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Roofers in Houghton Regis

Luton Roofworks looks after roofs across Houghton Regis, which has a clay-tiled old centre with a thatched pub and large estates built around it from the 1960s onwards. Homeowners, landlords and buyers of new Linmere houses get a plain account of the roof, what has gone wrong and what putting it right involves.

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Roof problem in Houghton Regis?

Name, number and postcode is enough. We phone back to hear what is happening and set a time to see the roof.

Enquiries are shared only with the team who quotes for and does the work. Your details are used only to reply about your roof (how we handle your details).

  • Postcodes LU5
  • Central Bedfordshire Council
  • Conservation area since 1977
  • The Crown: the town's last thatch
  • Parkside and Tithe Farm estates

What are the old roofs in Houghton Regis made of?

Mostly clay plain tiles. The council's appraisal says they are the main roof covering in the conservation area, above all on 17th- and 18th-century buildings, and that the handmade ones are slightly cambered. Welsh slate became common in the 19th century, after the railways arrived.

The appraisal describes steep gabled roofs with ridges running parallel to the street, ridge tiles matching the main tiles in colour, and chimney stacks that are generally tall with careful brick detailing. The Grade II Red House, a 17th-century timber frame refronted in brick, has an "old clay tile roof" in its list description.

The Crown pub, also Grade II, is the only remaining thatched building in the town, in the long straw tradition. Thatch is work for a thatcher; on a thatched building we only look at the tiled and leaded parts, such as a stack or a lean-to.

What roof changes need permission in the Houghton Regis conservation area?

Dormers, rooflights, chimneys, flues and soil pipes all come under extra control there. The conservation area was designated in November 1977 and covers about 34 hectares, and the appraisal endorsed in September 2008 found its boundaries "logical and fit for purpose". Central Bedfordshire Council also requires planning permission for alterations to roofs in its conservation areas.

Matching matters as much as permission. The appraisal records that "ill-matched" roof repairs harmed No. 3 Park Cottages. On a repair here we match tiles for colour, size and camber, and we tell you if the right tile has to be sourced second-hand before work starts.

No entry in Central Bedfordshire's Article 4 data names Houghton Regis, though two entries give no location, so check with the planning team if you plan a visible change.

What should I know about roofs on the Parkside and Tithe Farm estates?

They date from the 1960s and 1970s, which means checking for asbestos before anyone cuts or lifts old materials. Luton Rural District Council bought the land under a 1957 compulsory purchase order, and it now forms the Tithe Farm estate and part of the Parkside estate. Parkside was a Greater London Council social housing scheme for London overspill, and houses were still going up there in 1970.

The town grew from 2,826 people in 1951 to over 16,000 by 1978, a change from village to town that the town council says happened "almost overnight". In the old Tithe Farm ward, 28.6% of households rented socially in 2021 (censusdata.uk, which republishes Census tables).

HSE says asbestos can be present in any building built or refurbished before 2000, and its house diagram includes asbestos cement soffits, roofing felt and cement roof slates. We look for these before quoting and say plainly if a sample is needed.

I have bought a new home at Linmere. What should I check on the roof?

Check your purchase paperwork first for who deals with defects on a new house, then look at how the ridges and verges are fixed. Linmere is the name given in 2019 to the site with outline permission for up to 5,150 new homes, expected to take 15 years to build. Bellway alone had completed 307 homes in Phase 1 by May 2026.

Since BS 5534:2014, mortar alone is no longer deemed sufficient to hold tiles, and ridges, hips and verges must be mechanically fixed. If you ask us to inspect a new roof, that is one of the things we photograph.

Houghton Regis is about 4.5 miles in a straight line from the centre of Luton, between the Luton town-centre conservation area point and the Houghton Regis conservation area point, well within the area served by our Luton roofing team.

Which roofing jobs suit homes in Houghton Regis?

In the old centre, tile repairs and chimney and lead work done to match are the main fit; on the estates and at Linmere, a roof inspection is a sensible first step.

Roof repairs in Houghton Regis

Slipped slates, cracked tiles, loose ridges and drips through the ceiling, traced to where the water really gets in and put right.

Emergency and storm repairs in Houghton Regis

After high wind or a downpour, we make the roof safe and weathertight with temporary covers, then photograph everything for your insurer.

Chimney repairs and leadwork in Houghton Regis

Damp chimney breast or a stain round the stack? We check the flashings, flaunching and pointing, then repair or renew the lead properly.

Gutters, fascias and soffits in Houghton Regis

Overflowing gutters, rotten fascia boards and tired soffits renewed with care for loft ventilation, nesting birds, bats and older asbestos boards.

Flat roofing in Houghton Regis

Garages, dormers and rear extensions re-covered in EPDM, GRP or built-up felt, laid to proper falls and insulated where the rules require it.

Roof replacement in Houghton Regis

When patching no longer makes sense, we strip and re-cover the pitched roof with new underlay, battens and fixings, and explain the approvals it needs.

Roof inspections in Houghton Regis

A look at the roof from outside and the loft, with photographs and a written note of what needs doing now and what can wait.

From the first call to a dry roof

  1. You tell us what you can see

    A drip, a stain, a slate in the garden, a gutter that overflows. Phone 01582 377176 or send the form, and say whether water is coming in now.

  2. We look at the roof

    From the ground, from a ladder where that is safe, and from inside the loft. We photograph what we find so you can see it too.

  3. You get the options in writing

    What is wrong, what we would do about it and what it will cost, with any scaffolding, permissions and paperwork spelled out.

  4. The work, then the proof

    We do the agreed job, show you photos of it finished and explain any certificate that applies to it.

Roofing in Houghton Regis: questions

Do I need permission for a rooflight in Houghton Regis?

Inside the conservation area, rooflights and dormers come under extra control, so ask Central Bedfordshire planning first. Outside it, a rooflight is usually permitted development if it projects no more than 150mm from the roof slope.

Is Houghton Regis the same place as Houghton Conquest?

No. Houghton Conquest is a separate Central Bedfordshire village near Ampthill; this page is about Houghton Regis, next to Dunstable.

Could my 1960s or 1970s estate roof contain asbestos?

It could, because HSE says asbestos can be in any building built or refurbished before 2000, and that fibres are released when materials containing it are disturbed or damaged. Have it checked before anything is cut, drilled or lifted.

Sources and further reading

Before you phone

These details help us understand the roof before we see it:

  • Where the water shows, and in what weather
  • Slate, tile, flat roof or not sure
  • Roughly when the house was built
  • Any photos, even from the street
  • Conservation area or listed, if you know
Call 01582 377176Get a roofing quote

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Roof problem in Houghton Regis?

Give us your name, phone number and postcode, pick the closest match to the problem, and we will ring to discuss it and fix a time to inspect. Or call 01582 377176.

Enquiries are shared only with the team who quotes for and does the work. Your details are used only to reply about your roof (how we handle your details).

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