBuilder. Each is a national guide, not our price. The right answer on an old roof is often the smaller repair, and we put the reasoning in writing with the photographs.

3.3 Between surveys

A ground-level look after a gale costs nothing. Scan the ridge for gaps, the slopes for tiles sitting proud, and the gutters for sagging runs. Please stay off the roof; if water is getting in, ring us and the first job is making it safe. If a listed building is involved, consent comes before any change of covering, and we keep a photographic record of the roof as found, so the work can be shown to match.