Roofers in Westerham (TN16)
Westerham is over the border into Kent, and it has the roofs to match — old clay peg tiles and hung elevations on the buildings round the centre, on frames that have been moving for a very long time.
Peg tiles, hung elevations and old timber
The older buildings through the middle of Westerham carry small clay peg tiles, often with tile-hanging on the walls as well as the roof, which is the local way of keeping weather off a timber-framed building. Both weather and fail in similar ways: individual tiles slip as the pegs or the battens behind them give out, and the fixings go long before the tiles themselves do. Because the frames beneath have settled over centuries, these roofs are not true and should not be made true — a roof relaid flat on an old Westerham building looks wrong from the street and often causes trouble at the junctions. Old peg tiles are also difficult and expensive to match, so a careful strip that saves as many as possible is time well spent.
Conservation, consent and the newer edges
The centre is conservation-minded and there are listed buildings among it, so what may go back on a roof is limited and consent may be needed before work starts. That is established at the survey. Out towards the edges of the town the substantial detached and semi-detached family homes have conventional roofs with conventional problems — fixings at the end of their life, slipped tiles, ridges and flashings — and those are straightforward to survey and to price.
Who actually does the roofing
Roofing is a specialist trade, and an old peg-tiled roof on a moving frame is a specialist job within it.
SG brings in roofers it has worked with for years and manages them on site — we survey, price, run the job and stay answerable for the result.
More in Westerham
Everything we do in Westerham is on the Westerham area sheet, and the full detail of how we approach this trade is on the roofing page.
Common questions
Q.01Do you cover Westerham even though it is in Kent?
Yes. Godstone is a short run across and TN16 is regular ground for us — we work across Surrey, Kent and Sussex.
Q.02Can my old peg tiles be reused?
As many as possible. They are difficult and expensive to match, so a careful hand strip that saves them is worth the extra time.
Q.03Should the roof be straightened when it is relaid?
No. On an old Westerham building the undulations are the frame's history, and a roof relaid flat looks wrong and tends to cause problems at the junctions.
Q.04Do you repair tile-hanging as well?
Yes. Hung elevations are common here and they weather and fail much as a roof does, so they are surveyed and priced the same way.
Thinking about roofing in Westerham?
Tell us what you are planning. We come out, look at the job properly and give you a price for it.