Roofers in Dún Laoghaire

Roofing in Dún Laoghaire: period homes on an exposed coast

Dún Laoghaire grew up around its harbour in the nineteenth century, and the town and its neighbours have a large stock of Victorian and Edwardian houses. Terraces, semis and larger detached villas in Monkstown, Glasthule, Sandycove and Glenageary often have natural slate roofs, substantial chimney stacks, lead-lined valleys and parapet gutters, and original cast iron rainwater goods. Further inland, towards Glenageary and Kill of the Grange, there are twentieth-century semis and estates with concrete tile roofs. The town is part of the area we cover across South Dublin.

The coast is what makes roofing here different. Salt carried on the wind speeds up the corrosion of metal fixings, so the nails holding slates rust through sooner than they would inland, and slates start to slip. Cast iron gutters and downpipes rust at their joints and brackets, and the ironwork that holds valley and parapet gutters in place suffers in the same way. Easterly gales coming in off the Irish Sea strike roofs on the seafront and the streets just behind it hard, lifting ridge tiles, peeling back flashings and driving rain under slates that would stay dry in a sheltered spot.

Chimneys on period houses deserve particular attention. The lead flashings and soakers where the stack meets the slates crack and lift with age, and the flaunching on top of the stack breaks up and lets water down inside. Rear returns and later extensions add more junctions and often a small flat roof, and these are frequent leak points.

Many buildings in Dún Laoghaire and Monkstown are protected structures or lie within architectural conservation areas. Natural slate, lead and cast iron are often expected on these properties, so we recommend owners check with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council before larger roof works.

Repairs for Dún Laoghaire's slate roofs and gutters

We work on slate, tiled, pitched and flat roofs in Dún Laoghaire for homes and businesses, supplying and fitting all materials.

• Slate and tile roof repairs, including refixing slipped slates, replacing broken ones and repairing leaks at chimneys, valleys and parapets.
• Storm damage roof repairs, through our 24/7 emergency service, for lifted ridges, missing slates and sudden leaks.
• Flat roofing on returns, extensions and garages, using felt and torch-on systems.
• Gutter repairs and replacement, including uPVC replacement where conservation rules do not require cast iron, and gutter cleaning.
• Fascia and soffits in uPVC on later houses where the timber has rotted.

Inspecting coastal period roofs

We inspect every roof before quoting, and on coastal period homes that inspection covers the slates, chimneys, valleys, parapet gutters and all the metalwork, because salt air can corrode fixings that still look sound from the ground. We then explain what we found and give you a free, no-obligation quote.

Along the coast

Dún Laoghaire is within the roughly 50 km area we cover, and we also work in Dalkey, Blackrock and the surrounding coastal suburbs. See our pages for roofers in Stillorgan and roofers in Dundrum, or our wider roofers in South Dublin page.

Recent work near you

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

More answers on our roofing FAQs page.

Related

• Roof repairs
• Emergency roof repairs
• Gutter repairs
• Roofers in South Dublin