Roofers in Kew, TW9

Kew Green: Are You Working on a Listed Georgian House?

Many houses on the west side of Kew Green are Georgian and either statutorily or locally listed, so check before you plan anything beyond a like for like repair. Typical roofs are natural slate with lead valleys and parapet gutters, and the usual faults are failing lead, slipped slates and blocked outlets.

Property Restoration Services London Ltd takes on roof repairs and slate renewal for houses around Kew Green, which sits in the Kew Green conservation area (Richmond conservation area number 2, designated in 1969). Many of the large Georgian houses on the west side of the Green, built from the 1720s alongside the royal residences, are statutorily listed or locally listed. St Anne's Church, founded in 1714 on land given by Queen Anne, is Grade II* listed and stands in the middle of the Green.

Houses of this age were built with deep, tall chimney stacks and lead that has often been patched many times. We would rather renew a failed lead section properly than add another layer of sealant that hides the problem for a winter.

The Priory Estate: Why Do Victorian Roofs Near Kew Green Need Different Care?

Victorian roofs on the Priory estate are gabled, with decorative bargeboards, fretwork and small front dormers, so the weak points are verges, timber detail and valley lead rather than the main slope. Parts of the estate are covered by Article 4 Directions, so check before changing anything visible from the road.

The Priory estate was laid out as commuter housing once the railway arrived, and today it covers Priory Road, Bushwood Road, Cumberland Road, Forest Road and Haverfield Gardens. The houses are Victorian and Edwardian terraced and semi-detached homes with gabled roofs, decorative bargeboards, fretwork brackets and small front dormers. The council's conservation area appraisal singles out the large box dormers added to the rear of some Bushwood Road houses as out of character, which tells you how closely roof alterations here are watched.

On a gabled roof the weak points are the verges and the timber detail. Bargeboards rot at the lower ends first, verge pointing cracks where the roof meets the gable wall, and valley lead between a gable and the main roof is easy to miss from the ground. Richmond's Article 4 list for the Kew Green conservation area includes Priory Road numbers 1 to 59 (odd), so check before changing anything visible from the road.

Around Kew Gardens Station: What Is Different About the 1870s to 1890s Houses?

Houses around Kew Gardens station date mostly from the 1870s to the 1890s and need slate and tile repair, lead flashing and gutter work. Kings Parade and Station Parade, built in the Edwardian period, add flat roofs and rooflights above shops that need access planned around trading hours.

The streets around Kew Gardens station were built after it opened in 1869, and most of the suburban houses date from the 1870s to the 1890s. The Edwardian period added Kings Parade and Station Parade. That gives two jobs in one small area. The houses want slate and tile repair, lead flashing and gutter work. The parades, with flats above shops, want flat roof and rear roof maintenance, rooflight sealing and safe access arranged around trading hours.

If you manage a parade or the flats above it, we can provide a written scope of works and photographs of any defects found, which managing agents tend to need for service charge decisions.

Kew Road: How Do Edwardian Terraces and Flat Blocks Differ?

Kew Road mixes Edwardian terraced houses with later flat blocks. On the terraces, the shared gutter between roofs is the usual culprit. On leasehold flat blocks the main roof normally belongs to the freeholder or management company, so report a leak to them first.

Edwardian development followed the earlier villas along Kew Road, and the road now mixes Edwardian terraced houses with later blocks of flats. On the terraces the shared gutter between two roofs is the usual culprit. On the blocks, the question is who is responsible. In a leasehold block the main roof normally belongs to the freeholder or management company, so report a leak to them first and send us the details if they want a contractor to inspect.

What Do We Check on a Kew Roof Inspection?

A Kew roof inspection covers six areas: chimney stacks, valleys and parapet gutters, slates and tiles, ridges and hips, verges and gable detail, and rear extension roofs. You receive a written summary with photographs where we could safely take them, and a quote for anything that needs doing.

Every inspection follows the same checklist, because the faults we find in Kew cluster in the same places.

• Chimney stacks: pointing, pots, flaunching and the lead tray beneath
• Valleys and parapet gutters: lead condition, outlet blockages
• Slates and tiles: slipped, cracked or loose fixings
• Ridges and hips: bedding, cracked joints
• Verges and gable detail: pointing and timber
• Rear extensions: flat roof covering, upstands and drainage

You receive a written summary of what we found, with photographs where we could safely take them, and a quote for anything that needs doing. Services we carry out in Kew include slate and tile roofing, chimney repairs and general roof repairs, and for storm damage or a sudden leak there is emergency roof repair in Kew.

Before You Repair: Does Your Kew Roof Work Need Consent?

Listed buildings normally need consent for anything beyond like for like repair. In conservation areas matching repairs rarely need permission, but changes to appearance may, and Article 4 addresses such as Priory Road 1 to 59 (odd) are more restricted. Richmond Council gives the final answer.

We are roofers, not planning consultants, and the final answer always comes from Richmond Council. This table shows where the usual lines fall.

How Do We Work Around Visitors to Kew Gardens?

We plan deliveries and any pavement scaffold for quieter days around Kew Gardens visitor traffic, because weekends and school holidays are the busiest times on Kew Green and Kew Road. Scaffold on the public highway needs a council licence, and we confirm who arranges it when we quote.

The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2003, borders the conservation area, and its visitors bring heavy foot and vehicle traffic to Kew Green and Kew Road, especially at weekends and in school holidays. We plan deliveries and any pavement scaffold for quieter days where we can. Scaffold on the public highway needs a licence from the council, and we confirm who is arranging that when we quote.