Roof replacement in Letchworth Garden City
We replaced a failing 120-year-old, four-gable roof in Letchworth to match the original. Here's how we approach a new roof in the garden city.
Roof Replacement in Letchworth Garden City
The four-gable roof
The owner first asked us for a deep repair. The roof was around 120 years old, it had four gables, and it was failing. In the end, the whole roof was replaced.
What mattered most to him was how it looked when we'd finished. In his words, the new roof is "an excellent match to the original which is important in Letchworth". He's right, and it's why we plan garden city roofs differently.
Why matching matters here
Letchworth was the world's first garden city, begun in 1903 on Ebenezer Howard's ideas, and many of its early houses were designed by Barry Parker and Raymond Unwin. Their Arts and Crafts cottages are all about the roof: steep pitches, deep eaves, gables, dormers, tall chimneys and, very often, red clay tiles. Change the roof carelessly and you change the house.
Much of the town is a conservation area, and the Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation also looks after the look of the town through its Scheme of Management. So a replacement roof is expected to look like the one it replaces.
How we plan a garden city re-roof
- Record the roof before anything comes off: photos of every gable, valley, verge, ridge and dormer.
- Check consents with the Heritage Foundation and North Hertfordshire District Council before anything is ordered.
- Match the covering: the tile, its colour and size, and how the verges and ridges are finished.
- Renew what's underneath: breathable membrane, treated battens and counter-battens, and Code 4 or Code 5 lead in the valleys and against the chimneys.
- Top up the loft insulation to 300mm or more while the roof is open.
Old outside, new underneath
From the street, the roof should look as it always has. Underneath, it should be as sound as any new roof. On most houses we fit dry ridge and dry verge systems, but on a garden city house we only use them where they won't change the look. Sometimes a traditional mortar finish is the right call, and we'll tell you which we'd do and why.
Every cost goes on an itemised written quote, including scaffold, skip and Building Control sign-off, which we arrange. The finished roof comes with our written company guarantee.
Also from Ultimate Roofcare
Other work in Letchworth Garden City
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
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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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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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
Where we work
Roof replacement nearby
Before you ring
Questions we get asked
Do I need Heritage Foundation consent to replace my roof?
Often, if anything visible will change, and it is worth asking even for like-for-like work. Check with the Foundation before the job is booked. We can give you the details they ask about.
Can you reuse my original tiles?
Where enough are sound, reusing them on the most visible slopes is one way to keep the look. We'll check how many survive and tell you honestly whether it's worth it.
Will a new roof change how my house looks?
It should not. On the four-gable roof we replaced in Letchworth, the owner said the match to the original was excellent. That is the standard we work to.
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.