Luton RoofworksRoof repairs and re-roofing in and around Luton01582 377176
  1. Home
  2. Towns
  3. Stevenage

Roofers in Stevenage

Luton Roofworks repairs and replaces roofs across Stevenage, the first new town designated after the war, for owners of former council houses, landlords and households in the Old Town. We look at the roof, explain what has failed and why, and set out what the work involves before you decide.

Call 01582 377176

Roof problem in Stevenage?

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 SG1, SG2
  • Stevenage Borough Council
  • First new town, designated 1946
  • 84% of council homes built 1950-79
  • Old Town slate and red clay tiles

Why do so many Stevenage roofs reach the end of their life together?

Because much of the town went up in one short burst. Stevenage was designated the first new town on 11 November 1946, and its development corporation ran until 30 September 1980. The history blog Municipal Dreams says the first houses were started in 1949 and that 12,377 homes were complete by 1962, most of them two-storey houses.

The council's own housing strategy makes the point about its stock: because it was built within a short period, components fail "in bulk, at the same time". Since right to buy began, its stock has fallen from 32,000 to less than 8,000 homes, so many houses of the same age are now privately owned, with roofs of the same vintage.

On a house of this age we check the battens, underlay and ridge fixings as well as the tiles, because the council's own strategy says components of the same age tend to fail together.

Does the council's Major Refurbishment Contract cover my roof?

Only if you live in one of the council's blocks of flats. The contract covers "all 550 of our flat blocks", excluding tower blocks, and its works include "Roofs - repairs or full replacements", delivered by Mulalley and Wates over a contract extended from five to seven years.

The council manages 7,971 rented homes and 1,446 leasehold dwellings, and 84% of its stock was built between 1950 and 1979. If you own a leasehold flat in a council block, the block roof falls under that programme; in June 2017 the council issued a Section 20 notice of intention for a long-term roofing agreement covering flat and pitched roofs and chimneys. The council's FAQs say roof works are among the external repairs leaseholders contribute to, with each block billed separately and shares worked out using the Government Rent Formula, so ask the council for your estimate.

If you own a former council house outright, it is not one of those blocks, so its roof is yours to arrange. In 2021, 57.0% of Stevenage households owned their home and 26.3% rented socially.

What are the Old Town and Orchard Road roofs made of?

Slate and red clay tiles. Stevenage has seven conservation areas. The Old Town High Street area, designated in 1969 with almost 90 listed buildings, has a management plan stating that "Slate and red clay tiles are the traditional and predominant roofing material" and that chimney stacks should be kept and repaired.

In Orchard Road (designated 2007), slate is the traditional covering and the plan lists replacing slate with clay tiles as a weakness. Neither management plan records an Article 4 direction. Some newer houses in the St Nicholas and Rectory Lane area have flat or part-flat roofs from the 1950s and 1960s.

What did Storm Eunice do to Stevenage roofs?

On Friday 18 February 2022, under a Met Office red warning, the council logged "upwards of 120 reports for repairs" in a single day, including a garage roof blown off and a collapsed chimney.

Many older garage and shed roofs need care before repair: Stevenage Borough Council lists garage and shed roofs and insulation board soffits among places asbestos is found, and advises leaving it alone unless damaged. After a storm, the ABI says to contact your insurer as soon as possible. We photograph the damage before we make anything safe, and our roofers in Luton cover Stevenage too.

Which roofing jobs suit homes in Stevenage?

For new town houses, roof replacement and flat roofs on garages and extensions are the likely fit; after a storm, see emergency roof repairs.

Roof repairs in Stevenage

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 Stevenage

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 Stevenage

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 Stevenage

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

Flat roofing in Stevenage

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 Stevenage

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 Stevenage

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 Stevenage: questions

I rent from Stevenage Borough Council. Should I call you about a leak?

No. Report it to the council as your landlord; its roofing is delivered in-house or through its own contracts.

I own a former council house in Stevenage. Is the roof part of the council's programme?

No. The Major Refurbishment Contract covers the council's 550 blocks of flats, so a house you own outright is yours to arrange.

Do I need permission to change roof materials in Stevenage Old Town?

Its management plan records no Article 4 direction, but slate and red clay tile are the traditional coverings and a listed building needs listed building consent for changes to its character, so check with the council first. See our storm damage and insurance guide if the work follows a storm.

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

Close to Stevenage

Roofers in Luton

Our home town: LU1 to LU4

Roofers in Hitchin

SG4, SG5

Roofers in Letchworth Garden City

SG6

Roofers in Welwyn Garden City

AL7, AL8

Roof problem in Stevenage?

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).

Call the roofers01582 377176Request a quoteLeave your number