Expert Heritage Roofing in Saltash, Cornwall

Have you ever looked closely at an old Cornish roof and noticed the slates look a bit different? That is likely a Scantle roof, a traditional method where small, random-sized slates are bedded into lime mortar. It is a beautiful, intricate technique that modern roofing often forgets. Because we work extensively across Saltash and the wider Cornwall area, we have kept these skills alive. Whether it is sourcing genuine Delabole slate for a 'like-for-like' repair or using wet-laying techniques to ensure your roof is both breathable and watertight, we treat every heritage project as a piece of history. We understand that on an old stone house, the roof needs to breathe. If you use the wrong modern materials, you are just inviting damp problems into your walls later down the line.

It is often the small details that fail first on a historic building. You might notice the lime mortar between your ridge tiles is starting to crumble, or perhaps the lead flashing around your chimney stack has finally given up after decades of sea air. Traditional leadwork is a true craft; we use time-honoured lead bossing and welding to shape protection around the most vulnerable parts of your home. We don't cut corners with adhesive tapes or plastic substitutes. Instead, we use materials that match the original aesthetic of your property. If your home is Grade I or Grade II listed, or even if it’s just sitting within a local conservation area, we can help you navigate the planning side of things too. We often speak with conservation officers to make sure the work we do satisfies every heritage requirement.

One of the biggest headaches for owners of historic buildings is simply seeing what is wrong up there. You don't want to spend thousands on scaffolding just to find out you only have one slipped slate, but you also don't want someone clambering over fragile, 200-year-old slates and causing more damage. That is why we offer high-definition drone roof surveys across Saltash. It is a completely non-invasive way to get a bird's-eye view of your chimney stacks, gables, and hidden valleys. We can spot eroding mortar or delaminating slate from the safety of the ground, providing you with clear photos so you can see exactly what we see. It’s the modern way to look after a very old structure without the initial cost and hassle of traditional access.

Let’s be honest, the weather in this part of the South West can be brutal. Between the driving rain and the salty mist coming off the Tamar, a heritage roof in Saltash has a lot to contend with. We have seen many 'quick fixes' on old houses fail because the contractor didn't account for the local conditions. When we undertake a restoration or a full roof replacement, we are looking at the structural integrity of the timber 'bones' underneath as much as the slates on top. We ensure your home stays weather-tight while maintaining the period features that make it special. Are you worried about a persistent damp patch in a loft conversion, or have you noticed your coping stones look a bit loose? Give us a call, and we can have a proper chat about the best way to protect your home.