Beacon Basingstoke Roofing

Roofers in Chobham

Chobham is a Surrey village 25.8 road miles east of Basingstoke, south of Chobham Common, with a cluster of listed buildings along its High Street and many timber-framed houses refaced in brick. Its roofs call for matched materials and careful repair. We survey with photographs of your own roof, and quote in writing.

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White uPVC fascia, soffit and guttering under a tiled roof

Roofs we see in Chobham

  • Slipped and cracked clay roof tiles

    Brick-faced timber-framed houses

    Many of Chobham's timber-framed houses were refaced in brick during the eighteenth century, so a mainly brick and stucco front often hides an earlier frame behind it. The roofs above them are older than they look: hand-cut rafters, plain tiles and chimneys altered over the years. You cannot judge the structure from the street, which is why the loft inspection comes first.

  • A thatched cottage in a Test Valley village with a brick chimney

    Red brick and clay tile

    Bricks were made locally at Brickhill from the 1600s until about 1880, which may explain the red colour of many brick-faced buildings in the village. Red clay plain tiles sit naturally with that brick, and on repairs we match them by colour, thickness and camber, working from reclaimed stock where possible, so patches blend in instead of showing as bright new squares.

  • Brick estate houses with concrete tile roofs among pine trees

    Houses on the edge of the common

    The village lies south of Chobham Common, a heathland Site of Special Scientific Interest, and the River Bourne runs through it. Roofs here take wind off open ground and shed debris from heath scrub and pine. Gutters fill with needles and seed, damp lingers on the shaded slopes, and moss follows. Older outbuildings and cottages on the fringes often have roofs that need a closer look.

25.8 road miles east of Basingstoke

Planning and building control in Chobham

Chobham sits in Surrey Heath Borough Council's area, and the council handles both planning and building control. Chobham Village is one of the borough's nine designated conservation areas, and its conservation area appraisal says the cluster of listed buildings on both sides of the High Street is unique within Surrey Heath. Read the appraisal on the council's conservation page before any roof work on an older house. Listed examples include Pennypot Cottage, a 17th-century Grade II house on Pennypot Lane, and Brook Place (Malt House), listed Grade II*.

In the conservation area, like-for-like repair is usually fine, but a change of material or appearance, such as concrete tile in place of clay, may need consent, so talk to the council's conservation officer first. The same applies to any listed property. Building Regulations paperwork, where work is notifiable, is ours to sort out. Planning a roof window? The skylight planning guide explains why conservation areas are tighter.

What we find on Chobham roofs

Roofing in Chobham is rarely routine. A house with a brick front may hide a timber frame, a clay roof may be matched to the village's own red brick, and the common brings leaf litter and damp to the gutters. The listed buildings add an extra layer of care.

Chapter 1: Our Chobham house has a brick front but an old timber frame behind. Can the roof be repaired without damaging it?

What we find

When an eighteenth-century owner had a timber-framed house refaced in brick, the frame stayed, and so did the rafters carrying the roof. The result is a roof structure that may be three centuries old, with brick walls added around it. Timbers can be out of square, cut by hand and jointed with pegs. Tiles are hung on battens fixed to rafters that were never meant to take modern loads.

Damp is the main enemy. A failed gutter or perished lead at the chimney lets water into the wall head, where the frame meets the brickwork. That is not visible from outside. By the time a stain shows on the ceiling, a wall plate or rafter foot may already be soft. Pushing a probe into suspect timber from inside the loft tells us far more than a view from a ladder.

What we fix

We survey from the loft first, photograph the timbers and the underside of the tiles, and flag anything that needs a carpenter or conservation specialist before roof work begins. Where the structure is sound, repairs are done tile by tile: loose tiles refixed, broken ones replaced, and flashings renewed in lead. The roof is not stripped further than it has to be, so original fabric stays in place.

We keep the weight of the covering the same, because a new covering 15% or more heavier needs approval and the structure may then need strengthening. If the house is listed or in the conservation area, we give you the photo report to share with the council's conservation officer. Our pitched roofing page sets out how we run these jobs.

Chapter 2: How do you match clay tiles to the red brick on a Chobham High Street house?

What we find

The red colour of many brick-faced buildings in the village may come from local brickmaking at Brickhill, and a clay tile roof has to sit well beside that brick. Handmade plain tiles have a slight camber and an uneven surface, and they weather to a patchy red-orange with darker and lighter tiles mixed together. A modern machine-made tile in the nearest catalogue colour looks flat and uniform beside them.

Frost is what usually ends a clay tile's life: water enters the surface and flakes off the face in layers. Slipped tiles, from corroded nails or rotted wooden pegs, are the other common cause. A repair patch of bright new tiles on a mellow roof draws the eye from the road, and in the conservation area it may also invite a question from the council about materials.

What we fix

We start by sorting the existing tiles: sound ones are kept, flaked ones set aside. Matching tiles are then sourced from reclaimed stock or a handmade supplier, chosen for colour, thickness and camber, and mixed through the repair area so there is no hard line. Where the roof is being relaid, we use sound tiles on the visible slope and put matched replacements on the less seen side.

New battens and stainless nails go under the repaired area, and any hips and valleys are lead or clay, not mortar. A single slate or tile repair is typically reported at £100 to £250 in labour plus the cost of the tile, with tower or scaffold of £300 to £800 on top for a high roof. Your fixed quote follows the survey. Related work is described on the slate roofing page.

Chapter 3: Pine needles and moss keep blocking the gutters on our house near Chobham Common. What should we do?

What we find

Houses close to the common sit beside heath scrub, birch and pine. Needles, seed and leaf litter blow onto the roof and settle in valleys, behind chimneys and along the gutter. The litter holds water, the shade slows drying, and moss takes hold in the joints between tiles. A gutter packed with debris overflows at the lip, and the water runs down the wall face or behind the fascia board.

Overflow is the usual route to rot. The fascia is the board that carries the gutter, and when it stays wet it softens at the joints. You may see green staining below the gutter line, water dripping where there should be a downpipe, or plants growing in the gutter itself. Birds and bats also use older roofs near the common, and both are protected, so work may need timing around them.

What we fix

We clear the gutters and downpipes by hand, remove moss from the tiles by hand with a biocide, and check the valleys and lead gutters behind the chimneys, where debris collects first. We do not use a pressure washer on older tile, because it can strip the surface and push water under the laps. Rotten fascia sections are cut out and replaced, and the gutter is refixed at a proper fall.

Gutter guards or leaf grilles can cut the chore on exposed runs, though they do not replace an occasional clear-out. Typical UK prices for moss removal by hand and biocide run from £748 to £978 depending on roof size. Our roof cleaning page explains both methods.

Chapter 4: What do we do about a leaking roof on a listed house like Pennypot Cottage or Brook Place?

What we find

Chobham's listed buildings include a 17th-century Grade II house on Pennypot Lane and Brook Place (Malt House), which is Grade II*. A house of that quality has a roof that is part of the listing. The tiles, the pitch, the ridge and the chimney stack are all treated as character, and a leak in one place can make owners want to renew the lot. That is rarely the right move.

Leaks on old roofs almost always come from a small number of places: the lead at the chimney, a valley gutter where the lead has cracked, a run of tiles with failed nails, or a hole left by a removed aerial. Finding the true source takes a dry day in the loft and a close look from outside, not a guess based on where the stain shows on the ceiling.

What we fix

We repair like for like. Lead flashings and valley linings are renewed in lead, not sealant; failed tiles are replaced with matched clay; and chimneys are repointed in lime mortar to suit the old brick. Changing materials or the look of a listed roof may need listed building consent, so we recommend a conversation with the council's conservation officer before work is ordered.

We give you a clear photo record of the roof as it stands, which helps with that conversation. Typical UK ranges for chimney leadwork are £350 to £920. If a leak is active, we prioritise emergency calls and will make the roof safe first. Our lead roofing page covers the detail.

Chobham roofing questions

Does leaf litter from the trees around Chobham Common affect my gutters and roof?

It can. Leaves and needles pack into gutters, valleys and the gap behind chimney flashings, and the damp they hold rots timber and lets moss take hold. Clearing the gutters after leaf fall prevents most of this. If leaves have already built up in a valley, we clear it and check the lead or tile beneath for staining and wear before quoting.

Do we need consent to repair the roof on a house in the Chobham Village conservation area?

Like-for-like repair is usually fine, but a change of material or appearance may need consent. Before work starts, ask the conservation officer at Surrey Heath Borough Council, and do the same for a listed house. We photograph the roof as it stands so you have a clear record to send, and we propose matched clay tile and lead rather than anything that alters the look.

Can you put a roof window into the clay roof of a cottage near the High Street?

Often yes, but conservation area status and listing both tighten the rules. Read our conservation rooflights guide, then ask Surrey Heath's planning team before ordering. On plain clay tile, a low-profile rooflight with a slim frame, flashed neatly into the tiles, usually sits best.

There are bats in the loft of our old Chobham house. Can roof work still go ahead?

Possibly, but both bats and nesting birds have legal protection, so the work may need timing around them or a survey first. Tell us when you book. We photograph the roof and loft, avoid disturbing roosts, and may recommend a survey by a licensed ecologist before the job is planned. It is better to know before scaffold goes up than to halt work halfway.

Is it worth keeping the old roof on a brick-faced timber-framed house or should we re-roof?

It depends on what we find in the loft. If the rafters and battens are sound and only some tiles and the flashings are failing, repair keeps the original fabric and costs far less. If the timbers have gone soft or the battens have rotted through, patching stops making sense. We show you the photographs of each, explain the choice, and quote in writing either way.

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