Roofers in Lydiate

The old village grew up along historic routes, and Southport Road still has some of its oldest buildings, including the Scotch Piper Inn, a Grade II* listed thatched pub reputed to be the oldest inn in Lancashire. Nearby, the ruins of Lydiate Hall and St Catherine’s Chapel sit within the Lydiate Hall and Chapel Conservation Area, and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal winds through the village.

Most homes, though, are twentieth-century: semi-detached and detached houses and bungalows on estates in the south of the village, in red brick and render under tiled pitched roofs. Many have garages, porches or rear extensions with flat roofs, and some bungalows have already been extended into the roof with dormers.

• Exposure on the open side of the village. Homes facing the farmland have little shelter, so ridge tiles, verges and gutters take more wind. Cracked mortar ridges are a frequent cause of leaks, and current standards require ridge and hip tiles to be mechanically fixed rather than relying on mortar alone.
• Garage and extension flat roofs. Older felt coverings blister, crack and hold standing water. Our garage roof service repairs or replaces them in felt, EPDM rubber or GRP fibreglass.
• Dormer details. Flat-roofed dormers have edges, cheeks and flashings that all need to stay watertight; small failures often show up as damp patches in bedroom ceilings.
• Fascias, soffits and gutters. Timber boards and early uPVC replacements eventually rot, split or sag. See our fascias, soffits and gutters page.

Many homes in and around Lydiate have usable roof space. Under permitted development, a loft conversion can add up to 50 m³ on a detached or semi-detached house (40 m³ on a terrace), provided it does not extend beyond the roof slope facing the highway, uses similar-looking materials and has obscure-glazed, non-opening side windows below 1.7 m. Permitted development does not apply in conservation areas or to flats. You will always need Building Regulations approval, and on a semi the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 usually applies too. Our dormer loft conversions page explains more.

If a full conversion is more than you need, VELUX roof windows can bring daylight into an existing room in the roof; we are an accredited VELUX installer. And if your conservatory is too hot in summer and too cold in winter, replacing the glazed or polycarbonate roof with a solid, insulated one is an option. It usually needs Building Regulations approval, and the frames and base must be checked to confirm they can carry the extra weight. See our conservatory roof conversions.

With our base just down the road in Maghull, Lydiate is one of the closest places we cover. If storm damage, a leak or a falling tile needs urgent attention, call 0151 739 0669; our emergency line is available 24/7. Where it is safe, we make the roof safe and watertight first, then return to complete a permanent repair.

If a storm is to blame, take photographs and contact your insurer. Sudden storm damage is covered by many home insurance policies, though wear and tear usually is not, and we can provide a written report, photos and a quote to support the claim.