Roofing in Somersham
Ultimate Roofcare covers Somersham and the villages around it. Tell us what needs doing and we will come and look at it.
Roofing in Somersham
Somersham, between St Ives and the fens
Somersham is north-east of St Ives, on the fen edge. It is inside the area where our leaflets go out and part of our patch. We cover the village and the PE28 villages close by.
Gault brick and slate
The old centre of Somersham is laid out along the High Street and Church Street, which cross in the middle of the village. The commonest building here is pale gault brick under a slate roof, from the 19th century and earlier, with some red brick houses under plain clay tiles mixed in. The Bishops of Ely once had a palace on the south side of the village. Only the moat is left.
Away from the centre, most of the newer housing went up in the 1980s and 1990s, in red, buff and grey brick, mostly under dark roof tiles with some pantiles.
When an old slate roof starts to slip
Most of the trouble we see on old slate roofs is not the slate itself. Good Welsh slate lasts a very long time. It is the nails holding it. When they rust through, slates start to slide out, one or two at first and then more. Here is how we decide what to do:
- We go up and check how many slates have moved and how the nails look on the slopes that have not.
- If it is a handful, we refix them with tingles and replace any cracked ones to match.
- If it is happening all over, we strip the roof, keep every sound slate, and relay them on a breathable membrane and treated battens, making up the rest with matching natural slate.
Either way you see the photos first, so you know why we are recommending it.
On the newer homes
On the 1980s and 1990s houses the jobs are usually smaller: ridge and verge fixings, gutters and downpipes, soffits and fascias, and flat roofs over garages and extensions. Every quote is free and in writing, with each item listed.
Recent work
Recent jobs
Our own photographs, from jobs across the area.
Peterborough A bungalow re-roof in Peterborough
A red tile re-roof in Sandtoft Olympus, Tuscan
A natural slate re-roof with hips and valleys
A Marley Modern re-roof, after some very bad spray foam
A big re-roof on TLX Gold, in a granulated grey tile
Letchworth A plain tile re-roof in Letchworth
A hipped roof in man-made slate
Milton Keynes A natural slate re-roof in Milton Keynes
Roofs we work on
Slate and tile roofs, laid by our own team
Natural and man-made slate, clay-look, modern and plain tiles, in red, brown and grey. Whatever your roof is covered in, we have re-roofed in it, and these are our own jobs.
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Natural slate
Hips, valleys and a dormer, every slate cut to the line. See the job →
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Man-made slate
A hipped roof in one clean, even shape. See the job →
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Sandtoft Olympus, Tuscan
A red clay-look tile with a warm tint, and new lead round the stacks. See the job → -
Marley Modern, brown
A flat, clean-lined tile, after some very bad spray foam came out. See the job →
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Granulated grey
A big roof on TLX Gold with a full vapour barrier. See the job →
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Plain clay tiles
Small plain clay tiles, on a house in Letchworth. See the job →
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Smooth grey tiles
A hipped house with a dry hip and ridge system. See the job →
How we work
Honest roofers: what the roof needs, not what pays best
Read our Google reviews and the same things come up: honest advice, the most detailed quote they received, and a team who arrive smart and leave the site tidy.
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01
A repair when a repair will do
A Bedford customer with a chimney leak got new lead and a metre of felt, not a new roof. "There was no need to start doing loads of unnecessary work," in her words.
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02
Itemised, line by line
Scaffold, skip, materials, even the portable toilet on a big job. You see exactly what you are paying for.
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03
Quick when it is leaking
Customers who called in the early evening with water coming in had us there the next day.
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04
Done the proper way
Dry ridge and verge systems, eaves support trays, welded lead, breathable membranes, and moss scraped off by hand. We never jet-wash a roof.
A 120-year-old roof, matched to the original
“The finished roof looks great, and is an excellent match to the original which is important in Letchworth.”
We noticed the felt in our loft was deteriorating quite badly, so decided it was time to get the roof replaced. We had three different companies out to quote, with Jude from Ultimate Roof Care being the last. Jude came across really well, very polite and well spoken, and took the time to explain everything properly. His quotation was by far the most detailed, with everything clearly itemised so we knew exactly what we were paying for. The team did exactly what was promised and we're really pleased with our new roof. We'd seen their vans working around Bedfordshire before, which was reassuring too. More than happy with the whole experience and would definitely recommend Ultimate Roof Care.
We had a bad leak coming into the roof and couldn't work out where it was coming from. We called Jude and he came out, had a proper look and identified the problem around the chimney. Our house was built in the 1980s and he showed us where the old felt had started collapsing around that area. One of his guys then came out and replaced the lead around the chimney as well as roughly a metre of felt around it. Jude explained that there was no need to start doing loads of unnecessary work and that a localised repair should sort the problem, which we really appreciated. The exact area where the water was coming in before has stayed completely dry. Really happy with the repair and thought the price was very fair. The guys were polite, turned up looking smart and were very professional. We're based in Bedford and would definitely recommend them.
We'd been having problems with a leak on our bungalow roof, despite previously having another roofing company out, so we decided it was time to have the whole roof replaced. Jude was brilliant from the start, and the detail in their quotation was on another level compared to the others we received. Everything was explained step by step, from the scaffolding and materials being delivered to the skip, even a portable toilet for the workers. Their price was very competitive too, but it was really the attention to detail and how professional they were that made us choose them. What a great company. We couldn't recommend Ultimate Roof Care enough!
I had spray foam insulation in my loft which was causing issues with selling my property. Jude explained the full process, gave me a clear written quote and even arranged for an electrician to safely disconnect and reconnect my solar panels. Once the foam was removed, they bagged and cleared every bit of waste and left the loft spotless. The surveyor who came afterwards commented on the quality of the job. True professionals, I'd highly recommend them.
I booked a roof MOT with Ultimate Roofcare because I wanted to be sure everything was in good condition before the winter. They showed me photos of a couple of cracked tiles and some minor pointing that needed attention, but reassured me the rest of the roof was in good shape. They fixed everything there and then at a very fair price. No pushy sales, just genuine advice and quality workmanship.
After the really heavy rain the other day we had quite a bad leak come through and called Jude at around 5 or 6 in the evening. He came out the very next day. Owen then came out shortly afterwards and got the repair sorted for us. They opened up roughly a metre along the bottom of the roof, renewed the felt in that area and fitted a new eaves support tray system. We've had more rain since and everything has stayed completely dry.
Jude and his efficient team of workers have done a complete roof replacement with slates on our 200 year old house. They have done an excellent job and the roof is now entirely watertight and looks very smart. Quality materials and experienced skills have resulted in a great job and peace of mind for us. Thankyou to all. Richard and Lorna
I found Ultimate Roofcare in the local Bedford Bulletin. Joe came along to check out the loft. Jude came along later in one of his branded vehicles (big reassurance) and explained that he could do the job in 4 days with 8-10 men. By Wednesday evening the roof tiles had been removed and replaced, a new roof lining installed, 3 layers of insulation placed between the joists, ventilated soffits and new gutters fitted and a good tidy-up completed. If you need any roofing or loft work done, you would struggle to find a better company.Read every review The full set, in their own words
Nearby
We also cover
Not on the list? Ring 01234 634 016, we may well cover you.
Before you ring
Questions we get asked
Slates keep sliding off my Somersham house. Can you just put them back?
If it is only a few, yes, we refix them with tingles. If the nails have rusted across the whole roof, more will follow, and re-slating with the original slates is the lasting fix. We will show you which it is.
Can you reuse the old slates on a re-roof?
Yes. Sound slates are taken off carefully, sorted and relaid, and we make up any shortfall with matching natural slate.
Do you cover Bluntisham, Earith and Colne?
Yes. We cover the villages around Somersham as well as the village itself. Ring 01234 634 016 with your postcode.
Get in touch
Tell us about the roof
- We call you back To hear what the roof is doing.
- We come and look And take photos of what we find, so you can see it too.
- You get a written, itemised quote What the roof needs and what it costs. No pressure.