Roofers in Hackney who actually turn up.

Roofing in Hackney

What Hackney roofs go wrong with, and what it costs

Hackney has some of the oldest housing stock in East London, and most of it was built before flat-roof extensions, plastic guttering or modern felt existed. That shapes the jobs that come through this site.

The houses

Most enquiries come from Victorian terraces in Clapton, Homerton, Dalston, Stoke Newington and De Beauvoir. A lot of these have the classic London butterfly roof: two pitches sloping inward to a central valley gutter hidden behind the front parapet. When that valley blocks or the lead splits, water runs straight into the front bedroom ceiling, and because nobody can see the roof from the street the leak is often months old by the time it shows.

The rest is a mix of 1930s and post-war estates around Homerton and Hackney Wick with felt or asphalt flat roofs on the walkways and extensions, and newer builds around Hackney Wick and Dalston Square with single-ply membrane roofs that need a specialist rather than a general roofer.

The jobs we see most

• Valley gutter and parapet leaks on butterfly roofs. Usually blocked outlets, failed lead or cracked asphalt. The single most common Hackney enquiry.
• Slipped and cracked slates after wind. Original Welsh slate is often over a century old and the nails have rusted through, so one slip tends to be followed by others.
• Chimney repointing and flashing. Nearly every terrace still has its stacks, most haven't been touched in decades, and they're the second most common source of damp.
• Flat roof replacement on rear extensions and outriggers: old felt swapped for GRP fibreglass or EPDM rubber.
• Gutters, fascias and soffits where original timber has rotted.

Conservation areas and listed buildings

Hackney has over 30 conservation areas, including Clapton Square, De Beauvoir, Stoke Newington Church Street, Victoria Park and much of Dalston. Like-for-like repairs are fine without permission. Changing the roof covering (for example, slate to concrete tile), altering the shape, or adding roof lights on a street-facing slope usually isn't, and the council can require you to reverse it. Listed buildings need consent for almost any roof work. A good local roofer will flag this before quoting; if they don't, ask.

What it typically costs in Hackney

Job	Typical range
Replace a few slipped slates or tiles	£150 to £350
Clear and re-line a valley gutter	£400 to £1,200
Chimney repointing and new lead flashing	£600 to £1,500 per stack
Replace a rear extension flat roof in GRP or EPDM	£1,800 to £4,000
Full re-roof of a two-storey terrace in slate	£8,000 to £16,000

Ranges are what Hackney homeowners have typically been quoted, and include scaffolding where it's needed. Terraces with rear access only, parapet walls, or conservation-area materials push prices toward the top end. They're a guide, not a quote: the roofers we send inspect first and price in writing.

One local tip

If you have a butterfly roof and you've never had the valley gutter checked, get it cleared every autumn before the leaves come down. It's a £100 job that prevents most of the £1,000 ones.