Independent Kent roofer with over 30 years experience · Direct personal service across Sittingbourne and North Kent
Call Chris: 01795 904566Checkatrade & Three Best Rated® verified
Tiled Roofing & Roof Repairs in Chatham
Based in Bapchild, Sittingbourne, C.L. Baker provides direct, owner-operated roofing services across North and Mid Kent within a 20-mile radius. When you book a roof inspection or repair in Chatham, you deal directly with me, Chris Baker—from the first ladder inspection to final sign-off, with no subcontractors and no sales reps.
If I’m up on a roof when you ring, leave a message and I will call you straight back.
Working on Roofs Across Chatham
Chatham is just a straightforward 20-minute run west along the A2 or M2 from our yard in Bapchild. Having worked across the Medway towns since the 1990s, I know first-hand how the local terrain and building eras shape the faults we get called out to fix.
Much of Chatham is built across steep valleys and hillside streets—from the dense rows of Victorian and naval-era terraced houses around Luton, Ordnance Street, and Upbury, up to the 1930s bay-fronted semis and post-war estates stretching towards Walderslade, Wayfield, and Lordswood. Each property style brings its own set of recurring roof defects:
Steeply Stepped Victorian Terraces & Shared Stacks
Because many older streets step sharply up the hillsides, adjoining roofs often feature stepped party parapet walls, complex lead back gutters, and tall shared brick chimney stacks. When old mortar perishes or zinc and lead flashings split along the step, water tracks straight down the internal party wall. We carry out careful chimney stack repointing, full chimney removals below the roofline, and dressed Code 4 and Code 5 leadwork.
Aged Natural Slate & Tired Underlay
Many original nineteenth-century roofs in the town still carry Welsh slate where the iron nails have rusted through, causing individual slates to slip into the gutter. Others were re-covered in the 1970s or 1980s with heavy concrete interlocking tiles over 1F bituminous felt that has now rotted at the eaves. I will tell you honestly whether a targeted slate repair will keep your property watertight or whether the battens and membrane warrant a full strip and retile.
Suburban Extensions, Dormers & Garage Flat Roofs
From single-storey kitchen additions on Victorian terraces to detached garages on the post-war estates, old mineral felt frequently blisters and cracks under summer sun and standing winter water. We strip failed boards and install joint-free GRP fibreglass flat roofs or high-performance multi-layer torch-on felt systems.
Chimney & Lead Valley Remediation
High-level brick stacks and central valley troughs take the brunt of the weather on hillside properties. Every repair is inspected and completed by me personally.
What a Visit in Chatham Looks Like
- 1. Direct Booking: You call my number and speak to me—not a call centre or a commission salesman.
- 2. Hands-On Survey: I inspect the tiles, flashings, valleys, and loft timbers where needed to trace the exact point of water ingress.
- 3. Plain-Spoken Advice: I explain the cause of the failure in plain English and provide a clear, fixed quote for what is genuinely required.
- 4. Personal Execution: If you go ahead, I am the one on the scaffolding carrying out the work from start to completion.
Practical Considerations for Chatham Homeowners & Landlords
Roofing in tight urban streets requires proper planning before a single tile is lifted. Here is how we manage access, neighbours, and compliance across Medway:
Pavement Scaffolding & Access
Many terraced streets in Chatham open straight onto the pavement with permit parking and steep gradients. Where scaffolding needs to stand on the public footpath or highway, a highway licence from Medway Council is required before erection. We plan staging and skip logistics around narrow road layouts so your street isn't disrupted unnecessarily.
Building Control & Part L
If your roof requires a full strip and retile—or any renewal covering 25% or more of the thermal envelope—it falls under Building Regulations Part L, administered locally via the STG Building Control Partnership. I help ensure your breathable membrane, ventilation, and loft insulation upgrades meet current compliance standards, which is essential when you eventually sell or let the property.
Party Walls & Shared Chimneys
When taking down an unused chimney stack to below the roofline or renewing a shared parapet valley gutter between terraced properties, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies. I talk you through how the shared brickwork is supported, weathered, felted over, and tiled in so both your roof and your neighbour's junction remain completely watertight.
Roofing Work We Carry Out in Chatham
Select any of our core trade pages below to read our technical processes, material specifications, and repair standards in detail.
Strip and Retile
Complete pitched roof renewals for tired Victorian terraces and 1930s semis, including breathable membranes, treated timber battens, and dry-fix ridge systems.
Roof Repairs & Leak Sealing
Accurate fault finding and durable repairs for active ceiling leaks, cracked concrete interlocking tiles, perished ridge mortar, and storm damage.
Chimney Repairs & Removal
Dust-controlled mortar raking and repointing, flaunching renewals, spalled brick replacement, and full chimney stack removal down below the roof pitch.
Lead Valley & Flashing Repair
Hand-dressed Code 4 and Code 5 milled lead for stepped chimney flashings, soakers, back gutters, dormer aprons, and pitched valley troughs.
GRP Fibreglass & Flat Roofing
Seamless cold-applied GRP resin systems and multi-layer torch-on felt replacements for rear kitchen extensions, bay roofs, dormers, and garages.
uPVC Fascias, Soffits & Guttering
Rotten timber eaves stripped back and replaced with low-maintenance uPVC boards, vented soffits, eaves trays, and high-capacity deep-flow guttering.
Common Questions About Roofing in Chatham
Straight answers to the questions homeowners and landlords in Chatham ask most often before booking an inspection.
Can you remove an unused chimney stack from my terraced house in Chatham?
Yes. Redundant brick chimney stacks on terraced houses are a major source of damp when the brickwork spalls or the lead back gutter fails. We dismantle the stack down to below the roofline into the loft space, cap and vent it appropriately, install fresh timber rafters and breathable underlay across the opening, and tile it in to match the rest of the pitch. Where the stack is shared on a party wall, we advise on the notice requirements with your adjoining neighbour before work begins.
What is the difference between repairing a leak and doing a full strip and retile?
If the water ingress is caused by a localised fault—such as a couple of slipped slates, a cracked concrete tile, or a split lead flashing around a chimney—a straightforward repair will make the roof watertight again. However, if the underlying bituminous felt has rotted away across the eaves, the timber battens are soft with damp, or the nails are failing across the whole slope (common on original Victorian slate roofs), patching it every winter becomes false economy. I will show you what is happening up there so you can make an informed decision.
Do you use subcontractors or agency labour on site?
No. When you hire C.L. Baker, I survey the roof, prepare your quotation, and carry out the work on your roof myself. I have worked in the Kent roofing trade for over 30 years and never pass jobs off to third-party subcontractors.
Can you provide photographic evidence of repairs for landlords and letting agents?
Yes. We work for a number of landlords and HMO owners across Chatham and Medway. Because you cannot easily climb a ladder to check high-level valley repairs or ridge work yourself, I take clear before-and-after photographs on the roof so you have complete peace of mind and documentation for your property records.
Checking our wider 20-mile Kent catchment?
Alongside Chatham, we work directly from Sittingbourne across Swale, Medway, Maidstone, and Canterbury.
Need a Roof Inspection or Quote in Chatham?
Whether you have water coming through a bedroom ceiling after heavy rain or you want an honest assessment on an ageing terraced roof in Chatham, give me a ring. If I’m halfway up a roof when you call, leave a message and I will get straight back to you.