Roofers in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire
Roof repairs in Llanelli: find the leak, fix it once
A stain that grows, a slate on the path, a ridge tile sitting crooked. Describe it and say which side of the house it is on, and a local roofer will ring you about a repair.
- Leaks followed back to where the water really gets in
- Slipped, cracked and missing slates and tiles replaced
- Ridge tiles, verges, valleys and lead flashing repaired
- Typical UK repair costs shown lower down, with sources
A leak rarely drips where it starts
Water is sly. It gets in at one place, runs down a rafter or along the top of the felt, and drops onto the ceiling two metres away. So the stain over the wardrobe may have nothing to do with the slates above the wardrobe.
That is why so many repairs fail. Someone squirts sealant on the nearest crack, the weather stays dry for a fortnight, and everybody thinks it is sorted. Then the wind swings round to the south-west and the drip is back.
A proper repair begins with finding the way in. That means a look from outside and, where there is a hatch, a look in the loft with a torch.
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.
Where the water usually gets in
Roofers in a wet, windy town see the same handful of faults again and again.
- A slipped or broken slate or tile. The gap lets rain onto the felt, and old felt tears.
- The ridge. Mortar under the ridge tiles cracks with age, and a strong gust can lift a loose one clean off.
- The verge. That is the edge of the roof at a gable end. Its mortar falls out and the end tiles work loose.
- The lead flashing. The strip that seals the roof to a chimney or a wall lifts, splits or drops out of its joint.
- A valley. Where two slopes meet, leaves and moss dam the channel and water backs up under the tiles.
- Felt at the eaves. The bottom edge of old felt rots where it dips into the gutter, so water runs behind the fascia.
Chimney faults are common enough to have their own page. If the leak is on a flat section, see flat roofing in Llanelli.
Typical UK roof repair costs
Choose the repair nearest to yours. You will see the range from a published guide and what that figure includes.
Every figure here is a typical UK guide price read from the published guide named with it. Not one is a quote for your roof. What your own job comes to depends on the size and height of the roof, how easy it is to reach, the materials and what turns up once the old covering is lifted. Most of the guides give their prices before VAT.
The whole price list in one table
| Job | UK guide price |
|---|---|
| Fixing a roof leak: A small leak or a few tilesWhat the guide calls a minor repair, such as fixing a small leak or replacing a few tiles. | £100 to £300 |
| Fixing a roof leak: A larger leak or several tilesWhat the guide calls a moderate repair, such as dealing with a larger leak or replacing several tiles. | £500 to £1,000 |
| Replacing up to five broken tiles or slatesUp to five tiles replaced. The low figure is where the tiles are easy to find and reach. The middle figure needs a roof ladder and cement bedding. The high figure is for awkward access with scaffolding and tiles that are hard to match. | £170 to £500typical about £225 |
| Replacing up to six ridge tilesUp to six ridge tiles replaced along the top of the roof. The guide gives £180 as the average. | £140 to £225typical about £180 |
| Dry verge on a semi-detached houseFitting a dry verge system to the gable edge of a semi-detached house, materials and fitting included. Scaffolding may be extra. | £750 to £1,000typical about £875 |
| Roof moss removal by hand, with treatment: Small roofMoss scraped off a small roof by hand and a biocide treatment applied afterwards. | £520 to £975typical about £750 |
| Roof moss removal by hand, with treatment: Average roofMoss scraped off an average-sized roof by hand and a biocide treatment applied afterwards. | £600 to £1,125typical about £860 |
| Roof moss removal by hand, with treatment: Large roofMoss scraped off a large roof by hand and a biocide treatment applied afterwards. | £680 to £1,275typical about £980 |
Every figure here is a typical UK guide price read from the published guide named with it. Not one is a quote for your roof. What your own job comes to depends on the size and height of the roof, how easy it is to reach, the materials and what turns up once the old covering is lifted. Most of the guides give their prices before VAT.
The published guides these prices were read from
Repairs priced by the metre
Some repairs are measured by length. Checkatrade's roof repair cost guide lists dry ridge at £50 to £70 a metre, a fibreglass valley at £30 to £40 a metre, and new lead flashing at £50 to £70 a metre, or £80 to £120 where the lead is stepped up a slope. Those figures leave out VAT and the cost of getting up there.
A dry ridge or dry verge is fixed with clips and screws in place of mortar. On a roof that faces the estuary this is worth asking about, because there is no mortar left to crack and drop out in the next gale.
Repairing roofs on Llanelli terraces
On a mid-terrace the roof is one long sheet shared with the houses either side. A repair close to the party wall may need a word with the neighbour first, and it is far easier if you have that chat before the roofer arrives.
Reaching the back slope is the other thing to think about. Many older terraces here have a rear kitchen extension and a small yard, with a lane behind or no rear access at all. Tell the roofer how the back is reached. It affects what ladders or scaffold can be used, and so it affects the price.
Slate takes a different hand from tile. A slipped slate is put back with a small metal hook or strap, since the nail holes are hidden under the row above. If your roof is slate, our page on slate roofing in Llanelli goes into it.
Roofing work in Llanelli
- Emergency rooferRain coming in or roof damage after a gale.
- 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 should roof repairs cost?
It depends on the size of the fault and how hard it is to reach. MyBuilder's guide puts minor repairs at £100 to £300 and moderate ones at £500 to £1,000, and says major repairs with structural work can pass £2,500. Checkatrade gives £170 to £500 for replacing up to five tiles. These are UK guide figures, so use them as a starting point only.
Can a roof be mended while it is still raining?
A roofer can often make a leak safe in the wet with a temporary cover. Lasting repairs that use mortar or sealant need a dry spell to set, and nobody should be walking on wet slate if it can be avoided. Expect a short wait for a dry day.
The leak has stopped. Do I still need a repair?
Yes, if you never found the cause. A leak that shows only in wind from one direction will look cured in calm weather. The way in is still there and the timber around it stays damp.
Small now, or large later
Each wet spell pushes a little more water through the same gap. The felt sags, the batten under it softens, and the ceiling below starts to bow. A repair that was a morning's work becomes a section of roof stripped back and a room to redecorate.
Tell us where the stain or the gap is, and which part of Llanelli. You will not be charged for the quote.