Roofers and roof repairs in Tooting, SW17Tooting Becto the Broadway.
Tooting is mostly Edwardian, built in a rush between 1900 and 1914: long straight streets of terraces under Welsh slate, with the front gables, bays and decorative ridges of the period. Plus the Totterdown Fields estate, one of the first council estates in the country.
Over 25 years on local roofs
Free survey and written quote
24 hour emergency call out
CORC member 8125
Tooting’s roofs
Edwardian Terracesand Cottage Estates.
Built in a Rush
Most of Tooting went up between about 1900 and 1914, as the electric trams arrived. The result is long straight streets of Edwardian terraces roofed in Welsh slate, with gables, bays, decorative clay ridges and a rear wing on nearly every house. They were built quickly and well, and many still have their original fixings.
Totterdown Fields
South of the Broadway, Totterdown Fields was the London County Council's first cottage estate, built between 1903 and 1911 and now a conservation area. The houses have cottage style roofs with lots of small gables, clay tiles and slate, and more lead than their size suggests. Repairs there are like for like, done carefully.
Tooting Bec
Around Tooting Bec Common the houses are larger: Edwardian terraces and semis with deeper bays, bigger stacks and, on the Balham side, the Heaver Estate streets. On these, the lead valley behind each front gable and the small roof over each bay are the usual culprits when water gets in.
Furzedown
Furzedown, towards Streatham, is Edwardian and inter war, with semis and short terraces in clay tile and timber bays. The roofs are steeper and more varied than the terraces nearer the Broadway, and hips and ridges bedded in mortar need attention after a century of frost.
Summerstown and Graveney
Towards Summerstown and the Graveney side, inter war houses and newer blocks sit alongside the terraces. Flat roofs on blocks and extensions, outlets that silt up and gutters full of leaves make up much of the work there.
Working in Tooting
Tooting is around thirteen miles from our yard and is on the London line, 0203 507 1501. Wandsworth Council issues the pavement licences, and with kerbside parking on almost every street a parking suspension usually goes with it. Rear roofs are reached through the house, by arrangement.
Over the Shops
Along Tooting High Street, Mitcham Road and the Broadway, Edwardian parades have homes above the shops and single storey extensions behind them. Front roofs hide behind parapets; rear ones are reached over the back of the parade. When an upstairs flat gets wet, either could be the cause, so we check both.
Loft Rooms Street by Street
Walk down almost any Tooting road and the back of every other house has been raised into a loft room, some with box dormers, some with tiled mansard backs. Built over three decades by many different builders, they vary a lot in how well the junctions with the old slate were made, and that is where most of their leaks begin.
What we are called to in Tooting
- Lead valleys behind Edwardian front gables
- Nail sickness across slate terraces
- Bay window roofs leaking at the window head
- Small gables and lead on Totterdown Fields cottages
- Dormer flat roofs on converted lofts
- Hips and ridges loosening in Furzedown
What we do in Tooting
Roofing and Roof Repairs,Across Tooting.
Roof Repairs in Tooting
Tooting's Edwardian terraces were well built and usually need a repair rather than a new roof. We find the slate, lead or flashing that has failed and put it right.
Read more
Slate Roofing in Tooting
Tooting was slated from new and much of it is still usable. Broken slates are swapped for matching reclaimed ones, and where nails have failed throughout the slope, it is relaid on new battens and felt.
Read more
Leadwork in Tooting
Every Edwardian front gable in Tooting has a lead valley behind it, every bay a lead or slate top, and Totterdown Fields has dozens of small gables. We dress new lead on site and fix it so it moves without tearing.
Read moreAlso in TootingRoofing Flat Roofing Tiled Roofing New Roofs Chimney Repairs Fascias, Soffits & Guttering
Roof repairs in Tooting
What We Mendin Tooting.
Tooting's terraces were built to a pattern, so their faults are familiar. These six are the most common.
Likely cause
Each Edwardian front gable joins the main slope at a lead valley carrying water from both sides. After a century the lead has cracked along its folds. It is replaced in short lengths of the right thickness.
Usually the job is
Leadwork in Tooting
Likely cause
Bay roofs were built small and shallow with as little lead as possible. Once it cracks, rain gets into the window head and shows as damp around the frame. The bay top is stripped and covered again, properly.
Usually the job is
Leadwork in Tooting
Likely cause
Aerial fitters, satellite installers and builders often crack slates walking on them, and the damage shows weeks later as a damp patch. We replace the broken slates with matching reclaimed ones and check the rest of the slope for cracks.
Usually the job is
Roof Repairs in Tooting
Likely cause
On a Tooting terrace the rear wing roof is sealed to the house with a lead flashing. Over the years its mortar falls out and rain gets behind it into the wall. A fresh joint is cut, new lead fitted and pointed.
Usually the job is
Roof Repairs in Tooting
Likely cause
Dormers built in the 1990s and 2000s are reaching the end of their felt, and the lead where the cheeks meet the slates has often lifted. A GRP top and new side lead make the dormer watertight again.
Usually the job is
Flat Roofing in Tooting
Likely cause
On the estate's clay tiled roofs, cracked or slipped tiles let water reach the battens. We replace them with matching tiles so the roof keeps its original look, which matters in a conservation area.
Usually the job is
Tiled Roofing in Tooting
How it works
Simple,Start to Finish.
Drop Us a Line
Ring 0203 507 1501 or text us a photo. From the street or the garden we can often tell whether it is slate, lead or the dormer.
Up the Ladder
On the roof we check the rear wing, the gable valley and the bay top, and photograph each fault we find.
Quote in Writing
One written price, broken down by item, with the pavement licence and parking suspension shown and organised before we start.
The Repair Itself
The scaffold goes up, the repair is done with updates by photo, and the pavement and garden are clear when it comes down.
“The team from Marley roofing specialist repaired guttering around property were excellent professional and extremely helpful would highly recommend”
Recent work
Work Fromthe Last Few Months.
New slates
Fixed from the scaffold
Red plain tiles
With a dormer
Flat roof
Terraced house
Old stack
Due for repointing
Tooting questions
QuestionsFrom Tooting.
Another question about a Tooting roof? Call 0203 507 1501.
Do you work on Totterdown Fields?
Yes. Totterdown Fields is a conservation area, so tiles, slate and lead are matched to what is there and the cottage character is kept.
Do you cover Tooting Bec and Tooting Broadway?
Yes, along with Furzedown, Tooting Graveney, Summerstown and over to Balham and Streatham.
Why does the roof over my bay window leak?
Bay roofs are small, low pitched and were built with the minimum of lead. A hundred years on the lead has split or pulled away. We re-roof them properly.
Can my terrace be re-slated without disturbing next door?
Yes. We work up to the party wall and make the joint with next door's roof weathertight, so their roof is left as it was.
Who issues scaffold licences in Tooting?
Wandsworth Council. Since nearly every Tooting job puts scaffold on the pavement, the licence and any parking suspension are applied for in good time.
Is anyone available for an emergency?
Yes, on 07513 397 799 at any hour. For a live leak the first visit stops the water, then the permanent repair is booked.
Can you fix the roof over a shop on the Broadway?
We can. Access is agreed with the owner or agent, the front and back roofs are both inspected, and whichever one has failed is repaired.
Can moss be cleared from a terrace roof?
Yes. On a Tooting terrace we scrape the moss off by hand, apply a treatment so it is slow to return and empty the gutters of what has come down. Slipped or cracked slates found on the way are reported with photographs.
Do you work in Furzedown?
Yes. Furzedown's Edwardian and inter war semis, with their clay tiles, bays and hips, are part of our Tooting patch.
Nearby
Around Tooting,We Also Cover.
Balham, Earlsfield and Wimbledon border Tooting on the diagram, with Streatham just to the east.
A diagram of where we work, not a map. Positions are approximate.
Roofers in
Tooting
- Postcodes
- SW17
- Borough
- Wandsworth
- From our base
- 13 miles
Most asked for in Tooting
NearestRoofers in Balham Roofers in Earlsfield Tooting Bec · Tooting Broadway · Streatham · Mitcham
Near Tooting but not listed? Ring 0203 507 1501 to check.
Free survey and quote
A Roof in Tooting?Drop Us a Line.
A photograph from the street or the garden is enough to start. Surveying a Tooting roof and pricing it in writing is free.
- London
- 0203 507 1501
- Leatherhead
- 01372 540 258
- Reigate
- 01737 749202
- Mobile, 24 hours
- 07513 397 799