Roof Leak Repair in Newbury
Roofers for West Berkshire — repairs, re-roofs, flat roofs and leadwork. Free surveys, fixed written quotes, tidy workmanship.
Newbury Roofing Company traces and repairs roof leaks across Newbury, Thatcham, Hungerford and the surrounding West Berkshire villages. The stain on the ceiling is where the water gives up, not where it got in, and the distance between those two points is why so many leaks get repaired twice.
Water entering at a chimney can run down a rafter, across a purlin and drip four metres away. On the older roofs out in the villages, with long unlined spans and no felt at all, it travels further still. So we start in the loft with a torch, not on the roof with a bucket of mortar.
Where leaks in this area actually start
| Entry point | How it shows up inside | Typical repair |
|---|---|---|
| Failed lead flashing at a chimney or abutment | Damp down one side of a breast, worst in driving rain | £450 – £950 |
| Cracked or split valley | Stain along one line of ceiling, only in heavy rain | £600 – £1,600 |
| Slipped or cracked tiles | A single drip that appears within minutes of rain starting | £160 – £450 |
| Perished ridge or hip mortar | Damp at the top of a wall or a ceiling near the ridge | £45 – £75 per metre |
| Blocked or overflowing gutter | Damp high on an outside wall, and a wet rafter foot | £90 – £200 to clear |
| Condensation, not a leak at all | Damp everywhere and nowhere, worst on cold still mornings | £200 – £700 to ventilate |
2026 guide figures once the source is confirmed. Tracing is part of the free survey, not a separate charge.
How we find it
First the loft, in daylight where possible. Wet timber tells a story a ceiling stain cannot: staining on the top of a purlin means water arriving from above and running along it, staining underneath means condensation, and a clean tide line down a rafter points straight up the slope to the entry point.
Then the roof itself, from the top of the suspected line downwards. Where a leak is intermittent, we water test — a hose on one section at a time, starting low and working up, with someone in the loft watching. Slow, and the only method that gives a definite answer rather than a plausible one.
Chimney and lead detail
Flashings and back gutters renewed in code 4 and code 5 lead.
Flat roof leaking instead?
Failed felt, splits at upstands and ponding at outlets.
Leaking right now?
Make-safe and temporary covering, same or next day.
The one that is not a leak
A good share of the damp we get called to in winter is condensation. Warm moist air from the house gets into a cold loft, meets the underside of the covering and turns back into water, which then drips onto the insulation and shows up on the ceiling looking exactly like a leak. The tells are that it appears in cold dry weather rather than in rain, that it is spread over a wide area rather than a point, and that the underside of the felt or membrane is beaded with water rather than running.
The cause is nearly always ventilation — blocked eaves vents, a bathroom fan ducted into the loft instead of through it, or insulation stuffed hard into the eaves. Fixing it costs £200 to £700 and involves vents, not roofing. We will tell you so even though it is the smaller job.
Frequently asked questions
Ready for a free, no-obligation quote?
Call 01635 927069