Roofers in Merthyr Tydfil

Roofing in Merthyr Tydfil

Merthyr Tydfil sits at the head of the Taff valley, high, cold and wet, and its housing is among the oldest industrial stock in Britain. The ironworkers' cottages and dense terraces around Georgetown, Dowlais and Penydarren predate almost everything in the south Wales coalfield, thrown up for a town that briefly became the largest in Wales. They were built with thin walls, shallow foundations and no thought of insulation, and they sit on steep contours where terraces step down the hillside and share party walls, parapets and rainwater runs with their neighbours.

The climate does the rest. At this altitude the valley funnels rain straight up from the south-west, frosts are harder and last longer than they do twenty miles downstream in Cardiff, and freeze-thaw works patiently at every mortar joint on a ridge, verge or chimney haunch. Water that gets into soft mortar in November has expanded and cracked it by February.

There is one thing worth saying plainly to homeowners here, because it saves money. A great many ceiling stains and damp patches in cold valley terraces are condensation, not a leak. An unventilated loft with modern insulation piled over the eaves, a bathroom fan venting into the roof space, and a cold, wet climate outside will produce running water on the underside of the felt that looks exactly like a roof failure. A good roofer will check ventilation before selling you a roof.

Fascias, soffits and guttering rank high among the services offered by the 20 firms listed locally, which reflects the large stock of post-war council-built and right-to-buy housing around Gurnos and Galon Uchaf now reaching the age where the timberwork needs attention. Fix the ventilation at the same time as the fascias and you solve two problems in one visit.