Roofers in Funtley

Historic records place Funtley in the ancient parish of Titchfield, and the surviving list entry for Dean Farmhouse gives it Grade II*, first listed on 22 October 1976. Listing grades run from II to I, and Grade II* is the middle step: a building of particular importance, though not among the very few at the top. For a roofer the grade matters less than the principle behind it. The law bars any work that alters what makes a listed building special unless it has been authorised, and Fareham Borough Council is the authority that grants listed building consent. A roof, a chimney stack or a rooflight can all change a building's character, so each is on the table.

1.1 Reading the list entry before anyone quotes

We start with the entry. It describes what the building is made of, what has been added and sometimes what has been lost, and it tells us whether a proposed repair is a like-for-like job or a change. Then we photograph the roof in sections, from the ground and, where it is safe, from a ladder or tower, so that every slipped tile, cracked valley and loose flashing is on record before anyone discusses a price. Those photographs go to you with the quote and can go to the council too if you decide to ask it a question, which is always the sensible step before anything beyond a repair in kind.

1.2 Roofs that grew in stages

A farmhouse that has been altered over generations often has several roof levels: a main ridge, a cross-wing, a lean-to over a dairy or porch, and valleys where they meet. Each meeting point is a joint, and joints are where roofs leak. An abutment (the line where a roof slope runs up against a wall) needs lead dressed into the masonry, and a valley needs a lined channel with an overlap of tile on each side. Old timbers under these junctions can rot quietly for years before a stain shows on the ceiling below. Bats roost and birds nest in old farm buildings, both are protected, and any sign of either halts the work until we have advice. A listed farmhouse's chimney stacks are often the most exposed part of the roof, taking rain on every face, and the pointing, flaunching and lead around them are usual causes of leaks. Our roof inspections and surveys page describes the photographed check that comes before any quote.

The county history puts Funtley in the Meon valley, north of Fareham. Fareham Borough Council lists 13 conservation areas and none is named for Funtley, and its Article 4 direction pages are limited to Titchfield and the Castle Street area of Portchester. In plain terms, the extra layer of control that a conservation area adds does not apply to an ordinary Funtley house, and the usual rules do. A roof renewed in the same material and shape normally stays outside planning control, and listed buildings are the exceptions. The same council handles building control, so Fareham Borough Council is the one name to remember.

3.1 When the Building Regulations come into it

On the Planning Portal's test, a building control application can normally be skipped only if under 25 per cent of the total building envelope and under 50 per cent of the roof is affected. Approval is needed if you exceed those limits, if you carry out structural alterations, or if a new covering would raise the weight of the roof by 15 per cent or more. That last point catches people who swap clay for concrete, or slate for something heavier, so the covering is weighed up at the survey and the building control route explained. You can use Fareham's team or a registered building control approver, and where the work is notifiable we deal with the notice. Thermal upgrades can come into it too. Table 4.2 of Approved Document L (2021) sets 1.4 W/m²K or Band B for a new roof window and 2.2 for a rooflight, and Table 3.2 of the 2026 edition repeats those figures once it takes effect on 24 March 2027.

3.2 A Hampshire scaffold licence

Scaffolding that stands on the highway requires a licence from the highway authority, which in Hampshire is the county council. Its rule: allow ten clear working days from the application date to the intended start. The fee is £211.90 for the first two weeks and £72 for each additional two-week period, and the council does not offer extensions, so a job that overruns means a second application. Hampshire County Council's page says the scaffold firm applies for its customers. Because there are no extensions, we agree the programme with the scaffolders before the application goes in. We plan around those dates, order materials once the licence is granted and aim to keep the scaffold up for the shortest time the job allows. The quote comes after the survey. Whichever quote you hold, ask whether VAT and the scaffold are in it.