January 2020

tiles or laced valleys, with the mortar being
hydraulic lime and suitable aggregate, so that the
tilers can truly demonstrate their craft.
TC: What are some of the unique
difficulties / details a heritage roofer
might face?
SC: Often, it would be sourcing suitable materials
for a Heritage project. In many cases, certain
stone slates are no longer quarried and the vast
majority of slate quarries have ceased
production, as they are uneconomical. Of course,
there are sometimes sources for salvaged
materials, but the contractor would have to look
very carefully at the quality of the material they
are buying, and should ensure that it is the
genuine article. The other unique difficulty would
be that many of these Heritage Properties are
Listed, or are within Conservation Areas, so the
contractor has to be willing to deal with local
conservation officers, who would have to approve
any specifications and material samples. Finally, I
would say that weather is one of the most
restricting factors. Many Heritage projects require
lime mortar to be used. This restricts many
roofing projects to be carried out during the “lime
season”, generally from April to October, due to
the slow curing times for most lime mortars and
the effect that low temperatures can have on it.
TC: If you are reusing tiles or sourcing
used tiles on a heritage project, what are
the risks and what should contractors
look out for?
SC: I would say that the main risks the contractor
should look for are quality, sufficient quantity,
ensuring that the material is of precisely the
same type as the original and, finally, proof of
ownership from the seller. It would not be a good
idea to use material that may have been stolen
from another building, as the owner may be able
to reclaim it! This is why I would normally only
suggest using a dealer that is on Salvoweb and
who has signed up to the Salvo Code. This is not
a Code of Conduct as defined by law, but it does
maybe give that extra layer of protection.
TC: How is the heritage sector performing
currently?
SC: That is a very difficult question to answer.
With my company, we are now taking orders for
the second half of next summer. Looking around,
it does seem that some other companies are
busy, with large heritage roofing projects, but I
know of some other companies that are quite
quiet. Heritage roofing has its own set of rules and
often the buildings are repaired far more often than,
say a 1920’s or 1930’s property, due to higher cost
of the work, which is mostly due to restrictions on
the type of material that can be used.
TC: Do workloads remain fairly
consistent?
SC: I would say yes, fairly. We, as a lot of the
other members of the National Heritage Roofing
Contractors Register – which has been formed
by the National Federation of Roofing
Contractors (although open to non NFRC
members as well) – are becoming more
recognised by Heritage Agencies and Local
Authorities as being the preferred contractor of
choice, which does mean that enquiries are
usually steady. However, a great deal depends
upon budgets being available to carry out such
a major project as re-roofing, especially on a
Listed Building. I suppose it is down to the
customer’s confidence in the economy as much
as anything else, especially owner-occupiers.
During recessions, the Heritage Sector is
probably hit just as hard as everyone else, and
those buildings within Public ownership could
be affected even more so if Public Spending is
cut. Often, Heritage Projects are all “one-offs”,
so you could be working on the same building
for anything from three months to maybe three
years! This of course can be quite settling for a
company, although I would imagine that with
new house building, with come estates being in
the thousands of houses, the winners of those
tenders probably feel the same.
TC: Is it a competitive sector of the
market?
SC: I would say that it is. There is no requirement
for any companies or roofing operatives to have
qualifications in Heritage Skills on privately-owned
buildings, so this area can be very competitive.
Some Local Authorities and some Heritage
Agencies “prefer” to have roofing contractors from
the National Heritage Roofing Contractors Register,
but I do not believe that this can be enforced, as
yet, so, in most cases the work is out to tender, and
normal tender rules apply.
TC: Which heritage projects stick in your
mind from over the years?
SC: I am afraid that working in this sector often
means that we have to sign up to Non-Disclosure
Agreements, due to the very nature and locations
of the work. In other cases, where private houses
are concerned, with GDPR being as it is, we cannot
really name buildings that we have worked on,
without gaining full permission from the owners.
However, we treat every heritage roofing project the
same, and we enjoy working on them. Some are
really challenging, due to access issues and some
can be full of nasty surprises, such as unexpected
structural issues with oak rafters and purlins. To be
fair, heritage covers all pre-1919 buildings, so one
project may be on a 16th century cottage, the next
may be a fine Georgian house and after that we
may be on a Victorian or Edwardian house. I
suppose, in my case, if I had to pick the most
memorable, it would be the phased re-roofing of St
Peter & St Paul’s Church in Godalming. This
involved some slopes having peg tiles re-laid,
some with new clay tiles and replacement of long
lead valley gutters with new lead. This was carried
out over a period of ten years. From the age of just
under ten, I had lived in the area, had always
admired “old buildings”, and this church is in a
very prominent position. It also helps that my
mother is a bell-ringer at the church!
Contact MJ Coleman & Sons
01483 894220
www.mjcoleman.co.uk
JANUARY 2020 TC 33