Stone-slate roofs
Graded Yorkshire stone slate on older Craven property. Heavy, valuable and worth salvaging; these roofs need re-fixing and re-laying carefully with the structure beneath properly assessed.
Roofing & Repointing · Skipton, North Yorkshire
Roofers in SkiptonStone Roof Repairs& Repointing Across BD23
Gritstone property, stone-slate roofs and exposed Craven positions handled by a roofer who works both sides of the border: sympathetic materials, correct detailing, fixed prices.
Free inspection and a fixed price in writing. Skipton is a short run over from our Lancashire base.
Free quote in Skipton
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
Over the Border
into Craven
Covering BD23, including Gargrave, Embsay, Cononley, Carleton, Bradley and the lower Craven dales. Around twenty-five minutes from our BB8 base over the A56 and A59.
Skipton is only around twenty-five minutes from our BB8 base, over the tops on the A56 and A59. Despite being in Yorkshire it is one of the closest towns we serve, and we are in the Craven area regularly.
The building character changes noticeably once you cross. Skipton is gritstone country: heavier, coarser stone than the Lancashire side, and a much higher proportion of roofs still carrying graded stone slate rather than Welsh slate or concrete tile.
Stone slate is a serious covering. It is beautiful, it lasts for centuries when looked after, and it is extremely heavy, which means the roof structure carrying it matters as much as the slates themselves. Re-laying stone slate is skilled work and doing it badly is both obvious and expensive.
Around the town, Gargrave, Embsay, Cononley and Carleton bring village property, converted barns and older cottages in open positions where wind and weather come down the dale with nothing in the way.
How quickly we can get to a Skipton roof
Skipton is close enough that quote visits are arranged for a time that suits you, weather permitting; the A59 and A56 over the tops can be slow in bad conditions, which is worth knowing in winter. Actively leaking roofs are prioritised as far as we can, and you will get an honest answer about when we can realistically be there rather than a date designed to secure the job.
Gritstone town terraces and villas
Skipton's Victorian streets and larger stone villas, generally with Welsh slate, tall stacks and traditional leadwork at valleys and abutments.
Village and converted property
Gargrave, Embsay, Cononley and Carleton, cottages, barn conversions and rural buildings in open dale positions with high wind exposure and long roof runs.
What we are most often called out for in Skipton
- Slipped and broken stone slates
- Ridge and verge repointing on exposed dale property
- Chimney stack repointing and re-flaunching
- Lead valley, apron and back-gutter renewal
- Roof timber assessment under heavy stone coverings
- Moss removal on shaded northern pitches
- Flat roofs on extensions and outbuildings
- Full re-roofs using salvaged and matched materials
What we do here
Roofing Services Available
Across Skipton
Every service below is carried out in Skipton 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.
Roof Repairs in Skipton
On Craven stone property, targeted repair almost always beats wholesale replacement. We identify the actual failure, re-fix or replace with matching materials, and leave the roof looking like it was never touched.
More on roof repairs
Leadwork in Skipton
Skipton's older roofs depend on lead at valleys, aprons and back gutters. Correctly sized, correctly dressed lead, not a cement fillet, is what keeps water out of buildings with no modern membrane below the covering.
More on leadwork
Ridge & Verge Repointing in Skipton
Wind funnelling down the dale finds any weak ridge or verge. We rake out to a sound bed and re-bed properly so the line stops being the part of your roof that fails first every winter.
More on ridge & verge repointing
Chimney Work in Skipton
Tall gritstone stacks in open positions crack their flaunching and lose their pointing quickly. Repointing, re-flaunching and new flashings stop water running down inside the stack into the rooms below.
More on chimney work
Re-Roofs
Full strip and re-cover on tired roofs, with new membrane, battens and correctly bedded ridges.
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 Skipton homeowners call us
Why Choose SW Roofing
in Skipton
Working both sides of the Lancashire and Yorkshire border means we are as comfortable on Craven gritstone and stone slate as we are on a Burnley slate terrace. Owner-run, so the person who quoted your roof is the person on it.
Closer than most Yorkshire firms realise
Skipton is around twenty-five minutes from our base, a shorter run than several towns on the Lancashire side. It is a regular part of our patch, not an occasional excursion.
Over ten years on stone and slate
Samuel Wildman has spent more than a decade on the tools, six of those years with a local roofing company. That experience covers both Lancashire slate terraces and Yorkshire stone-slate roofs.
Respect for what is already there
Stone slate is salvaged and reused wherever it is sound, and replacements are matched. Nothing is thrown in a skip because it is quicker to fit something modern.
Insured, guaranteed, 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
What Craven Weather
Does to Stone Roofs
Skipton sits at the mouth of the dales, and the roofs here deal with weight, wind and cold in combination. These are the failures we find most often on BD23 property.
Structure struggling under stone slate
A stone-slate roof can weigh several times what a modern tiled roof weighs. Rafters, purlins and wall plates have been carrying that load for a very long time, and any rot, woodworm or historic alteration eventually shows as sagging or spreading.
The slates themselves are frequently in better condition than the timber holding them up. That is why a proper assessment looks inside the roof space as well as at the covering, and why a re-cover here often includes structural repair.
Wind funnelling down the dale
Open positions around Gargrave, Embsay and the approaches to the dales give wind a clear run at a roof. Uplift concentrates on ridges, verges and the leading edges of exposed slopes.
Mortar bedding that would last decades in a sheltered town street can fail in a handful of winters here, which is why correct bedding depth and, where suitable, mechanical fixing matter so much on Craven property.
Frost damage to stone and mortar
Skipton gets genuinely cold winters. Water held in open mortar joints or in the face of a porous stone freezes overnight and expands, and repeated cycles break the material apart from within.
Chimney flaunching is usually first to go, then ridge bedding, then verge pointing. Catching it while the joint is merely open, rather than after the frost has spalled the stone itself, saves a great deal of money.
Debris in valleys and gutters
Mature trees around Skipton's older properties and the villages fill valleys and gutters every autumn. On a stone-slate roof, a blocked valley pushes water sideways under slates with generous laps but no membrane beneath.
That water goes straight into the timbers. Regular clearance is genuinely preventative maintenance on this type of roof, not an optional extra.
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 Skipton 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 Skipton, 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
Skipton 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
Skipton 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 serve Skipton, even though you are based in Lancashire?
Yes. Skipton is around twenty-five minutes from our BB8 base and is a regular part of our patch, along with Gargrave, Embsay, Cononley, Carleton and Bradley.
How quickly can you reach Skipton?
Usually within a few days for a quote visit. The route over the tops can be slower in bad winter weather, and we will tell you honestly if that is affecting timescales.
Can you work on stone-slate roofs?
Yes. Stone slate is salvaged and reused where sound, laps and fixings are set correctly, and the structure beneath is assessed because of the weight involved.
What does roof work cost in Skipton?
It depends on the covering, the structure, access and what has failed, stone-slate work in particular varies a great deal. The quote is free and the price is fixed in writing before work starts.
Do you charge a travel fee for Yorkshire jobs?
No. Quotes are free and there is no call-out or travel charge for coming to look at your roof.
Do you offer emergency roofing in Skipton?
We are not a 24-hour emergency service, but roofs actively letting water in are prioritised, made safe where conditions allow, then repaired properly.
My roof line is sagging, is that serious?
It needs assessing rather than ignoring. Under a heavy stone-slate covering, sagging can indicate failed timbers, but plenty of old roofs have simply settled and are stable. You will get a straight assessment either way.
Are you insured?
Yes, public liability insurance up to £1 million, with details available with your quote.
Is the work guaranteed?
All work carries a workmanship guarantee, confirmed with your quote.
Do you cover the villages around Skipton?
Yes: Gargrave, Embsay, Cononley, Carleton, Bradley and the surrounding lower dales are all within our area.
How can I pay?
Card, cash or bank transfer.
Skipton Stone Roofs,
Repaired Properly
Whether it is a handful of slipped stone slates, a ridge line that has had enough, or a full re-cover with the timbers put right, you get an honest assessment and a fixed price before anything starts.
- Free fixed-price quote
- £1 million public liability
- Workmanship guarantee on all work
- Card, cash or bank transfer
Free, no-obligation quote in Skipton
Free, no-obligation quote. Your details are only used to price and discuss your job. Prefer to talk? Call 07534 748896.