Roofers Covering Tyne and Wear
High and Dry are based in Sunderland and work across Tyne and Wear. The county packs a lot of variety into a small area — coastal towns, river valleys, Victorian terraces, Tyneside flats and post-war estates — and what fails on a roof here depends a great deal on which part of it you are in.
Whole County Coverage
We work across all five metropolitan boroughs of Tyne and Wear — Sunderland, Gateshead, Washington (City of Sunderland), South Tyneside and North Tyneside. One trusted team for the whole region.
15+ Years Experience
Over 15 years of roofing and home improvement work across Tyne and Wear has given us an unmatched understanding of local building styles, materials and the demands of the North East climate.
Trusted & Reviewed
Our 100% positive review record across Google, Yell and Checked & Vetted reflects the consistent quality of our work across the region. We're a name people trust and recommend to their neighbours.
Fully Insured
All work carried out by High and Dry is fully insured. We work safely, professionally and tidily on every site across Tyne and Wear, giving homeowners complete peace of mind from start to finish.
One County, Several Different Roofing Problems
Tyne and Wear covers five boroughs and about 200 square miles, and a roof at the mouth of the Tyne behaves nothing like one on the western edge of Gateshead. These are the patterns we see.
The coastal strip
From Whitley Bay and North Shields down through South Shields, Sunderland and on towards Seaham, salt is the dominant problem. Easterly wind carries it onto buildings continuously and it corrodes fixings and eats away at mortar. On coastal property the covering routinely outlasts the flashings, ridge bedding and pointing around it, so the work is more often detailing than a full re-roof.
Tyneside flats along both riverbanks
Gateshead, Newcastle and much of South Tyneside are full of Tyneside flats — two-storey buildings split into an upstairs and a downstairs flat with separate front doors. The roof sits above the upper flat, so responsibility is often shared or falls to one party under the lease, and the person paying is frequently not the person with the wet ceiling. They also sit in long unbroken rows, so leaks travel between properties. We survey the neighbouring roof line as a matter of course on these.
Victorian and Edwardian terraces
Across the older parts of every borough the terraces are slated, and they fail the same way regardless of which town they are in: nail sickness. The slate outlasts the nails, so slates slip one or two at a time with no storm to explain it. Early on, re-fixing is sensible. Once it is happening every winter, a full re-roof is cheaper over five years than the repeat visits.
New towns and post-war estates
Washington was designated a New Town in 1964 and much of Jarrow and Hebburn was rebuilt after wartime damage. All of it went up at once, roofed in concrete interlocking tiles with a 40 to 60 year life — which means whole streets reach the end together. That era also used flat roofs freely on garages, porches and dormers, so there is a great deal of flat roofing across these estates, most of it long past its original felt.
Inland and west
Towards Whickham, Blaydon and the western edge of the county, salt stops mattering and freeze-thaw takes over. Water soaks into mortar, ridge bedding and porous tile faces, freezes overnight and breaks the material apart over repeated winters. It produces crumbling ridge mortar and spalled tiles rather than corroded fixings — a different failure needing a different answer.
Areas of Tyne and Wear We Cover
We cover all five Tyne and Wear boroughs. Each town below has its own page with local detail.
- Sunderland
- Washington
- Houghton-le-Spring
- Gateshead
- Low Fell
- Whickham
- Blaydon
- Birtley
- South Shields
- Jarrow
- Hebburn
- Boldon
- North Shields
- Whitley Bay
- Tynemouth
- Cullercoats
Areas Within Tyne and Wear
We serve the full extent of Tyne and Wear including these key areas.
Services We Offer Across Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear Roofing FAQs
Which parts of Tyne and Wear do you cover?
All five boroughs — Sunderland, Gateshead, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and the areas bordering Newcastle. We are based in Sunderland, so the south and east of the county are quickest for us, but there is no travel surcharge anywhere within Tyne and Wear.
Does it matter which part of the county I am in?
It changes what is likely to be wrong. On the coast, salt attacks flashings and mortar and the covering often outlasts them. Inland and west, freeze-thaw breaks up mortar and porous tiles instead. On the post-war estates the whole covering tends to be at the end of its life at once. We survey rather than assume.
I live in a Tyneside flat — who pays for the roof?
That depends on your lease and we cannot advise on the legal position. We can survey the roof and give you a clear written account of what it needs, which is usually what is required to settle it with a neighbour or freeholder.
Do you cover Newcastle?
We work right up to the boundary and across parts of it. Give us a call with your postcode and we will tell you straight whether we can take the job on rather than travelling out and quoting high to cover it.
Why do so many post-war estates need roofs at the same time?
Because they were built at the same time. Washington, Jarrow and Hebburn all went up or were rebuilt in concentrated phases, roofed in concrete tiles with a 40 to 60 year working life. They reach the end together, which is why you see several re-roofs on one street in a year.