Roofers in Pagham

Pagham Harbour is a tidal lagoon to the south of the parish, while the Victoria County History describes land here being steadily taken by the sea. That one line explains why a roofer in Pagham thinks about weather before anything else. Houses within sight of the water take gales and driving rain head on, and salt air near the shore dries on whatever the rain does not wash off. Edges, joints and fixings give way first on an exposed house, so those are what we check first.

1.1 What the 1910 flood tells a roofer

In 1876 a reclamation of 700 acres of the harbour was carried out, and in December 1910 the whole of it was recovered by the sea. Nobody builds a roof to hold back a tide, but the story is a fair reminder of how close the water sits to this village. A roof near the harbour is judged on how it sheds wind-driven rain, not on how it looks on a calm afternoon. On a survey we photograph the lowest courses, the verges and the ridge, and we show you the pictures beside our verdict on whether to mend, patch for the time being, or replace, with the reasons.

1.2 Ridges and verges when the weather comes off the water

Two words come up often: the ridge, the capping laid along the very crown of a tiled roof, and the verge, where a slope finishes against the end wall of a gable. The gable and the crest are where a gale bites hardest. The 2014 revision of BS 5534 changed how they are fixed: ridge and hip tiles now get clips or screws as well as bedding mortar. An older roof with only a bed of mortar along the top is something we look for on every visit, and refixing it properly is often the smallest job that makes the roof sound again. Our ridge tile repairs page shows what that work involves.

1.3 Gutters and flat roofs on the sea side

Gutters need a gentle fall to run and brackets that still grip after years of weather. Fascias and soffits (the boards at the eaves and the lining beneath them) show rot first where a gutter has overflowed. Flat-roofed extensions and garages are the other weak spot. BS 6229:2025 sets a minimum finished fall of 1:80, and roofers design steeper, around 1:40, so the finished roof still drains. Water lying on an old flat roof for days after rain is worth photographing, because the pattern of ponding shows whether a patch is likely to last or a new covering is the plainer answer. Our flat roofing page lists the flat coverings available.

Pagham's oldest roofs are in and around Nyetimber. Barton Manor House is the most important building there, and Becket's Barn incorporates the great hall of the medieval Rectory. The Victoria County History records Mill Farm with a thatched roof over brown stone rubble, and Little Welbourne as built of stone and flints in 1709. Few homes on an ordinary road look like any of them, but they set the benchmark for repairs around the old village centre: use what is already there, match what has to change, and leave the character alone. A modern house nearby can learn from that, because the same patient habits keep any roof going longer.

3.1 Old roofs need matching, not modernising

Old tiles are rarely uniform. They vary in colour, thickness and camber, and a new batch laid among them looks wrong from the lane. BS 5534 itself cautions that some older roofs, especially those covered in traditional or reclaimed material, may not suit its advice for re-tiling. On those roofs the fixing method is chosen one roof at a time, once a few tiles are up and we have inspected the battens (the slim timbers that hold each tile) and the nails. Our guide to matching old roof tiles covers how we source and mix them.

3.2 Where tile and thatch sit close together

Where a tiled roof stands close to a thatched one, we look at how the two meet, at any chimney that serves both, and at where water from one slope runs onto the other. Our own work on streets like these is the tiled and slated roofs, the leadwork, the gutters and the chimneys around the thatch. Each repair is planned so the neighbouring roof is left exactly as we found it, and we tell you before the day if anything about access, such as a shared lane or a narrow gap, will change how the job is staged.

3.3 If your Pagham house is listed, ask first

Section 7 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 means works that change a listed building's special character need authorisation first. The list entry for your house tells you what is protected, and the planning officers at the council can say whether a repair counts as like for like. Anything past a plain repair starts with reading the entry. After the survey, one total price arrives in writing.