RoofersinSwanage
We are based in Bournemouth and Swanage is across the water from us. Getting there is the first question on any Purbeck job, and we would rather answer it before we quote than after.
- 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.
- 1–2 wksA full re-roof, start to finish
- 15–20 yrGuarantee on roofs we install
- 5.0 ★From 21 Google reviews
- BothOwners on every job
Two things decide a Swanage job, and neither of them is the roof
The first is getting there. From Bournemouth it is either the Sandbanks chain ferry across the mouth of Poole Harbour, or around the top of the harbour through Wareham and Corfe Castle, which is roughly twenty five miles. The ferry is much shorter and in summer the queue for it is much longer, and it comes out of the water for maintenance from time to time. That matters to you because a roofer who has not thought about it is the roofer who does not turn up on the second morning. We plan the route with the start date, and on anything with scaffold on it we work full days rather than dipping in and out. The second is what a Purbeck roof is made of. If yours is stone slate, the local limestone laid in diminishing courses, that is heritage stone slating and it is a separate trade with its own specialists. We do not take it on, and the same goes for listed property anywhere in the town. We would rather tell you that in the first minute than come and look at it. Everything else is ours. Swanage Bay faces east and open Channel, so the housing behind it takes wind and salt in the same way Christchurch and the exposed side of Poole do. Nails corrode, clips let go, ridge mortar gets stripped out of its joints and flashing lifts at the top edge. The Victorian, Edwardian and later housing up the hillsides is ordinary domestic roofing, and that is what we do every day.
- The ferry or the long way round, and we plan which before we set a date
- Purbeck stone slate and listed property are not work we take on
- An east-facing bay, so details fail long before coverings do
SwanageWhat we do in Swanage
Ordinary domestic roofing on the modern and Victorian housing, not on stone slate or listed property. Pick the one closest to your problem.
Roof Repairs
Storm Damage RepairsThe town sits between two headlands with the bay open to the east. Verge tiles and ridge lift here before anything else does.
Ridge & Hip Re-PointingBedded mortar does not last on a hillside plot with the bay in front of it. Worth talking about dry ridge before you pay twice.
Roof Leak RepairsA leak that only shows on an easterly is a detail letting go. It is rarely a covering at the end of its life.
Roof Replacement
Tiled RoofsThe post-war housing climbing the hillsides. Stripped to the rafters and relaid, with the fixings specified for the exposure.
Slate RoofsManufactured slate on unlisted property. Purbeck stone slate is a different trade and not one of ours.
Extension RoofsThe joint where a new roof meets an old one is what leaks. We flash it in lead rather than trowel a fillet across it.
New Build RoofsPriced from the drawings. On plots like these, getting materials onto the site is worth planning before the roof is.
Flat Roofing
EPDM Rubber RoofingGarages and rear extensions. One piece of membrane, cold applied, so there is no lap sitting there waiting to lift.
GRP Fibreglass RoofingFor a flat roof that actually gets used, a balcony or a walked-on garage. The deck has to be sound first, and we check.
Felt & Torch-On RoofingBigger garage and outbuilding roofs, bonded in layers to a specification the manufacturer stands behind.
Also availableRoof Surveys & Inspections
25 mi
Round the harbour through Wareham and Corfe
1–2 wks
A full re-roof, start to finish
15–20 yr
Guarantee on roofs we install
Both
Owners on every job
How a Swanage job runs
The same five stages everywhere. Here the access question gets answered first, because it decides everything after it.
We come and look at the roof
One crossing, and we make it count. Tell us the whole list when you ring, small items included, so we look at all of it in the one visit instead of booking a second.
Scaffold goes up and materials arrive
Booked to land together, and the route planned with them. Getting a scaffold lorry and a tile delivery onto the Isle of Purbeck takes thinking about, so we do that before we give you a start date.
The old roof comes off
Off to the rafters, with the timbers checked while everything is open. We expect to find corroded fixings on a roof this exposed, and we allow for replacing them rather than reusing them.
New felt, battens and covering go on
Proctor Air breathable felt and new battens, then the covering to manufacturer spec. On a hillside plot facing the bay, mechanically fixed ridge and verge are worth settling before anything is ordered.
We clear up and hand it over
Site cleared, waste taken off Purbeck with us, guarantee issued. The journey does not shorten the guarantee. If something needs putting right we come back over for it.
The kind of work an exposed Purbeck roof needs
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 Swanage callers ask us
Mostly about getting here, and about what a Purbeck roof is made of.
Will you actually come over for it?
For work that justifies the crossing, yes. A re-roof, a flat roof, a full roofline or a proper repair is worth the journey, and there is no travel charge sitting on top of it. For a single slipped tile we will say plainly that a Purbeck firm will serve you better.
What if the ferry is queued or out of service?
Then we come round through Wareham and Corfe, which is about twenty five miles. We plan the route with the start date rather than finding out on the morning, and on a scaffolded job we work full days rather than crossing twice.
My roof is Purbeck stone slate
Then we are not your firm. Stone slating in local limestone, laid in diminishing courses, is a heritage trade with its own specialists, and doing it badly ruins a roof that is hard to put right. We will say so and point you at somebody who does it properly.
Roofing questions from Swanage
Do you charge extra to travel to Swanage?
No. On anything with scaffold on it, a flat roof or a full roofline, the price is the price and the journey is ours to absorb. The only job where the distance genuinely counts against you is one very small repair, and we will say so when you ring.
Do you do Purbeck stone slate roofs?
No. Stone slating in local limestone, laid in diminishing courses, is a heritage trade with its own specialists. We do manufactured slate and tile on unlisted property, and we will say straight away if yours is the other kind.
Do you work on listed buildings in Swanage?
No. We do not take on listed or heritage roofing anywhere, and there is listed property through the older parts of the town. If yours is one of them we will tell you on the first call and point you towards a conservation specialist.
Why do so many Purbeck roofs fail at the ridge first?
Because bedded mortar is the weakest thing up there and this is an exposed bay. Wind works the joints loose, water gets in behind, and the ridge starts moving while the tiles either side are still perfectly sound. That is a repair, and a mechanically fixed ridge stops it happening again.
How much does a re-roof cost in Swanage?
It follows the size and pitch of the roof, and on the hillside roads it follows the access as much as anything else. A full domestic re-roof normally lands somewhere between 10,000 and 20,000 pounds. We come over, look at it, and put a written figure in front of you.
Do you cover Studland, Corfe Castle and the rest of Purbeck?
Usually yes, on the same basis. Tell us the postcode and what the job is when you call and we will confirm honestly rather than guess.
Other towns we cover
Swanage is the only one we reach across the water. These are the rest.
Get a straight answer about your Swanage roof
Including whether we are the right firm to be crossing for it. Tell us what the roof is doing and we will tell you honestly.
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