Roofers Covering Gateshead
High and Dry work across Gateshead, from the Tyneside flats of Bensham and Saltwell to the semis of Low Fell and Whickham and the estates out towards Felling, Dunston and Blaydon. Gateshead has one housing type that behaves differently from anywhere else we work, and it is worth understanding before you get a roof quoted.
North East Experts
We've been working across Tyne and Wear for over 15 years and understand the local property types, planning considerations and weather conditions that are specific to the North East. You're in safe hands.
Competitive Pricing
We offer fair, transparent pricing with free no-obligation quotes on every job. We'll always give you an honest assessment of what's needed — we never recommend unnecessary work to inflate a bill.
Quality Guaranteed
All our work is carried out to the highest standard using quality materials. We're proud of every job we complete, and our 100% positive review record across multiple platforms demonstrates our commitment to excellence.
Fully Insured
High and Dry are fully insured for all the work we carry out. Our team works safely and professionally on every site, and we always clean up thoroughly on completion of every job.
Tyneside Flats and What They Mean for Your Roof
Gateshead, like Newcastle across the river, is full of Tyneside flats — two-storey buildings divided into an upstairs and a downstairs flat, each with its own front door at street level. They were built in enormous numbers through the late Victorian and Edwardian period and they are still everywhere in Bensham, Saltwell and Felling. They also create roofing situations you do not get in an ordinary terrace.
Who actually owns the roof?
On a Tyneside flat the roof sits above the upper flat, and responsibility for it usually falls to the upstairs leaseholder or is shared under the terms of the lease. In practice this means the person who has to pay for the roof is often not the person whose ceiling is getting wet, or vice versa. Before quoting we will happily set out exactly what work the roof needs in writing, so it can be put to a neighbour or a freeholder without argument. Check your lease — we cannot advise on it, but we can give you the evidence.
Long continuous roof runs
Tyneside flats were built in long unbroken terraced rows, which means your roof is one section of a much longer roof. Water travelling under a covering does not respect property boundaries, so a leak showing in your back bedroom can easily originate two doors down. When we survey we look at the neighbouring roof line as well, because fixing your section while the fault sits next door wastes your money.
Slate, nail sickness and back additions
Most of this stock is Welsh slate. The slate lasts, the nails do not, and the result is the familiar pattern of slates slipping in ones and twos with no storm to explain it. The other weak point is the rear back addition — the narrow projecting wing at the back of these properties — where the roof meets the main building. That junction relies on lead flashing and it is where we find most Tyneside flat leaks, not in the open field of the roof.
Low Fell, Whickham and the suburban stock
Away from the flats, Low Fell, Whickham, Wrekenton and the interwar and post-war estates are tiled rather than slated. Concrete interlocking tiles go porous with age rather than cracking dramatically, and the underlay beneath them usually fails first. On these properties the job is often fascias, soffits and guttering as much as it is the covering.
Areas of Gateshead We Cover
We cover Gateshead and the surrounding areas. If yours is not listed, it is very likely we still cover it.
- Bensham
- Saltwell
- Low Fell
- Felling
- Wrekenton
- Dunston
- Whickham
- Blaydon
- Winlaton
- Rowlands Gill
- Birtley
- Team Valley
- Sheriff Hill
- Gateshead Centre
- Pelaw
- Heworth
Services We Offer in Gateshead
We provide the full range of roofing and home improvement services across Gateshead and the surrounding area.
Gateshead Roofing FAQs
I live in a Tyneside flat — am I responsible for the roof?
It depends on your lease, and we cannot advise on the legal position. What we can do is survey the roof and give you a clear written account of what work it needs and why, which is usually what is needed to resolve it with an upstairs or downstairs neighbour or a freeholder.
The leak is in my flat but could it be next door's roof?
Quite possibly. Tyneside flats sit in long continuous terraced rows and water travelling under a covering ignores property boundaries. A leak showing in your ceiling can originate a couple of doors along. We check the neighbouring roof line when we survey, because repairing your section while the fault sits next door is money wasted.
Where do most Tyneside flat leaks come from?
The junction where the rear back addition meets the main roof. That relies on lead flashing, and failed or badly formed flashing there is the single most common cause we attend — far more often than a problem in the middle of the slated area.
Do you cover Whickham, Blaydon and Rowlands Gill?
Yes, along with Low Fell, Felling, Dunston, Wrekenton, Birtley and the rest of the borough. No travel surcharge within our normal area.
My concrete tiles look rough and faded. Is that a problem?
It means they have gone porous — the hard surface has worn off and the tile is absorbing water rather than shedding it. It is a sign the roof is nearing the end of its life, though what usually fails first is the underlay beneath. Worth having looked at rather than waiting for the leak.