Slate Roof Renewal

The project

A complete roof renewal in Welsh slate with new code 5 lead flashings, valleys and chimney soakers, replacing a failing interwar covering that had been patched for decades.

The effort behind it

Stripping revealed four rotten rafter feet and a split purlin that were not in the original scope; these were spliced and sistered before a single slate went back. All lead was bossed on site rather than welted, and the team worked to a strict weekly weather window with a temporary scaffold roof over the whole property.

Challenges faced

The hardest part of Slate Roof Renewal was what nobody could see until the work began. Hidden defects in the existing structure forced redesigns mid-programme, and consents in Chiswick, London W4 meant every method statement went through a third party before a tool was lifted. The team held the programme by resequencing whole phases rather than cutting corners on the phase in front of them.

Team & involvement

Delivery was led by a working site manager with a core crew of our own trades, supported by structural engineers, building control and specialist subcontractors we have worked with for over a decade. Morning briefings, a live programme on the wall and photographic records of every concealed stage meant the client in Chiswick, London W4 always knew exactly where their project stood.

A successful outcome

Slate Roof Renewal was handed over on programme and within the agreed budget, with building control sign-off at the first inspection of every notifiable stage. The client moved back in on the date we gave them at tender — and the aftercare visit twelve months later found nothing to put right. That is the standard every DBS project is measured against.