How a 1930s Hounslow house is roofed
Hounslow grew quickly after the Great West Road was completed in 1925. Factories opened along the new road, and street after street of houses followed through the 1920s and 1930s, here and in neighbouring Heston, Isleworth, Cranford and Whitton. Many homes across TW3 and TW4, out towards Hounslow Heath in the south west, are semis from those years built to much the same pattern: a hipped tiled roof, a chimney, a small roof over the front bay window, and timber fascias and soffits.
The roofers at Mascote Renovation & Property Solutions Ltd, a family business, look after houses like these. Below we go through one from the top down and explain the work we do at each point. We are builders too, so loft conversions, home extensions and property refurbishment are also on offer.
Ridge and hips
The ridge runs along the top of the roof and the hips run down its corners. Both are capped with tiles bedded in mortar. After decades of weather the mortar cracks and drops out, and the tiles are left loose. We lift loose ridge and hip tiles, bed them down again and replace any that are broken, which keeps wind and rain out of the top of the roof.
Tiles and roof repairs in Hounslow
Slipped, cracked and missing tiles are the usual reason for a roof repair. On these roofs the felt beneath the tiles, where there is any, may have perished too, so a single gap can let water straight into the loft. We replace broken tiles, fix slipped ones back in place and check the valleys and flashings while we are up there. We inspect roofs free of charge.
Chimney repairs in Hounslow
The chimney stands clear of the roof and catches the weather from every side. Worn mortar is raked out and repointed, a cracked or leaning stack is repaired or rebuilt, and broken pots and cowls are replaced. Where the brickwork passes through the tiles we renew the lead flashing. If the fireplaces are out of use, the stack can be removed. There is more on our chimney and leadwork page.
The bay window roof
The small roof over a front bay is easy to forget. Some are tiled, others are flat and covered in felt or lead, and all of them depend on the flashing where they meet the front wall. A stain on the ceiling beside the window often starts here. We repair and replace bay roofs, renew the leadwork and can lay a new felt, GRP fibreglass or EPDM rubber covering on a flat bay. We do the same for flat roofing over a garage or a rear extension.
Fascia boards and gutters
The original boards on these houses are timber, and once the paint fails they rot. Facias replacement in Hounslow means stripping the rotten timber and fixing UPVC fascias and soffits in its place. New gutters and downpipes go up at the same time if the old ones are worn. Gutters that are still sound are cleaned and repaired.
When it is time for a new roof in Hounslow
A roof that has been patched many times, with tiles flaking on every slope, has reached the end of its life. The worn covering comes off and a new roof goes on in clay tile, concrete tile or slate, with new ridge tiles and leadwork, and we clear the site afterwards. Current building regulations are met on every new roof, and each is covered by a full guarantee.
Free quotes from a family run firm
All of our work is guaranteed and the firm is fully insured. Nothing is paid upfront as a deposit. Our own team carries out the work, on homes and on commercial buildings, and a quote or site survey costs nothing.