What the job costs in Portslade
Diagnostic visit
Roof and inside inspected, cause found, written repair price
Reseal and re-flash
Failed sealant and flashing taken out, joints cleaned, resealed and taped
Upstand or membrane repair
Rotten kerb section or roof membrane at the upstand repaired
Guide ranges. The first visit is charged and priced before booking; any repair is priced in writing before work starts. Scaffold, access towers or a crane are priced separately if the job needs them, and building control fees, where a job needs them, are shown as their own line.
Coverage in and around Portslade
Distance is rarely the deciding factor. A roof in Hove, 2 miles from Portslade, gets the same survey, the same written quote and the same fitting process as one in BN41, BN3 and BN1. What changes the price is the job itself: size of unit, roof type, access and lifting. Shoreham-by-Sea, around 3 miles out, is treated the same way.
What the job includes
- Outside inspection of glass, frame, sealant, flashing and roof covering
- Failed sealant cut out, joints cleaned, dried and resealed
- Lifted flashing or tape removed and renewed
- Leak or condensation — We work out whether the water is coming from outside or forming inside on cold glass.
- Upstand height and condition — We measure the kerb and probe the timber for softness.
How a repair visit goes
Expect the visit to be mostly looking and testing. Dust sheets go down below the rooflight. The fitter checks seals and glass from inside, then gets up on the roof by ladder or tower. Minor jobs such as clearing a blocked drainage channel can often be dealt with there and then. Bigger work, like new flashing or a replacement sealed unit, is measured up and priced in writing afterwards.
Planning, building control and Portslade
In England, a new rooflight opening generally needs building regulations approval because the roof structure is altered and the glazing must meet energy rules: 2.2 W/m²K for a rooflight in an existing home, or 1.4 W/m²K (or WER Band B) for a roof window. Planning is often not needed on a house: permitted development covers rooflights that stand no more than 0.15 m proud of the roof slope and sit below the highest part of the roof. Flats, listed buildings and areas with an Article 4 direction are different, so we check your address first.
What to send us
Photos help us price the visit. Send one of the stain or drip inside, one of the rooflight from outside if you can reach a safe viewpoint, and a note of when it leaks: in heavy rain, in wind, or all the time. Add the postcode, BN41 or similar, and how the roof is reached.
Common questions in Portslade
Is it condensation or a leak?
Condensation tends to appear on cold mornings, on the inner face of the glass, and runs down the frame. A leak usually follows rain or wind from a particular direction and often stains the ceiling around the opening. Blocked condensation channels can make the two look alike. Photos and a note of when it happens help us narrow it down before the visit.
Do you charge for a leak investigation in Portslade?
Yes. Tracing a leak properly takes time on the roof, a close look at the frame and sometimes a water test, so the visit is charged. We confirm the price before you book, so there are no surprises. If a repair is needed beyond what can be done during the visit, it is quoted separately in writing and you decide whether to go ahead.
Should I repair or replace my old leaking rooflight?
It depends on the age and condition of the unit and what has failed. A single perished seal or a blocked channel is worth repairing. A brittle, discoloured dome, a rotten kerb, or several faults at once usually make replacement the better value. After the diagnostic visit we set out both options with prices, so you can decide with the full picture in front of you.
Send photos of the problem in Portslade and we will price the visit before you book it.
