Your Local Sunderland Roofers
High and Dry Roofing & Home Improvements are proudly based in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear. If you're looking for roofers in Sunderland who actually live and work in the city, that's us — we serve the whole of Wearside and the surrounding areas including Houghton-le-Spring, Seaham, Penshaw, Hylton, Washington and beyond. Being truly local means faster response times, competitive pricing and a team that genuinely cares about the reputation we've built in our community.
Locally Based
Our team lives and works in Sunderland. We know the area, the local building styles and the North East weather conditions — which means we're perfectly placed to give you advice tailored to your property and location.
15+ Years Experience
With over 15 years of roofing and home improvement experience across Sunderland and the wider North East, we've completed hundreds of jobs and built a strong reputation for quality and reliability.
100% Positive Reviews
We're proud of our 100% positive review record across Google, Yell and Checked & Vetted. Every job we take on — large or small — receives the same level of care and attention to detail.
Fully Insured
High and Dry are a fully insured company. All work is carried out by experienced, qualified tradespeople using the correct equipment and materials, giving you complete peace of mind.
Roofing on Wearside: What We See on Sunderland Homes
Sunderland's housing stock is unusually varied for a city of its size, and the roof problems we're called out to differ enormously depending on where in the city you live and when your home was built. Fifteen years of working on Wearside roofs has given us a good sense of what to expect before we've even put a ladder up.
Wearside cottages and their shallow pitch
The single-storey terraced cottages that Sunderland is known for — you'll find streets of them in Southwick, Monkwearmouth, Hendon and Millfield — were built with a noticeably shallow roof pitch. That low angle means rainwater drains away more slowly than it would on a steeper roof, so once a covering starts to wear, water sits on it long enough to find its way through. On these properties a small problem tends to become a visible leak faster than homeowners expect, which is why we always recommend getting a shallow-pitch roof looked at as soon as you notice staining rather than waiting for a drip.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces
Across Ashbrooke, High Barnes, Roker and much of the older city centre, the terraces were typically finished in natural slate. Slate is an excellent covering and often lasts a century or more, but the nails holding it eventually corrode — what roofers call nail sickness. The tell-tale sign is slates slipping one or two at a time with no obvious storm to blame. Individual slates can be re-fixed, but once several are going in the same season it's usually more economical to look at a full roof replacement than to keep paying for repeat call-outs.
Coastal exposure at Roker, Seaburn and Fulwell
Properties near the seafront take a harder beating than anything inland. Easterly winds coming off the North Sea drive rain horizontally into the fabric of a building, and the salt they carry accelerates the breakdown of mortar and corrodes metalwork. On coastal Sunderland homes we see failed flashings, eroded ridge and hip mortar and rusted fixings far more often than we do a mile or two further west. If you're within sight of the sea, ridge and flashing condition is worth checking every couple of years rather than leaving it a decade.
1930s semis and post-war estates
The inter-war semis around Grangetown, Fulwell and High Barnes, and the post-war housing in areas like Pennywell, Thorney Close and Farringdon, are largely tiled rather than slated. Concrete interlocking tiles are durable but they become porous with age, losing their surface and taking on water. The other common issue on this stock is that original fascias and soffits and cast-iron guttering have often reached the end of their life, and a blocked or sagging gutter will do damage to a wall far quicker than a slipped tile will.
Conservation areas and listed properties
Parts of Sunderland sit within designated conservation areas, and a handful of properties are listed. In these cases the material and appearance of your roof covering can be restricted — a like-for-like slate replacement is usually fine, but switching to a different material may not be. If your property falls into this category we'll tell you before quoting and point you to Sunderland City Council to confirm what's permitted, so there are no surprises once scaffolding is up.
Areas of Sunderland We Cover
We work right across the city, north and south of the Wear. If your area isn't listed below, it's very likely we still cover it — just give us a call.
- Roker
- Seaburn
- Fulwell
- Monkwearmouth
- Southwick
- Castletown
- Hylton
- Hendon
- Grangetown
- Ashbrooke
- Millfield
- High Barnes
- Barnes
- Pennywell
- Thorney Close
- Farringdon
- Doxford Park
- Silksworth
- Tunstall
- Ryhope
- Herrington
- Penshaw
- Sunniside
- City Centre
Services We Offer in Sunderland
From minor roof repairs to full home extensions, we cover the complete range of roofing and home improvement services across Sunderland.
Sunderland Roofing FAQs
How much does a new roof cost in Sunderland?
As a rough guide, a small terraced house typically falls between £3,500 and £5,500, a semi-detached between £5,000 and £8,000, and a detached property from £7,000 upwards. The final figure depends on the size and pitch of your roof, the covering you choose, whether the timbers need attention and how much scaffolding access is needed. We give a fixed written quote after a free inspection — there's a fuller breakdown in our guide to new roof costs in Sunderland.
Which parts of Sunderland do you cover?
The whole city — from Roker, Seaburn and Fulwell on the coast, to Southwick, Monkwearmouth and Castletown north of the river, and Hendon, Grangetown, Ashbrooke, Millfield, Silksworth, Doxford Park and Ryhope to the south. We also cover Washington, Houghton-le-Spring and Seaham.
Do you carry out emergency roof repairs in Sunderland?
Yes. If you have an active leak, storm damage or slipped tiles, call 07379 697002. Being based in Sunderland means we can usually reach properties in the city quickly to make the roof watertight before arranging a permanent repair. Our emergency leak guide covers what to do while you wait.
Do I need planning permission to replace my roof in Sunderland?
For a like-for-like replacement on a typical Sunderland home, usually not — it normally falls under permitted development. It's different if your property is listed or sits within one of the city's conservation areas, or if you're altering the roof line or adding dormers. We'll flag anything that needs checking with Sunderland City Council before work starts.
What roof problems are most common on Sunderland homes?
The two we're called out to most are slipped or porous slates on Victorian and Edwardian terraces, and failed flashings and mortar work on coastal properties where salt-laden wind drives rain into the building fabric. On Wearside cottages the shallow roof pitch means water drains more slowly, so a worn covering tends to show up as a leak sooner. If you're unsure how urgent yours is, our guide to the signs you need a roof replacement is a good starting point.
Are you insured?
Yes — High and Dry are a fully insured company and all work is carried out by experienced, qualified tradespeople using the correct equipment and materials. The guarantee that applies to your specific job is confirmed in writing as part of your quote.
More From High and Dry
See examples of our work on Wearside properties, or read our guides on choosing a roofer and knowing when a roof needs replacing.