Expert guides, cost breakdowns and homeowner tips to help you get the job done right.
The storm takes half a dozen slates off, you put in a claim, and three weeks later a letter tells you the damage was caused by wear and tear or a lack of maintenance rather than the weather. You kn…
On 28 August 2026 the government announced that "From September, a new government supported scheme will help people identify and hire trusted traders with confidence", with an Approved Code for bus…
The letter says the gusts in your area reached 42mph, that the threshold for a storm is 55mph, and that your claim is therefore declined. Or it says the damage was caused by wear and tear rather th…
It is half past nine, the wind is still up, and there is water coming through the landing ceiling. You have rung four roofers. Two did not answer, one is booked until Thursday, and the fourth said …
Somebody knocks. He is polite, he is already in a work van, and he says he noticed a slipped tile or a sagging gutter from the road. He can sort it today while he is here. Then the price moves, the…
The scaffold came down three weeks ago and there is already a damp patch on the landing ceiling. The roofer has stopped answering. You want your money back and you certainly do not want him back on…
The roofer has quoted, you are ready to go ahead, and then comes the sentence that makes everyone uneasy: "I'll need a deposit to get the materials ordered." How much is reasonable? Is there a limi…
Your roof is damaged, you have buildings insurance, and you assumed that was the end of it. Then the insurer sends a loss adjuster, the adjuster uses the phrase "pre-existing condition", and sudden…
Owning a listed building is a privilege and a responsibility. The same architectural details that make these homes valuable — handmade clay tiles, riven stone slates, hand-dressed lead, lime-mortar…
Adding solar panels is one of the biggest decisions a homeowner can make about their roof — and one of the most common mistakes is fitting panels onto a roof that isn't ready for them. A 25-year so…
A severe storm rolls through, you find tiles in the garden the next morning, and there's water staining the upstairs ceiling. Your home insurance should cover this — but getting the claim paid in f…
A roof emergency can happen at any time — a severe storm tears off tiles, a tree branch falls through a flat roof, or you come home to find water pouring through the ceiling. In these situations, a...
