Soho guide prices
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.
Covering W1F and neighbouring districts
Covering Soho means covering the people who live and work there, not a single postcode. We take on domestic and commercial jobs in W1F, W1B and W1D, and are happy to quote further out in Pimlico and Camden Town. If your address sits between towns, tell us and we will confirm whether it falls in our normal area or needs travel set out separately on the quote.
Included in the work
- Inside check of stains, frame drainage channels and the reveal
- Controlled water test where it helps pin down the entry point
- Membrane splits at the upstand cut back and patched
- Water lying against the kerb — We check whether rainwater sits against the upstand after it stops raining.
- Leak or condensation — We work out whether the water is coming from outside or forming inside on cold glass.
How a repair visit goes
Most of the effort on a repair visit goes into finding the cause. We start with your account of when it leaks: heavy rain, wind from one direction, or cold mornings, which points towards condensation. That shapes where we look first. Findings are photographed so you can see them for yourself. You then get a clear explanation and, where needed, a written repair quote, fixed before anything further is booked.
Planning, building control and Soho
Replacing a rooflight in an English home is a controlled fitting: it has to be self-certified by a scheme-registered installer or notified to building control. We are not registered with a competent person scheme, so replacements we fit are notified with a building notice, and the new unit has to meet current energy limits. Adding a new one usually means a building regulations application, because joists or rafters are trimmed. On the planning side, most house rooflights are permitted development if they project 0.15 m or less; on a side slope the glass must be obscured and fixed unless the opening part is over 1.7 m above the floor.
What to send us
Before booking a visit, send what you can: a photo of the ceiling or reveal where water shows, a photo of the rooflight from outside, the roof covering if you know it, and whether it is one rooflight or several. We use that to price the visit and to bring the right materials.
Common questions in Soho
Why is my rooflight leaking?
The usual causes are sealant that has cracked or pulled away, flashing or membrane that has perished at the edges, condensation channels blocked with dirt, water ponding against the kerb, or a seal failing on the glass unit. Sometimes the water is coming in elsewhere and running along to the rooflight. A diagnostic visit finds the real source before anyone starts applying sealant.
Will resealing fix my leaking rooflight?
Sometimes. If the sealant has simply aged and the flashing, upstand and glass are sound, a careful reseal on a dry day can solve it. If the real problem is ponding water, a low upstand or a perished membrane, fresh sealant will only hide it for a while. We tell you which one you are dealing with before recommending any work, and quote the proper fix in writing.
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 Soho and we will price the visit before you book it.
