By Basingstoke Roofing Experts · Call 0125 624 2410
Old Basing is one of the few parts of Basingstoke with genuine architectural heritage. This case study covers a chimney and roof repair on a Grade II listed Victorian cottage on The Street — demonstrating the specialist approach required for conservation area work.
A mid-Victorian cottage with handmade clay peg tiles, Welsh slate on the rear lean-to, lime mortar throughout, and a decorative chimney stack with corbelled brickwork. The cottage sits within Old Basing's conservation area and is individually Grade II listed.
Lead flashing around the chimney had fatigued after approximately 100 years of service — hairline cracks were allowing rain to track down the chimney breast internally. Three clay peg tiles on the north face had cracked from frost damage. The chimney mortar — original lime putty — was eroding on the exposed west face. The rear lean-to slate had one delaminated slate allowing water into the pantry below.
All visible repairs must use like-for-like materials: handmade clay peg tiles, not machine-made. Welsh slate, not Spanish or synthetic. Lime putty mortar, not cement. Lead to appropriate code. Fixings in copper or stainless steel, not galvanised. We discussed the specification with Basingstoke and Deane's conservation officer before commencing work and received written approval.
We sourced three reclaimed handmade clay peg tiles from a Hampshire reclamation yard — matched in size, profile and colour to the existing roof. The replacement Welsh slate was sourced from a Ffestiniog quarry stockist. Lime putty was mixed on site using mature lime putty and sharp sand at a ratio matched to the existing mortar by colour and texture. Lead was code 5 — heavier gauge than standard, appropriate for the heritage context and the exposed west-facing chimney position.
All repairs are invisible against the surrounding original work. The conservation officer inspected the completed chimney repointing and flashing and signed off without comment. Total cost: £2,400 — higher than equivalent work on a modern property, reflecting the specialist materials and slower, more careful techniques required. The homeowner considered it excellent value for preserving a 150-year-old building.
Roofing is one of the few trades where the customer usually cannot see the work being discussed. That asymmetry is why getting a second opinion on any significant quote is sensible — not because most roofers are dishonest, but because specifications genuinely vary and comparing them is the only way to know what you are buying.
When comparing quotes, look past the headline figure. Does each quote include scaffold? Are materials named by manufacturer or described vaguely as "quality tiles"? Is waste disposal included? Is there a written guarantee, and what does it actually cover? A quote that is £500 cheaper but omits scaffold and dry ridge is not cheaper at all.
Ask what happens if additional problems are found once work starts. A good answer describes a process: stop, photograph, discuss, agree cost, then continue. A vague answer suggests you may face unexpected charges. Ask what guarantee is provided and request it in writing. Ask whether the guarantee transfers if you sell — a transferable guarantee is a genuine selling point.
Finally, ask for references from recent local work. Any roofer confident in their standards will provide them readily, and following up two or three takes ten minutes that could save you thousands.
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors publishes technical guidance for homeowners covering material selection, standards compliance and choosing a contractor. Your local authority building control department can advise on when notification or approval is required. For conservation area and listed building work, the Basingstoke and Deane conservation officer is the definitive source on what materials will be acceptable.
For anything specific to your own roof, a professional inspection is worth more than any amount of general reading. Call 0125 624 2410 — advice costs nothing and there is no obligation to book work.
General roofing advice only takes you so far, because the right answer depends heavily on what your roof is actually made of and when it went on. Basingstoke's housing splits into clear eras and each behaves differently.
The 1960s–70s overspill estates — Popley, Winklebury, South Ham, Oakridge, Buckskin and Black Dam — account for over a third of the town's stock and were roofed with concrete interlocking tiles on iron nail fixings. Those fixings are now 50 to 65 years old and failing across whole slopes at once, because they were all installed within a few years of each other. Anything you read about roof maintenance needs filtering through that: on these roofs the covering is often sound while the thing holding it on is not.
The 1980s–2000s estates — Chineham, Kempshott, Lychpit, Hatch Warren and Beggarwood — have decades of life left in the covering. What fails there is mortar and detailing: ridge and verge bedding, and flashing junctions at dormers and extensions where volume housebuilders used mastic instead of lead. Those are cheap fixes caught early and expensive ones left alone.
Old Basing and the older pockets around the Top of Town are different again. Handmade clay and natural slate last 80 to 150 years, so a century-old roof may have half its life remaining. Conservation area requirements mean matched materials and lime mortar, which changes both the method and the cost.
Roofing is one of the few trades where the customer cannot see the work being discussed, cannot watch it happen and cannot properly assess it afterwards. That asymmetry is why comparing quotes properly matters more here than almost anywhere else.
When you compare, look past the headline number. Does each quote include scaffold as its own line? Are materials named by manufacturer, or described vaguely as quality tiles? Is waste disposal included? Is there a written guarantee, and what does it actually cover? A quote £500 cheaper that omits scaffold, new battens and dry ridge is not cheaper — it is a smaller job wearing the same name.
Ask what happens if additional problems appear once work starts. A good answer describes a process: stop, photograph, discuss, agree the cost, continue. A vague answer means you may face charges you did not sign up for.
The National Federation of Roofing Contractors publishes technical guidance for homeowners on material selection, standards compliance and choosing a contractor. Your local authority building control team can advise on when notification or approval is required. For conservation area and listed building work in Old Basing or Whitchurch, the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council conservation officer is the definitive source on acceptable materials.
For anything specific to your own roof, an inspection is worth more than any amount of general reading. Call 0125 624 2410 — advice costs nothing and there is no obligation to book work.
Call 0125 624 2410 for a free, no-obligation quote.
Roofing decisions rarely exist in isolation. A question about repair costs usually leads to a question about whether replacement makes more sense, which leads to material choices, which leads to what a good quote should contain. Our other guides cover each of these in the same detail as this one.
If you are working through a specific decision and want to talk it through rather than read about it, call 0125 624 2410. There is no charge for advice and no expectation that you will book anything. We would rather you made a well-informed decision — even if that decision is to use someone else — than an uninformed one.
General guidance takes you only so far. The right answer for a 1960s system-built terrace in Popley is different from the right answer for a Victorian cottage in Old Basing or a 2000s detached in Beggarwood. Housing era, roof structure, exposure and existing condition all shape what is appropriate.
A free inspection resolves this in under an hour. We look at your actual roof, tell you what we find, and give you a written assessment you can act on or file for reference. No obligation either way.
Minor like-for-like repairs using matching materials generally do not need formal consent. Significant changes to appearance, material type, or roof structure require planning approval and possibly listed building consent.
Roughly 50–100% more than equivalent work on modern properties, reflecting specialist material sourcing and traditional techniques. However, the value preserved in a listed property far outweighs the premium.
Yes. We maintain contacts with reclamation yards across Hampshire and Surrey and can source handmade clay tiles, Welsh slate, and period fixings for conservation area and listed building work.
Cement is rigid and impermeable. On soft old brickwork built with lime mortar, cement traps moisture inside the brick, causing the face to spall and crumble. Lime mortar breathes with the building — moisture migrates naturally through the joints.
We photograph the existing mortar, assess its colour and aggregate type, and mix lime putty mortar on site using the same aggregate. The result is a repointing mix that matches the original within the first season of weathering.
They may — particularly on listed buildings. Our work is specified to meet conservation standards and we welcome inspection. In this case study, the officer visited and approved without issue.
Basing House is a Scheduled Ancient Monument managed separately. We work on residential properties in the surrounding conservation area but not on the ruins themselves.
No call-out fees. No obligation. Just an honest quote from a local Basingstoke roofer who'll turn up when they say they will.
0125 624 2410Last updated: August 2026