Most roof failures start as a small, visible problem: moss holding water, a gutter running over, a valley silting up; that nobody deals with until it becomes a leak. Regular attention, done properly rather than with a jet-washer, keeps a sound roof sound for far longer.
Traditional materials specialists · Photographic report on every inspection · Fixed-price quotes, never a day rate
15+ years
Experience, with 30+ combined years across the team
£2 million
Public liability insurance cover
10-year guarantee
Workmanship guarantee on re-roofs, new roofs and major works
Fixed price
Quoted work only, never a day rate
Photo report
Photographic evidence with every inspection
Service overview
Roof maintenance is the ongoing, unglamorous work that keeps a covering doing its job: clearing moss and organic growth before it holds water against the slate or tile, removing debris and silt from gutters and valleys before they overflow, checking flashings, ridges and verges for early signs of movement, and dealing with anything found before it becomes a leak. Cleaning is part of that, but only the visible part, the point of maintenance is the inspection that goes with it.
A roof does not fail overnight. Moss and lichen build up gradually on north-facing slopes and shaded elevations, roots working under the edges of slates and tiles and holding moisture against them through winter. Gutters and valleys silt up with granules, leaf litter and moss debris a little more each season until a heavy downpour finds nowhere to go and comes over the fascia instead. None of this shows from the pavement. It shows in the loft, on a ceiling, or in a puddle by the back door, usually a year or two after it started.
We treat maintenance as an inspection with cleaning attached, not the other way round. Every visit is recorded with a photographic report, so you can see exactly what condition the roof is in, what we cleared, and what we found while we were up there, a lifted verge, a cracked ridge tile, a flashing starting to open, before it turns into a repair bill. If we find something beyond routine maintenance, we quote it separately at a fixed price rather than folding it into the job unannounced.
The cost of leaving it
None of the things maintenance deals with are urgent on their own. Left together for a few seasons, they compound, moss holds water, water backs up in a silted gutter, and both end up doing the job a leak does, just more slowly and less visibly.
Moss and lichen act like a sponge sitting on the slate or tile. Through repeated freeze-thaw cycles that trapped moisture works into hairline cracks and joints, accelerating decay that would otherwise take decades to show.
A gutter or valley full of silt cannot carry a heavy downpour. Water goes over the back into the fascia and soffit, down the wall as staining and damp, or pools on a flat roof upstand, problems that started as a five-minute clear-out.
A lifted slate, a cracked ridge tile or a flashing starting to lift is easy to spot and cheap to fix during a routine check. Left unseen for a year, the same defect becomes a leak, and the leak becomes a repair with timber and plaster attached.
Silt and standing water add real weight to a gutter run. Brackets bend, joints separate, and a gutter that only needed clearing ends up needing refitting or replacing.
On period and listed roofs, sustained damp from moss and blocked valleys breaks down lime mortar pointing and softens original slate faster than the weather alone would. Once that material is gone, matching it again is far harder than maintaining it would have been.
Our process
We get proper access to the whole roof: slopes, ridges, valleys, gutters, downpipes and flashings, and assess condition detail by detail rather than glancing from a ladder. Free in most cases; jobs needing special access to inspect safely may differ and we tell you before we attend.
We photograph moss and debris build-up, gutter and valley condition, and any defects found, so you can see the roof's actual state rather than take our word for it.
One figure for the maintenance and cleaning work, and a separate fixed price for anything beyond routine upkeep that the inspection has uncovered. No day rates, and nothing added without your agreement.
Moss and growth removed by hand rather than jet-washed off, gutters, valleys and downpipes cleared of silt and debris, and any minor defects found, a loose slate, an open joint, addressed as part of the same visit where practical.
We check the cleared roof and gutter run, confirm water is running freely, and walk you through what was found and fixed, with before-and-after photographs. Where the work forms part of major re-roofing or repair works, our 10-year workmanship guarantee applies to that element; routine maintenance itself is confirmed in writing for your specific job.
What you get
Gutters, valleys and downpipes that actually carry water away stop overflow damage to fascias, walls and foundations before it starts.
A loose slate or opening joint found during a maintenance check is a five-minute repair. The same defect found after a winter of leaks is a much larger job.
Removing moss and standing water before they degrade slate and tile means the roof you have lasts closer to its natural lifespan instead of failing early.
You know the cost of the maintenance visit and, separately, the cost of anything else found, before any work happens, never a day rate and never a surprise invoice.
The photographic report gives you evidence of the roof's state at a point in time: useful for your own records, for a landlord, or ahead of a sale.
Proper roof access equipment and trained tradespeople under £2 million public liability cover, rather than a ladder against the gutter and a hosepipe.
The detail
Maintenance is only useful if it is done the right way. The wrong cleaning method can do more damage than the moss it removes, and a clear that misses the valley or outlet leaves the actual blockage in place.
Moss and lichen are removed by hand, working from proper roof access rather than a jet-washer, lifting growth away from slate and tile edges without disturbing sound coursing. North-facing slopes, shaded elevations and roofs near overhanging trees accumulate growth fastest and need the closest attention.
Debris, leaf litter, moss fragments, granules shed from ageing tiles, and windblown material, is cleared from ridges, valleys and gutter runs rather than just brushed off the visible slope, since it is the accumulation in the low points that causes the actual blockages.
Gutters, valleys, parapet gutters and downpipes are cleared of silt, leaves and moss debris, and checked for correct fall so water actually reaches the outlet rather than sitting in a low spot. A gutter that looks clear at a glance can still be part-blocked at the outlet or the downpipe head, which is where most silent overflows start.
On period properties with cast-iron gutters and downpipes, clearing is done carefully to avoid disturbing old paint and joints; on uPVC systems the check extends to brackets and joints that may have moved with sun and cold.
Jet-washing a roof is one of the most common causes of damage we see on inspections. High-pressure water strips the weathered surface off natural slate and concrete tile, drives water up under laps and joints it was never meant to reach, and can dislodge units that were otherwise sound. We clean by hand, using methods matched to the material rather than one blanket approach.
Where treatment for biological growth is appropriate, it is applied and left to work rather than blasted off, and growth is removed physically once it has been treated rather than pressure-washed away.
A roof benefits from being looked at on a regular basis rather than only after something goes wrong. We do not sell subscription plans or contracts, but we would recommend building a roof check into your general upkeep the same way you would a boiler service, at a frequency that suits the age and condition of your particular roof, which we can advise on after the first inspection.
Each visit's photographic report gives you a comparison point for the next one, so gradual changes, increasing moss cover, a gutter starting to sag, slate beginning to show its age, are visible over time rather than only obvious once they have already caused damage.
Before autumn and winter, when leaf-fall and storms put the most load on a roof, clearing gutters and valleys and checking ridge, verge and flashing security is the single most useful thing an owner can do to reduce the chance of an emergency call in January.
Emergency repairs are available for storm damage and leaks with no promised response time, but the roofs that need that call are, overwhelmingly, the ones that went into winter with blocked gutters or unaddressed minor defects.
On homes, maintenance focuses on slopes, valleys, gutters and downpipes reachable from standard roof access. On commercial and mixed-use buildings, larger areas of flat roof, parapet gutters and multiple outlets need checking, often around occupied premises and trading hours.
On period, listed and conservation-area roofs, maintenance is judged against what the building can tolerate, natural slate and lime mortar are more sensitive to abrasive cleaning and aggressive treatments than modern materials, so a lighter, more careful approach is used throughout.
Questions
Something not covered here? Call 07711 933023 and ask. We would rather answer it honestly on the phone than have you guess.
It depends on the size of the roof, its accessibility and its current condition, which is why we inspect before quoting. What stays fixed is how the price works: one figure for the maintenance visit, agreed before we start, with anything else found quoted separately at a fixed price.
Quotes and inspections are free in most cases. Jobs needing special access to inspect safely may differ, and we tell you that before we attend.
Most single-property maintenance and gutter-clearing visits are completed in a day, with the time depending on roof size, growth levels and how much debris has built up in the gutters and valleys.
No. Jet-washing strips the surface off slate and tile and drives water under laps it should never reach. We remove moss and debris by hand using methods suited to the material.
We do not sell subscription plans, but we can advise on a sensible frequency for checks based on your roof's age, condition and exposure, and each visit's photographic report gives you a record to compare against the next.
Our 10-year workmanship guarantee applies to re-roofs, new roofs and major works. Routine maintenance and cleaning are not covered by that guarantee unless confirmed otherwise in writing for your specific job.
Minor defects such as a loose slate or an open joint can often be addressed on the same visit. Anything larger is quoted separately at a fixed price before any further work happens.
Emergency repairs are available for storm damage and leaks. Call us and we will give you an honest answer on when we can attend for your job rather than a blanket response-time promise.
Yes, period, listed and conservation-area roofs are our specialism, and maintenance on natural slate, clay tile and cast-iron rainwater goods is handled with methods suited to those materials.
We work from Maidenhead across Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Hampshire and Oxfordshire, including Reading, Windsor, Slough, High Wycombe and Henley-on-Thames. Just outside that? Call and we will tell you honestly whether we can help.
Where we work
Related services
A leak is stopped once when the water path is traced properly, and paid for twice when it is patched where the damp shows.
Fascias, soffits and guttering carry water away from the roof and protect the timber underneath it.
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Next step
Book an inspection and you will get a photographic report of its real condition and one fixed price for the work needed. Free in most cases, and no obligation to proceed.
151 Larchfield Road, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2SJ · Mon–Sat, 7am–10pm
