RoofersinDorchester
We are based in Bournemouth and we have worked in Dorchester. A flat roof that had been leaking badly needed four hours of new lead, not a new roof, so that is what it got.
- Both owners on site, so the people quoting are the people doing the work
- We will tell you if the job does not need doing
- British Standard materials, fitted to manufacturer spec
Get a quote
Tell us what the roof is doing and we will come and look at it.
- 4 hrsWhat the Dorchester leak actually took
- 15–20 yrGuarantee on roofs we install
- 5.0 ★From 21 Google reviews
- BothOwners on every job
The Dorchester job that took four hours instead of a new roof
Most people who ring us are worried about the same thing. They have a leak, they are about to be told they need a whole new roof, and they cannot tell whether that is true. We had a flat roof in Dorchester that was leaking badly. The edge, where the flat roof met the wall of the property, had never been flashed properly in the first place. Water was getting in at that joint and running back into the building. It looked serious from inside and it would have been very easy to sell that customer a new flat roof. It did not need one. We stripped the edge detail back and formed new flashing in code 4 lead where the roof meets the property. That stopped the leak. The whole job took us about four hours, and the customer was very happy with it. That is the honest version of what we do, and it is the reason this page exists rather than a page with a town name dropped into it. If the job needs doing, then it needs doing. If we can do something to save the job being done and save you money, we will do that instead.
- The leak was a failed edge detail, not a failed flat roof
- New flashing in code 4 lead where the roof meets the property
- About four hours, and the leak stopped
DorchesterWhat we do in Dorchester
Ordinary domestic roofing across the county town and the modern housing around it. Pick the one closest to your problem.
Flat Roofing
Felt & Torch-On RoofingLaid in bonded layers to a manufacturer backed specification. The edge detail is what usually fails, not the felt.
EPDM Rubber RoofingGarages and rear extensions in one piece of membrane. Cold applied, with no flame near the building.
GRP Fibreglass RoofingWhere the flat roof gets walked on. It needs a sound deck, which we check before recommending it.
Roof Replacement
Tiled RoofsThe modern estates and Poundbury. Stripped back to the rafters and relaid, never covered over.
Slate RoofsOn unlisted period property outside the historic core. If it is listed we will point you at a conservation specialist.
Extension RoofsMatching a new roof into an older one, and flashing the joint between them in lead rather than mortar.
New Build RoofsPriced from the drawings. Worth checking early whether the plot sits inside the conservation area boundary.
Roof Repairs
Roof Leak RepairsInland and sheltered, so a leak here is usually a failed detail rather than wind-driven water.
Ridge & Hip Re-PointingMortar cracks with age everywhere. Away from the coast it is age doing it, but the fix is the same.
Storm Damage RepairsLess frequent than on the coast, and more often a falling branch than wind uplift.
Also availableRoof Surveys & Inspections
4 hrs
The Dorchester flat roof leak, start to finish
Code 4
The lead we used to flash the edge
15–20 yr
Guarantee on roofs we install
Both
Owners on every job
How a Dorchester job runs
The same five stages everywhere. The first one is where we decide whether the big job is honestly needed at all.
We come and look at the roof
We find where the water is actually getting in before we price anything. The Dorchester flat roof looked like a replacement from inside and turned out to be four hours of lead at the edge.
Scaffold goes up and materials arrive
On a repair there is often no scaffold at all. On a re-roof it goes up with the materials, and on the tighter roads near the town centre we sort access and parking before the start date.
The old roof comes off
Stripped back to the rafters and the timbers checked while they are exposed. Anything rotten gets replaced then, while it is open, rather than covered over.
New felt, battens and covering go on
Proctor Air breathable felt and new battens, then the covering, fitted to manufacturer spec so the work meets building regs. Abutments and valleys go in lead, not mortar fillets.
We clear up and hand it over
Site cleared, waste away, guarantee issued. We would rather leave a drive cleaner than we found it than have you sweeping up after us.
Leadwork and flat roofs, the work Dorchester called us for
Our own work. No stock photography.
Captions name what was done.
What our customers say
We are a new company and we are building this up honestly. These are the jobs people have been kind enough to comment on.
Sam Young
Southern Counties Roofing completed a full re roof for me. I was very pleased with outcome and there professionalism. Would deffo recommend.
Kris Pass
Great job, thanks guys. Would highly recommend.
Clive Curley
Nice guys to deal with and a good price a1
What Dorchester customers ask us
Almost always some version of the same question: does this roof really need doing.
My flat roof is leaking. Does it need replacing?
Often not. The most common cause we find is the edge or the upstand where the flat roof meets the building, not the covering itself. That is exactly what the Dorchester job turned out to be, and it was four hours of new lead rather than a new roof.
Do you work on the newer estates and Poundbury?
Yes. Modern housing is ordinary domestic roofing and it is what we do every day. Tiled roofs, extension roofs, flat roofs over garages, guttering and roofline, all of it.
My house is in the conservation area
If it is not itself listed we can usually help. Repairs and like for like replacement are generally fine, but anything that changes what is visible can need consent. We will flag where we think that line falls and suggest you confirm with the council before we order materials.
Roofing questions from Dorchester
Have you actually worked in Dorchester?
Yes. A flat roof in Dorchester had inadequate flashing where it met the property and was leaking badly. We formed new flashing in code 4 lead around that edge, which stopped the leak. It took about four hours and the customer was very happy with it.
Do you work on listed buildings in Dorchester?
No. There is listed Georgian property through the historic core of the town and we do not take on listed or heritage roofing at all. If yours is one of them we will say so immediately and point you towards a conservation specialist.
Do you charge extra to travel to Dorchester?
No. On a re-roof, a flat roof, a roofline replacement or a proper repair, the price is the price. The only case where distance genuinely matters is a single very small job, and we will say so on the phone rather than after.
How much does a re-roof cost in Dorchester?
It follows the size and pitch of the roof and how easy the access is. A full domestic re-roof is normally somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds. We come and look, then give you a written figure rather than a range.
Do you cover the villages around Dorchester?
Usually yes. Tell us the postcode and what the job is when you call and we will confirm rather than guess.
Do you come out at night or at weekends?
No. We do leak repairs and make-safe work during the working day, and we would rather tell you that than have you waiting on someone who is not coming.
Other towns we cover
Dorchester and Weymouth are our two furthest west. These are the rest.
Get a straight answer about your Dorchester roof
Tell us what it is doing and we will come and find where the water is getting in. If a repair will sort it, that is what we will quote.
Get a free quote
Tell us what you need and we'll come back with a price. No pressure, no hard sell.
Prefer to talk? Call Southern Counties Roofworks Ltd on 07895 305286