Neath is where we are based. T & T Roofing and Home Improvements Ltd works from Victoria Gardens in the town, which means Neath is not an area we cover so much as the place we come from — and after a storm, that difference is worth something practical.
It also happens to be a town with a genuine wind problem. The Vale of Neath runs north-east from the town in an almost straight line, and it is aligned closely with the direction weather generally arrives from in this part of Wales. A valley of that shape does not slow wind down; it guides and concentrates it.
Below is what we are most often called to in Neath, roughly in the order it comes up. If what has happened to your roof is not on the list, call anyway — it is not an exhaustive list, it is the common ground.
A long, straight, steep-sided valley acts on wind rather like a channel acts on water. Air that would spread out over open country is confined between the valley sides, and confining a moving fluid speeds it up. When the valley's alignment matches the direction the weather is coming from, that effect is at its strongest.
For roofs in and around Neath this means the wind arriving in a storm can be more consistent in direction and stronger than the general forecast for the region suggests, and that properties along the valley take it repeatedly from the same quarter. Roof slopes and gables facing that way accumulate wear that other elevations of the same building do not.
Worth telling us when you call. Which elevation the damage is on. On a Neath roof the answer is often the same one, and it helps us know what we are likely to find before we arrive.
Every roofer in South Wales will tell you they are local. Here is what we think it genuinely means, rather than as a slogan.
That last point deserves saying plainly. Storms bring people into an area who were not there the week before and will not be there the week after, knocking doors and offering immediate roof repairs at a price agreed on the pavement. We are not going to tell you every one of them is dishonest. We will say that you should be able to find out where a roofing company is registered and where it works from before you let anyone onto your roof.
Neath's housing runs from Victorian and Edwardian terraces through interwar and postwar development to modern estates, so both slate and concrete tile are common. On slate the fixings usually fail before the covering does; on interlocking tile the covering is robust but depends on tiles restraining one another.
Wind takes material from edges: the verge, the eaves, the ridge and around any interruption in the slope. Where the surrounding roof is sound, a targeted repair is the right work, and we check the area around a gap rather than simply filling it.
Neath is a wet town in a wet valley, and a good proportion of what we are called to after a storm is water rather than visible damage. Water entering high on a roof can travel along battens and rafters and appear through a ceiling well away from where it got in.
We work backwards from the symptom to the entry point, which usually means checking the junctions — valleys, abutments, chimney flashing, the point where an extension meets the main roof — as well as the covering itself.
The ridge takes the highest wind loading on any roof and has no course of tiles above it for protection. Mortar-bedded ridges lose their bond to thermal movement over the decades, so a ridge tile can be sitting rather than fixed long before a storm reveals it.
A displaced ridge tile is worth treating as urgent: it opens the highest point of the roof and it can fall. Keep the ground beneath it clear and call.
Storms find chimney stacks because stacks stand clear of the roof in the fastest-moving air. Pots work loose, flaunching cracks, mortar joints open and lead flashing lifts at the base where the stack passes through the covering.
Lead flashing that has been repaired previously with mastic is a frequent finding. Mastic is rigid once cured, the roof and the stack move at different rates, and the repair cracks. Properly dressed and wedged lead accommodates that movement, which is why it is the material the job is meant to be done in.
Extensions, garages, dormers and commercial premises across Neath carry flat roofs, and wind damages them at the perimeter where the covering is terminated. A lifted trim or a failed upstand admits water while the middle of the roof still looks sound.
We assess felt, EPDM and other coverings and will tell you plainly whether a repair is worth doing or whether the covering has reached the end of its life.
When materials are loose or water is coming in, the immediate job is to reduce the risk and limit further damage, and the permanent repair follows when it can be done properly. What is possible on the day depends on wind, rain and access.
Being based in the town means we can often get to a Neath property quickly. It does not mean we can be everywhere at once after a named storm, and we would rather tell you honestly when we can be there than book a time we cannot keep.
We inspect the damage, identify the work and provide a written quotation for your insurer. A clear, specific description of the defect serves a claim better than a general statement.
Whether the damage is covered is determined by your insurer and your policy wording, and that is not something any roofer can promise you in advance.
In Neath. T & T Roofing and Home Improvements Ltd works from 32, 34 Victoria Gardens, Neath, SA11 3BH. The address is on every page of this site.
Take your time and check who you are dealing with. You should be able to establish where a roofing company is registered and where it works from before anyone goes up. A genuine firm will not mind being asked.
A long, straight, steep-sided valley confines moving air and speeds it up, and the Vale of Neath is aligned close to the direction weather usually arrives from here. Properties along it tend to take wind from the same quarter repeatedly.
Usually quickly, because we are in the town. After a named storm, though, a great many people call at once, and we will give you an honest answer about timing rather than an optimistic one.
That is a common finding. Mastic sets rigid while the roof and the stack move at different rates, so it cracks. Properly dressed lead accommodates that movement.
That is normal. Water entering high on a roof can run along battens and rafters some distance before dropping through a ceiling, so we trace it back rather than repairing above the stain.
Yes, including flat and low-pitch roofs on business premises.
Five guides written specifically for Neath. We are publishing these in batches rather than all at once, so some are still being written — those are marked, rather than linked to a page that is not there.
We cover fifteen areas from our base in Neath. If yours is not listed, call and ask — the list is where we work most, not a boundary.
Tell us what the weather has done and what you can see from the ground. We will assess the roof, explain what needs repairing and give you a free, no-obligation quotation.
Tell us what the weather has done and what you can see from the ground. We will come back to you — usually the same day.
If water is coming in now, please call rather than email — 07766 547309.
