Guide prices in Rochester
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.
Is your address covered?
Fitters travel to the job, so the address is what counts. In Rochester that means postcode districts ME2, ME1 and ME4, and the same teams can just as easily take on work in Chatham, about 1 mile away, or Strood at roughly 1 mile. Survey and fitting dates are offered according to fitter availability, and travel is built into the quote rather than added later.
What we do on the day
- Membrane splits at the upstand cut back and patched
- Inside check of stains, frame drainage channels and the reveal
- Rotten kerb sections replaced where the timber has gone soft
- Age of the rooflight — We weigh the age and condition of the unit before recommending a repair.
- Water lying against the kerb — We check whether rainwater sits against the upstand after it stops raining.
How a repair visit goes
On arrival we agree access and protect the floor. Then a methodical check: glass for misting or cracks, seals for gaps, the frame for movement, the upstand and roof covering for splits or water lying against the kerb. If the cause is obvious and minor, it can usually be sorted as part of the visit. If not, you have the evidence and a priced repair plan, and the choice is yours.
Planning and building rules in England
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, ME2 or similar, and how the roof is reached.
Common questions in Rochester
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.
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.
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.
For a repair in Rochester, start with photos and the postcode; we confirm the visit price before anything is booked.
