Roofers in Woodingdean

1.1 The seam between old and new

Where an extension roof meets the main wall, a flashing seals the gap: lead dressed over an upstand and tucked into a brick joint above. If the lead lifts, or the mortar behind it crumbles, rain runs behind the junction and into the wall. The damp then turns up on the extension ceiling or on the house wall, away from the fault. We work backwards from the damp, open the junction when needed, and photograph the cause for you to see before you agree to a repair.

1.2 Falls, ponding and covering

Flat roofs are meant to drain. Designers aim for a fall of 1:40 on the drawing, so that, once tolerance and sag are allowed for, the finished surface still achieves 1:80. Standing water that stays on a roof is therefore a warning sign. EPDM, a single sheet of rubber, and GRP, glass-reinforced plastic laid as one hard shell, are both common replacements for old felt. Under Part L, fitting a fresh weatherproof layer to a flat roof counts as renovating its insulating element. Renovate more than 50 per cent of the surface and the entire roof has to reach the current standard. What it means for your own roof is explained during the survey. Where a repair will do, a split seam or a failed outlet for instance, that is the only job we recommend, and the rest of the covering stays alone. Standing water, blistered felt and a soft feel underfoot each point the survey towards the likely fault, and each goes into the photographs.

The flat roofing hub explains each system in more detail, and garage roofs are covered under the same heading of work.

3.1 Scaffold in Brighton and Hove

Woodingdean lies in Brighton and Hove, which is its own highway authority. Scaffold standing on or over the public highway requires a licence issued by the city council rather than West Sussex, and the firm putting it up makes the application. For 2026 to 2027 the city lists new scaffold under 12 metres along the highway at £118.80, and a minimum notice period of three days, with bays needing a separate suspension permit first. Ask any firm that quotes you whether the licence and scaffold sit inside the total, and whether VAT does. VAT at 20 per cent applies to a re-roof. Scaffold also gives us safe access to the whole edge of the roof, so we photograph the gutters, fascias and verges in the same visit, not only the slopes.

Where wind lifts a tile, the damage is rarely confined to that tile. The neighbouring courses lose their grip, the nails work loose and the next gale takes more. We check a few courses either side of any gap, look at the battens beneath, and tell you whether the covering has merely slipped or the fixings have come to the close of their working life. A slipped run can be re-fixed. A roof whose nails have rusted through across the slope needs a stronger answer, which we explain with photographs.

3.2 Planning questions on the Downs

The city council is the planning authority for Woodingdean itself. Parts of the surrounding downland lie inside the South Downs National Park, where the National Park Authority holds the planning role, so check your address if your property is near the boundary. Re-covering a roof in matching material is not usually planning development. For roof windows and dormers, our South Downs planning guide sets out who decides. For a full strip and recover, our roof replacement page sets out the stages.