Roofers Richmond upon Thames

Richmond's history reaches back further than almost anywhere else on our patch. Henry VII built Richmond Palace in 1501, and although most of it was demolished after the Civil War, the original Tudor gatehouse still stands by Richmond Green, its brickwork genuinely dating back over five centuries.

A short distance away, Maids of Honour Row is a Georgian terrace built in 1725, put up to house the ladies-in-waiting of a future queen.

My name's John Quilligan. Roofing has been in my family for three generations, and Richmond's genuine depth of history, Tudor, Georgian, Victorian, and everything since, all sitting close together, means the area carries an unusually high concentration of listed buildings and conservation protection for its size.

We check a property's actual status properly, since assuming based on the surrounding streets can miss something that matters.

Layer after layer of genuine history sitting in one place means Richmond has one of the highest concentrations of listed buildings and conservation area coverage anywhere on our patch.

This isn't limited to the obvious landmarks near the Green. Residential streets throughout the wider area can fall under the same protection, often without an owner realising it until they come to do work on the property.

A repair on a listed or conservation-area property can mean specific materials, particular methods, or council approval that a standard repair elsewhere doesn't require. We check a property's actual status before recommending anything, rather than assume it doesn't apply just because the building itself isn't an obvious historic landmark.

Properties from Richmond's older periods were built with lime mortar, not the modern cement mixes used on most contemporary work.

Cement is harder and less porous than the brick around it, and using it on older brickwork traps moisture inside instead of letting it evaporate out, which causes the brick face to crack and flake over time, a mistake we regularly see left behind by previous repairs on the area's older properties.

Matching mortar to a property's actual age and construction is something we do properly, not a detail that gets glossed over on a job with tight margins. On Richmond's oldest streets, this matters more than almost anywhere else we work.

How do I know if my property is listed or in a conservation area? It's not always obvious, particularly on a residential street away from the obvious historic landmarks. Richmond has an unusually high concentration of both listed buildings and conservation area coverage for its size, and we check this properly for your specific property during the free inspection rather than assume based on appearance.

Why does my chimney need lime mortar instead of standard cement? Older brick, common across a lot of Richmond's period housing, was built to work with lime mortar's flexibility and permeability, letting moisture evaporate out rather than trapping it inside. Modern cement mortar is harder and less porous, and using it on older brickwork traps moisture that then damages the brick from within, one of the most common mistakes we see left behind by previous repairs.

Does living near Richmond Park or the river affect my roof specifically? Not in a way that changes our approach dramatically, but properties throughout the wider area do vary a lot in age and construction, which is exactly why we check the actual property rather than make assumptions based on the general location.

How quickly can you get someone out? Same day in most cases, seven days a week.

Do you charge for the inspection? No. No call-out fee, ever, regardless of what the inspection finds.