Roofers in Dublin 15

Dublin 15 housing: estates from the 1970s to the 2000s

Most of Dublin 15 was built in a few big waves. Castleknock and the older parts of Blanchardstown filled with private semi-detached estates in the 1970s and 1980s, Clonsilla and Mulhuddart grew through the 1980s and 1990s, and Ongar was built out in the 2000s with townhouses, duplexes and apartment blocks, and Hansfield has been built mostly since the mid-2010s.

Older pockets sit among the estates. Castleknock village and the roads towards the Navan Road have houses from the 1930s to the 1950s, some still with natural slate or early concrete tiles, and a few cottages and farmhouses from before the estates remain. Across most of the area, though, the roof is a simple pitch of concrete interlocking tiles, often with a flat-roofed kitchen extension, porch or garage conversion to the rear or side.

What goes wrong on Dublin 15 roofs

On the 1970s and 1980s estates the tiles are usually still in place but have weathered. Moss grows on the north-facing slopes, the ridge and hip tiles sit on mortar that has cracked after forty or more winters, and the verge mortar along the gable ends breaks away and lets wind-driven rain in at the edge. The painted timber fascias and soffits on these houses are often soft at the joints, and gutters fixed to them sag as the screws lose their grip.

Houses from the 1990s and 2000s more often have dry ridge and dry verge systems, where plastic caps and clips take the place of mortar. They need less upkeep, but clips can break and caps work loose in high wind, so a verge cap missing after a storm is a typical fault on the newer roads.

Extensions are the other big source of leaks. The flat roof on a kitchen extension, a converted garage or a dormer meets the house at an upstand, and where that detail was rushed, water gets in at the junction long before the felt itself wears out. Our guide to water pooling on a flat roof covers another common fault on these roofs.

Wind, trees and Fingal County Council

Dublin 15 sits on the open western edge of the city, and the prevailing south-westerly wind crosses a lot of flat ground before it reaches the estates around Clonsilla and Ongar. That exposure is hard on ridges, verges and anything loose at the eaves. Closer to the Phoenix Park, and along the Royal Canal and the Tolka valley, mature trees fill gutters every autumn, so a yearly gutter clean is worth booking on those roads.

Dublin 15 falls under Fingal County Council rather than Dublin City Council. Ordinary like-for-like repairs do not need permission, but if your house is a protected structure, or you are planning a dormer or a change of roof covering, check with Fingal before work starts.

Roofing services across Dublin 15

We cover all of Dublin 15 for homes, rental properties and commercial premises, and we supply and fit all materials.

• Roof repairs for weathered concrete tiles, cracked ridge and verge mortar and leaks around chimneys.
• Flat roof repairs on kitchen extensions, garage conversions, porches and dormers, using felt and torch-on systems.
• uPVC fascia and soffits to replace the painted timber boards on 1970s and 1980s houses.
• Gutter repairs for sagging runs and leaking joints.
• Emergency call-outs after storms, through our 24/7 line on 085 172 1435.

Nearby areas

Dublin 15 is part of the north side we cover from Cabra Road, which our roofers in North Dublin page describes. Next door, our pages for roofers in Finglas and roofers in Cabra cover the estates and terraces closer to our base, and across the Liffey our roofers in Lucan page covers the west of the county. For anywhere else, see the areas we serve.

Recent work near you

Photos from our own jobs in Mulhuddart. See more on our roofing work page.

More answers on our roofing FAQs page.

Related

• Roofers in North Dublin
• Roofers in Finglas
• Roofers in Cabra and Dublin 7
• Roof repairs
• Flat roofs
• Fascia and soffits