Letchworth Garden City · Hertfordshire
Roof structure repairs in Letchworth Garden City
If the top of a wall at your Letchworth Garden City property seems to lean out at the eaves, the roof may be spreading. Ties, collars and straps can usually hold it back, sometimes with an engineer’s design for the new load path.
Guide price from£315per rafter inc VAT
- Postcodes
- SG5, SG6, SG15
- Population
- about 34,000
- Area
- Hertfordshire
- Pricing region
- East of England
What is the ground like in Hertfordshire?
Postcode districts SG5, SG6, SG15 cover Letchworth Garden City, a Hertfordshire town of about 34,000 people. If you are just outside Letchworth Garden City, we also cover Hitchin (3 miles), Stevenage (5 miles) and Biggleswade (8 miles).
Hertfordshire is one of the parts of the UK where clay soils are most likely to move with the seasons. Ground movement here is more often linked to soils, drains and trees than to mining. Across Hertfordshire, most homes are garden-city houses in Letchworth and Welwyn, 1930s semis, Victorian terraces and post-war new-town estates.
Is it time for roof structure repairs? Common signs
- Horizontal cracks in the wall just below the eaves or ceiling line
- Daylight through the tiles, or timber that is damp, stained or crumbling
- Ridge line dipping in the middle when seen from the street
What should you budget for roof structure repairs in Letchworth Garden City?
These are guide prices for Letchworth Garden City, using East of England rates and including VAT. Your written quote follows photos or a survey, and is fixed once the repair is specified.
| Item | Guide price | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Repairing or doubling a rafter | £315 – £630 | per rafter |
| Purlin and strut strengthening | £1,250 – £3,150 | per roof |
| Tying in roof spread (straps and ties)est. | £840 – £2,600 | per roof |
Repair options we may recommend
Repairing or doubling rafters
Cracked, sagging or rotten rafters are strengthened by fixing a new timber alongside, often called doubling, and rotten rafter feet are cut back and spliced. The work is usually done from inside the loft with the tiles left in place, unless the covering is coming off anyway.
Best for: Individual rafters that have cracked, sagged or rotted at the feet
Tying in roof spread
New ties, collars or steel straps connect opposite rafters, or fix the rafter feet and wall plate firmly to the ceiling joists, so the outward thrust is resisted. Leaning wall heads are strapped back to the roof, and a badly spread roof may need partly rebuilding first.
Best for: Walls pushed out at eaves level by spreading rafters
What to expect when we carry out roof structure repairs
Engineer’s design where needed
Where purlins, struts or ties must be redesigned, or the roof carries a heavier covering, an independent chartered structural engineer is appointed to specify the work. We can arrange this, and their design sets the sizes and fixings.
Written quote
You receive a no-obligation written quote listing each timber repair, any ties or straps, propping, scaffolding and making good. Once the repair is specified, the figure becomes a fixed price in writing.
Prop, strengthen and tie
The roof is propped where members are being changed, then rafters, purlins, struts and ties are repaired or added as specified. Coverings disturbed by the work are relaid, and building control inspects where the work needs it.
Rules for roof structure repairs in England
In England, underpinning and other work that alters or strengthens a wall or foundation is building work under the Building Regulations (Part A, structure), so building control approves and inspects it. Like-for-like repairs often are not, and we tell you which applies before a price is agreed. Work to a party wall, or excavation close to a neighbour’s foundations, can also need a notice under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
Your roof structure repairs questions
How much should I budget for roof structure repairs in Letchworth Garden City?
Guide prices for roof structure repairs in Letchworth Garden City start from about £315 per rafter, including VAT, on East of England rates. Your fixed written price follows photos or a survey and depends on the extent of the work and access.
Can you survey a property in Letchworth Garden City?
Yes. We take enquiries from across Letchworth Garden City, including SG5, SG6, SG15, and from nearby places such as Hitchin and Stevenage. Send photos for a free initial view and we will tell you what happens next.
Why do houses in Hertfordshire crack?
South Hertfordshire around Watford, Borehamwood and Potters Bar is London Clay, while the north and west are chalk with clay-with-flints and the east has boulder clay. The clay areas are prone to seasonal subsidence near trees. Only an investigation can say why a particular building has moved.
Is a sagging roof ridge dangerous?
A slight, even dip in an old roof is often historic movement that stopped long ago. A sag that is getting worse, cracking timbers, walls pushing out at the eaves or recently removed struts should be checked soon. Avoid storing heavy items in the loft until then.
Do roof structure repairs need building control?
Usually yes, where the structure is strengthened or altered, or the covering becomes significantly heavier. In England and Wales that falls under Part A, in Scotland it generally needs a building warrant, and in Northern Ireland council building control approves it. We deal with building control where the work needs it.
Related work in Letchworth Garden City
- Lintel replacement
- Bowing wall repairs
- Chimney stack repairs
- Underpinning
- Resin injection ground stabilisation
Roof structure repairs near Letchworth Garden City
For a guide price on roof structure repairs in Letchworth Garden City, try the quote tool or send photos of the ridge, the loft and the eaves.