Roofers in Ferring

Ferring lies between the sea and the A259, and its old heart is small. Arun District Council designated the Ferring Conservation Area in April 1976, and its guidance describes a compact area of Ferring Street south of the shops, Church Lane, and Ferringham Lane north of Grange Close, wrapped in twentieth-century development. What holds the area together, in the council's words, is a considerable uniformity of character through the use of flint, both in the buildings and in the boundary walls. Whatever the covering above those walls, the roofs here have to meet a material that does not forgive a rough junction.

1.1 Where a slope runs into flint

Flint is hard, irregular and set in lime or mortar joints that are older and softer than modern cement. A roof edge butting against such a wall needs a flashing, the lead strip tucked into a joint of the wall and folded down across the roof covering. Cutting a neat slot into flint is slow work, and a lazy fix with a bead of sealant shrinks and splits within a season or two. We chase the lead into the joint, wedge it and point it in a matching mortar, which keeps the flint intact. The same care applies to a chimney in a flint gable, where the lead around the stack is the first thing to fail. For stacks, chimney repairs sets out what we check.

1.2 Listed neighbours and the conservation officer

St Andrew's is listed Grade I, and The Old Barn and Church Cottage nearby are both Grade II. Arun's conservation areas page records no Article 4 direction for Ferring, and under section 55 of the 1990 Planning Act, work that leaves a building's outward look materially unchanged is not development. A listed building is different: changes touching its character need listed building consent. If you are unsure which side your house falls on, put the question to the planning team at Arun, or to the conservation officer there, before you book anyone, and send us the answer so we can price the right job.

The Ferring parish stretches from the A259 down to the sea, and its beach is a mixture of pebbles and stones, reinforced by groynes. The houses nearest the shore take the sea weather first: gales, driving rain and salt air. Roofs facing the water earn their keep at the edges, where the wind gets underneath, so edge details matter more than the field of the roof. Verges, ridges and the lead flashings on bay windows are worth a look after any gale, and a flat roof over a garage or extension is worth a look at least once a year.

3.1 Flat roofs, balconies and falls

A flat roof must shed water, and BS 6229:2025 sets a minimum finished fall of 1:80, with designers working to around 1:40 so a roof still drains once it has settled. Typical lives, as published, are 20 to 30 years or more for EPDM, 25 to 40 years for GRP and 10 to 20 years for felt, and none of them is a promise. A flat roof that ponds, blisters or splits at its upstands may need a new deck and covering, while a roof with a single fault may need only a patch. Our flat roofing page sets out how we judge the two.

3.2 Insulation, membranes and Part L

Under Approved Document L, a new membrane on a flat roof is renovation of that element, so if more than 50 per cent of its surface is renovated, the insulation level comes into question. A roof that is only being patched stays outside that test, which is one reason a repair can be the cheaper and quicker answer where the deck is still sound. Where a full recovering is the honest answer, we explain what the regulations ask of the build-up and who notifies building control.

3.3 Gutters and rooflines near the shore

Gutter runs are laid to a slight fall to the outlet, roughly 1:600 to 1:350 depending on the system, and brackets close enough to carry a full gutter of water without sagging. A sagging run overflows at the low point and stains the wall below it. Fascias and soffits near the shore need paint or a replacement lining eventually, and the HSE asbestos advice for soffits applies to any older boarding.