Roofers in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire
Emergency roofer in Llanelli: stop the water, then mend the roof
If rain is coming into the house or part of the roof came off in the wind, flick the urgent switch on the form and say what has happened. A local roofer will ring you back.
- An urgent switch so your message is marked for today
- Temporary covers to keep the weather out
- Slates, ridges and chimney pots made safe after a gale
- What to photograph and keep for your insurer
Water through the ceiling at the worst time
It is dark and it is blowing a gale. There is a steady drip onto the landing carpet, or a bulge in the bedroom ceiling that was flat this morning. Outside you can hear something loose rattling on the roof.
You cannot see what has happened and you should not try to. A wet roof in a high wind is no place for anyone without the right kit.
What you can do is limit the damage indoors and get your request in. The steps below take ten minutes.
From damp patch to a price, in three moves
Describe what you can see
Write down what you have noticed from the ground or from indoors: a slate in the gutter, a stain on a ceiling, water running down the wall behind a downpipe. Add your name, a phone number and the part of Llanelli you are in.
A roofer from your side of town rings
Your phone goes at the hour you asked for. Expect a few plain questions about the house and the roof, and for most jobs a time to come round and have a proper look.
You get a figure and think it over
Have the price put in writing, with a line on what it covers. Take as long as you like over it. If it does not suit you, say so and that is the end of it.
Ten minutes that save a ceiling
- Put a bucket under the drip and lay towels round it. A bit of cloth in the bottom of the bucket quietens the noise.
- If the ceiling is bulging, keep everyone out from under it. A ceiling full of water is heavy and can come down.
- Move furniture, bedding and anything electrical out of the way. If water is near a light fitting, leave that light off.
- If you can get into the loft safely, stand a bucket or a tray on a board under the wet patch. Step only on the joists.
- Take photos of the damage inside, and of the roof from the ground once it is light.
- Stay off the roof and off ladders. Keep clear of the ground below any loose slates or a leaning chimney pot.
Then fill in the form, switch on the urgent option and say plainly what is happening. Something like: water coming through the back bedroom ceiling, started an hour ago, mid-terrace in Tyisha.
What happens on an urgent visit
The first visit is about making things safe. A roofer will fix down or remove anything that could fall, and cover the opening so no more rain gets in. That cover may be a sheet fixed under the nearest sound slates, or a few slates put back as a stopgap.
The lasting repair often comes a few days later. Mortar needs dry weather, a matching slate may have to be found, and scaffolding takes time to arrange. Ask for two prices: one for making safe, and one for the full repair.
No one can give an honest arrival time without knowing the job and the weather, and a roofer will not climb in dangerous wind. What the urgent switch does is tell the person reading your message that it should not sit in a queue.
After a gale off the bay
The stormiest part of the British year runs from late autumn into winter, and winds are strongest near coasts that face west. Llanelli, on the open north shore of the Loughor estuary, gets its share.
After a big blow the same damage turns up along whole streets: ridge tiles lifted, slates stripped from the windward slope, chimney pots toppled, aerials down across the tiles. If your neighbours have lost slates, check your own roof from the pavement even if nothing is dripping yet. Our guide to checking a roof after a gale shows you how to do it without leaving the ground.
Home insurance may pay for sudden storm damage. It does not usually pay for a roof that has simply worn out. Ring your insurer early, before lasting repairs are done, and keep every receipt.
Urgent, or just soon?
Use the urgent switch when water is coming in now, when slates, tiles or masonry are loose and could fall, or when there is an open hole in the roof.
A damp patch that has grown slowly over weeks is a job for this week, not for tonight. Leave the switch off and describe it on the roof repairs page. You will still get a call.
Roofing work in Llanelli
- Roof and leak repairsLeaks traced, slates and ridges re-fixed, lead put right.
- Slate roofingSlates replaced, slopes re-laid, old slate reused where sound.
- Flat roofsExtensions, garages and dormers patched or re-covered.
- Chimneys and leadworkRepointing, lead flashing, pots, rebuilds and removals.
- Guttering, fascias and soffitsGutters cleared and replaced, roofline boards renewed.
- New roofsFull re-roofs in slate or tile, with the Welsh rules explained.
Llanelli and the places round it
Roofing help for the whole town, the villages on its edge and the coast as far as Burry Port.
- Town centre, Bigyn and Tyisha
- New Dock, Morfa and Machynys
- Sandy and Stradey
- Felinfoel
- Swiss Valley
- Dafen
- Pemberton and Trostre
- Llwynhendy and Bynea
- Pwll
- Burry Port and Pembrey
- Llangennech
- Trimsaran
- Kidwelly
- Loughor
Plain facts before you fill it in
- No bill for asking. There is no fee for sending the form and no fee for the call. Turning a price down costs nothing either.
- The form is brief. Your name, a number, your area and what is wrong. The number of your house and your email address are not asked for.
- The prices are not ours. Each figure on these pages was read from a published UK cost guide, and the guide is named and linked next to it. Use them to get your bearings. A real price needs someone to look at your own roof.
- Your details go no further than the job. They are used so a roofer can ring you about your roof. Nobody buys them, and you will not end up on a marketing list.
Common questions
How much does it cost for a roofer to come out?
There is no single published figure for an urgent call-out, and it varies with the hour and the weather. MyBuilder's roof repair guide puts fixes for weather damage at £500 to £1,500. Ask for the charge for attending and making safe before the roofer sets off, so nothing comes as a shock.
Should I climb up and put a sheet over the hole myself?
No. A wet slate roof is slippery, old slates snap underfoot, and a sheet in a strong wind acts like a sail. Deal with the water indoors and leave the roof to someone with a roof ladder and a harness.
Will the insurer want to see the damage first?
Many insurers accept urgent work to stop further damage, as long as you can show what was wrong. Take clear photos before and after, keep any broken pieces if it is safe to gather them, and get a dated note from the roofer saying what was found.
Every hour of rain adds to the bill
Water does not stop at the ceiling. It runs into light fittings, soaks insulation so it no longer holds heat, and gets behind plaster where you cannot dry it. The sooner the opening is covered, the less there is to put right indoors.
Switch on the urgent option, say what is happening and name your part of Llanelli.