Roofing in Enfield

What are Enfield's roofs like?

Enfield is a London borough, and its housing records how the city spread north. Around Enfield Town and in parts of Ponders End and Enfield Highway there are Victorian and Edwardian terraces, many with Welsh slate roofs, back additions with lower roofs, and chimney stacks shared along the row. Bush Hill Park has a notable estate of late Victorian and Edwardian houses.

The largest share of homes, though, are interwar semis and terraces built in the 1920s and 1930s, with hipped or gabled tiled roofs, bays and tall stacks. To the east, around Enfield Lock, there are post-war estates, flats and newer housing, including homes built on former industrial land.

Which jobs are typical?

• slate repairs and re-roofing on Victorian and Edwardian terraces
• valleys and flat roofs on the back additions of terraces
• re-roofing interwar semis, sometimes replacing heavy concrete tiles fitted decades ago
• dormers and flat roofs on loft conversions, which are common here
• repointing and flashing shared chimney stacks
• roofs on houses that have been divided into flats

What if the roof or chimney is shared?

On a terrace the roof often runs from house to house, and stacks sit on party walls. Work that cuts into or rebuilds a shared stack or parapet can bring in the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. If your house is split into flats, check who is responsible for the roof under the lease or freehold.

Is there a conservation area to think about?

There are several in Enfield, including Gentleman's Row in Enfield Town and Bush Hill Park, and some have rules that go further than usual. The London Borough of Enfield is the planning authority, so check with it before changing roof materials, removing a chimney or altering the roofline.

What about Building Regulations?

Like-for-like repairs are fine, but re-covering more than half the roof, or more than a quarter of the whole outside of the house, needs approval. Swapping slate for heavier concrete tiles can also mean the roof structure has to be assessed.

Who arranges a scaffold?

Many terraces here front directly onto the pavement. A scaffold there needs a licence from the London Borough of Enfield, or from Transport for London on a red route, and the scaffolder normally applies. The roofer is responsible for working safely at height.

What do I send?

Your postcode and a description of the roof, with photos from the ground or an upstairs window if you have them. We pass it to a roofer covering EN1, EN2 or EN3 if there is one.