Roofing in Watlington
Ultimate Roofcare covers Watlington and the villages around it. Tell us what needs doing and we will come and look at it.
Roofing in Watlington
Roofing in Watlington
Watlington is a small market town at the foot of the Chilterns, with the White Mark cut into the hill above it. We travel there from Bedford, and we cover the town and the villages around it in OX49.
Brick, flint and old tile
The town keeps its old shape: a few narrow streets meeting by the brick Town Hall, built in 1665 and still with an old tiled roof. Many of the houses along those streets are much older than their fronts. In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries they were refronted in brick, or in brick and flint together, which is why the town looks the way it does. What we tend to find up top:
- Clay plain tile roofs: steep, often old, and starting to slip where the pegs or nails have given up.
- Small dormers: rooms built into the roof, with cheeks and flashings that need looking after.
- Brick chimneys: stacks that need repointing and new lead where they meet the tiles.
- Back extensions: later lean-tos and flat roofs added behind the street fronts.
Under the hill
The scarp of the Chilterns is wooded, and gardens on the edge of town often have big trees close to the house. Leaves fill gutters and valleys, and a roof in shade stays damp, so moss takes hold. We scrape moss off by hand and never jet-wash, because the pressure cracks old clay tiles and pushes water underneath. Then we clear the gutters so the water has somewhere to go.
Before you start work
The centre of Watlington is a conservation area, and many of its buildings are listed. If your house is either, speak to South Oxfordshire District Council before work that changes how the roof looks. We will give you a written description of the materials to take to them.
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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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
Is Watlington within your area?
Yes. We cover Watlington and the OX49 villages. It is a fair drive from Bedford, so tell us as much as you can when you call and we will plan the visit around it.
My cottage roof has a dip in it. Does it need replacing?
Not always. Old roofs in Watlington often have a gentle sag that has been there for generations. We check whether the timbers are still sound or actually failing, and photograph what we find.
Our gutters fill with leaves from the trees every autumn. Can you help?
Yes. We clear gutters and valleys, check the downpipes run free, and can fit new gutters where the old ones have sagged or split.
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.