Roofers in Prinsted

Prinsted is a small place. The Victoria County History describes the hamlet as grouped chiefly about a loop south of the main Chichester to Portsmouth road, and the council's 2012 character appraisal of the conservation area says its roofs are thatched or covered in handmade clay peg tiles, with flint, stone and brick for the walls. Every part of the conservation area falls inside the harbour's protected landscape, at the head of the Thorney Channel. Very little here is off the shelf, and a roof in this hamlet deserves to be studied for a while before anyone puts a ladder against it.

1.1 What makes a handmade peg tile different

A peg tile is a small plain clay tile with a hole near its top, first held to the batten by a wooden peg and now more often by a nail or clip. Because each is made by hand, no two match exactly in thickness, colour or surface, and many carry a slight camber, a gentle curve across the face. That variety gives an old roof its mottled, soft look. Slot a flat, uniform machine-made tile into a handmade slope and it shows from the lane. The Building Conservation website points out that the 60-year life Marley quotes for clay tile is no reliable measure for old peg-tile roofs, which tells us that age alone settles nothing. We judge the condition of every tile and every fixing in front of us.

1.2 Hips, valleys and the reed next door

Two terms matter here. The hip runs down each outside corner where two roof faces meet, and the valley is the inside angle where two faces run together. On a peg-tile roof both are cut and lapped by hand, and a valley is usually lined with lead beneath the tiles. Royston's cast-lead brochure lists code 4 lead for soakers and flashings, and code 5 for flashings and valley gutters, so a thicker sheet suits a valley that carries a lot of water. Reed or straw is a different craft, and a thatcher should handle it. We work on the tiles beside it, the stacks rising through both roofs, and the lead that keeps rain out of those joints. At the point where tile gives way to thatch, we like to agree the order of work with the thatcher first, because each roof depends on the other staying dry. Our chimney repairs page explains what we do when a stack is failing at its base.

The harbour's protection dates from 4 February 1964, and in 2023 the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty label became National Landscape across England, so this is now Chichester Harbour National Landscape. Prinsted's conservation area sits wholly inside it, and that colours every conversation about changing a roof. The designation does not forbid a repair, but it does alter which permitted development rights apply to larger changes to a roof. Before you plan roof windows or any change to the shape of a roof, read our guide to skylight planning permission and then put your question to Chichester District Council's planning team.

3.1 Listed buildings and like-for-like work

On a listed house, alterations that would affect its character call for listed building consent, so matching what is already there is the safest starting point. Matching the tile, the lap of the courses and the finish of the ridge belongs to the work itself rather than being an add-on. We look up any list entry before pricing any job larger than a repair, and we tell you what to ask the council. A short email to the council with photographs of the existing roof usually gets a clearer answer than a general question.

3.2 Scaffold, bats and birds on a tight loop

Houses this close leave little room for a scaffold clear of the highway. Where one has to stand on the road or pavement, the licence is issued by West Sussex County Council, which asks for a minimum of 10 working days' notice, and that wait goes into the programme from the start. Wildlife law covers bats and nesting birds, and old roofs near water can shelter either, so we look before we strip anything. The county's published fee is £266 for one month of highway scaffolding, set by the county council and passed through the scaffold firm, which is one more reason to plan the dates early.

3.3 Moss, damp and shaded slopes

Clay peg tiles hold moisture, and a slope that lies in shade can grow moss along its lower courses. A soft brush and a treatment do the job on an old roof; a pressure lance can blow the pegs and the surface off a handmade tile, so we avoid it. Gutters below a mossy slope are cleared on the same visit, because loosened moss washes down and collects at the outlets. Our pitched roofing page sets out how a slope comes off and goes back on when cleaning will not be enough, and what that does to the battens beneath.