Stone back-to-backs and terraces
Gritstone rows with stone-slate or Welsh slate coverings, shared party stacks and continuous gutter runs. Nail fatigue, blown ridge mortar and stack flashings are the standard failures.
Roofing & Repointing · Bradford, West Yorkshire
Roofers in BradfordRoof Repairs, Repointing& Re-Roofs Across BD1–BD18
Back-to-backs, stone-slate terraces and hillside property across the Bradford district: leaks traced to source, ridges re-bedded, worn roofs re-covered for a fixed price.
Free inspection and a written fixed price. £1m public liability and a workmanship guarantee on every job.
Free quote in Bradford
Send your postcode and a short description, Samuel will get back to you to arrange a look at the roof.
Free, no-obligation quote. Your details are only used to price and discuss your job. Prefer to talk? Call 07534 748896.
10+ years' experience
Samuel has been on local roofs since leaving school
£1m public liability
Cover on every job, details with your quote
Workmanship guarantee
Confirmed with your quote
Free fixed-price quotes
The price agreed is the price you pay
Local coverage
Bradford Stone,
Bradford Weather
Covering BD1 to BD18, including Shipley, Bingley, Saltaire, Idle, Thornton, Clayton and Queensbury. Around forty minutes from our BB8 base via the A6068 and A650.
Bradford is roughly forty minutes from our BB8 base, over the tops and down through the Aire valley. It is a large district with an enormous variety of housing, and we work across it from the inner streets out to Bingley, Shipley, Thornton and Queensbury.
Bradford's defining housing type is the stone back-to-back and through-terrace built for the worsted trade. These are solid gritstone buildings, frequently with heavy stone-slate roofs, tall shared stacks and roof structures that have been carrying serious weight for well over a century.
Stone slate is the key difference from the Lancashire towns. It is heavier than Welsh slate, laid in diminishing courses, and repairs require matching the size and gauge of what is there. Get it wrong and the roof both looks wrong and leaks.
Outside the centre, the district climbs hard. Queensbury sits at well over a thousand feet, Thornton and Clayton are not far behind, and roofs at those altitudes take weather comparable with anything on the Pennine tops nearer home.
How quickly we can get to a Bradford roof
Bradford is around forty minutes away, so quote visits are arranged for a time that suits you and planned to group jobs in the district where we can. Actively leaking roofs are prioritised where the weather allows. If we cannot get to you as quickly as your situation genuinely needs, you will be told plainly rather than left waiting on a promise.
Victorian villas and larger property
Shipley, Saltaire, Bingley and the Manningham side have larger houses with complex roof shapes, dormers, valleys and substantial leadwork that eventually needs renewing.
High-altitude housing
Queensbury, Thornton and Clayton sit exposed and high. Ridge and verge details, lead flashings and rainwater goods all work harder here than on lower ground.
What we are most often called out for in Bradford
- Slipped and broken stone slates
- Ridge and verge repointing after winter storms
- Party-wall chimney stack repointing
- Lead valley and back-gutter renewal
- Persistent damp on upstairs chimney breasts
- Gutter and downpipe replacement on tall terraces
- Flat roofs over rear extensions and outriggers
- Full strip and re-cover with matched materials
What we do here
Roofing Services Available
Across Bradford
Every service below is carried out in Bradford by the same hands that quoted it. Follow any link for the full detail on how that work is done, what it costs to get wrong, and what you get when it is done properly.
Re-Roofs in Bradford
A great many Bradford roofs are now on their original battens and fixings. A full strip and re-cover: timbers checked, new membrane, treated battens, stone slate salvaged and re-laid, ends the run of annual patch repairs.
More on re-roofs
Roof Repairs in Bradford
Stone-slate repair means matching size and gauge, not slotting in whatever fits. We find the actual water entry point, repair with materials that suit the roof, and check the surrounding area before leaving.
More on roof repairs
Chimney Work in Bradford
Shared stacks on Bradford terraces cause more internal damp than any other single defect. Repointing, re-flaunching and new lead flashings deal with the cause instead of replastering the symptom.
More on chimney work
Leadwork in Bradford
Valleys, back gutters and abutments on Bradford's larger stone property rely entirely on sound lead. Correctly sized and dressed leadwork lasts decades; a cement fillet lasts a couple of winters.
More on leadwork
Ridge & Verge Repointing
Crumbling mortar raked out and repointed so wind and water stop finding a way in.
Read more
Flat Roofing
Extensions, dormers, garages and outriggers covered in a system built to shed water for years.
Read more
Gutters, Fascias & Soffits
Clearing, repair and replacement so rainwater leaves the building instead of soaking into it.
Read more
Moss Removal
Roofs cleared of moss and debris, with gutters and valleys checked while we are up there.
Read more
General Property Maintenance
Exterior repairs, sealing, timber and the small jobs most firms will not turn out for, one fixed price.
Read moreWhy Bradford homeowners call us
Why Choose SW Roofing
in Bradford
Bradford has no shortage of roofing outfits, including plenty that quote low, subcontract the work and vanish afterwards. SW Roofing is owner-run: Samuel Wildman quotes the job, does the job, and is still on the end of the same phone number afterwards.
The same person from quote to completion
One owner and a regular worker, with trusted trades added only on larger jobs. Nobody turns up who has not seen the roof or agreed the plan.
Over ten years on Pennine stone
More than a decade on the tools, six of those with a local roofing company, working on exactly the kind of gritstone and slate property that fills the Bradford district.
Honest about what needs doing
If your roof needs a ridge repointing rather than the re-roof someone else has quoted, that is what you will be told. Overselling work is how firms make one payment and lose every referral.
Insured, guaranteed and fixed price
£1 million public liability insurance, free quotes, a fixed price in writing before work starts, a workmanship guarantee, and payment by card, cash or bank transfer.
Local roof problems
Roof Failures Common
Across the Bradford District
Heavy stone coverings, dense terraced building and serious altitude on the western edge give Bradford roofs a particular set of weaknesses.
Weight of stone slate on tired timbers
Stone-slate roofs put several times the load of a modern tiled roof onto rafters and purlins. On buildings well over a century old, with historic alterations, chimney removals and the occasional loft conversion, that load is not always carried the way it was designed to be.
Sagging ridges and dipped slopes are common across Bradford's older housing. Some of it is stable settlement; some of it is timber that has genuinely failed. It needs looking at from inside the roof space to know which.
Altitude and exposure on the western edge
Queensbury, Thornton and Clayton sit high and open, and the weather they get is closer to moorland conditions than city conditions. Wind uplift on ridges and verges is relentless.
Roofs at that altitude need bedding done properly and, in many cases, mechanical fixing. Standard detailing that survives comfortably in Shipley can fail within a few seasons up on the tops.
Party stacks and shared responsibility
Terraced and back-to-back housing means stacks and gutters shared with neighbours. Water entering through a shared stack does not respect the property boundary, and damp frequently appears in one house from a defect on another.
We inspect the whole junction and tell you honestly what we find, including when the fault is not on your side. That is more useful than a quote for work that will not solve your problem.
Ageing flat roofs on rear extensions
Almost every terrace and back-to-back in the district has had something added at the back: a kitchen, a bathroom, a utility, usually with a felt flat roof that has now had thirty years of Yorkshire weather.
Split laps, ponding water and failed upstands where the flat roof meets the main wall are the classic Bradford leak. Replacing with a properly falling deck and modern covering, correctly detailed at the abutment, solves it for a long time.
How it works
From First Call to
Guaranteed Work
Tell us what the roof is doing
Ring Samuel on 07534 748896 or send an enquiry with your Bradford postcode and a short description. Ground-level photographs help us understand the job before we set off.
A proper look and a fixed price
We come out to Bradford, inspect the roof properly and tell you honestly what needs doing, and what does not. You get a clear fixed-price quote, free of charge and with no pressure to accept it.
The work booked in around the weather
Once you are happy with the price, the job is booked in. Pennine weather decides a lot of the schedule, so we give you honest timescales rather than a date we cannot keep.
Completed, cleared and guaranteed
Work is carried out with precision, the site is left clean, and the job carries a workmanship guarantee. Pay by card, cash or bank transfer, whichever suits you.
Nearby areas we also cover
Bradford sits inside a wider patch across East Lancashire and West Yorkshire. If you are just outside the town, we are very likely already working nearby.
Straight answers
Bradford Roofing
Questions, Answered
Anything not covered here, ring Samuel on 07534 748896 and ask. You will get a straight answer rather than a sales pitch.
Do you cover Bradford?
Yes, across BD1 to BD18 including the city districts, Shipley, Saltaire, Bingley, Idle, Thornton, Clayton and Queensbury.
How quickly can you get to Bradford?
Bradford is around forty minutes from our BB8 base. Quote visits are arranged for a time that suits you, grouped where possible, and leaking roofs are prioritised as far as weather and bookings allow.
What does a re-roof cost in Bradford?
It depends on the size and pitch, the covering, whether stone slate is being salvaged, the condition of the timbers and access for scaffolding. The quote is free and the price is fixed in writing before work starts.
Can you match stone slate on a repair?
Yes. Stone slate is laid in diminishing courses and repairs need the right size and gauge. Sound slates are salvaged and reused, and replacements are matched as closely as possible.
Do you offer emergency roofing in Bradford?
We are not a 24-hour emergency service. Roofs actively letting water into the property are prioritised, made safe where conditions allow, then permanently repaired.
My damp might be coming from next door's stack, will you check?
Yes. On shared stacks and party gutters, we inspect the whole junction and tell you honestly what we find, even when the defect is on the neighbouring property.
Do you work at Queensbury and the higher villages?
Yes. Those roofs need detailing specified for the exposure, and that is factored into how we quote and how we carry out the work.
Are you insured?
Yes, public liability insurance up to £1 million, with details available with your quote.
Is the work guaranteed?
Every job carries a workmanship guarantee, confirmed with your quote.
Is there a charge for a quote in Bradford?
No. Quotes are free, there is no call-out charge and there is no obligation.
How can I pay?
Card, cash or bank transfer.
Get the Bradford Roof
Assessed Honestly
Stone-slate repairs, stack repointing and full re-covers carried out by the owner who quoted them. Free inspection, fixed price in writing, workmanship guaranteed.
- Free fixed-price quote
- £1 million public liability
- Workmanship guarantee on all work
- Card, cash or bank transfer
Free, no-obligation quote in Bradford
Free, no-obligation quote. Your details are only used to price and discuss your job. Prefer to talk? Call 07534 748896.