Horton Heath
Spread-out homes, long plots and outbuildings that earn their roofs
Where houses sit well apart and gardens run back to fields, the roof that needs light is often not the main one
Horton Heath is a spread-out place. Instead of a single high street, there are lanes with houses set back from the road, groups of newer homes, bungalows on generous plots, and farm buildings and paddocks between them. It shares a parish with Fair Oak, and the countryside is never far away. The roofs here are less uniform than in a town, because so many homes have been altered by their owners over the years, and because a good number of properties carry more than one building.
That shapes the work. Alongside the usual roof window in a loft, we often fit rooflights on garages, annexes, stables converted to living space, summer houses and home offices. Some of those roofs are small and some are not, but they share one feature: they were not designed with a rooflight in mind, so the structure is the first thing we check.
Bungalows on long plots
Bungalows are common in this area, and many sit on a deep plot with a large garden. A bungalow loft is one of the best places to put a new bedroom, because the roof is wide, the ceiling joists are already in place and the stair can often rise from a hall. A roof window in each slope lights the room and gives a view out to the field or garden. We measure the pitch against the maker's minimum for the window, because shallow bungalow roofs sometimes need a specific product or an extra underlay detail.
Cill height matters in a room with sloping ceilings. Set the glass too low and you lose wall space, set it too high and the view disappears when you sit down. We mark the position from inside the loft, with the bed or desk in mind, then convert it to a measurement your builder can set out on the rafters. Our loft conversion roof windows page goes through the choices in more depth.
Fire escape rules apply when a bedroom is created on an upper floor, and the arrangement depends on the house. We leave the design of the escape to your builder or designer and size the window to suit what they specify.
Garages, annexes and garden offices
A double garage turned into a gym, an annexe for a relative, a workshop at the end of the drive: each is a room that needs daylight and each has a roof that can take it. Flat roofs are simple: the carpenter builds a kerb into the deck and the flat rooflight sits on it. Pitched garage roofs in concrete tile can take a roof window or a sun tunnel, subject to the pitch and the structure.
The Building Regulations position changes when a building becomes a living space. A conversion that is used as a room brings the insulation and ventilation rules into play, and a garden office may fall outside them or not, depending on size and use. We say plainly which applies to your building before we quote.
In an outbuilding the usual aim is to keep the roof simple. A single flat rooflight on a well-insulated kerb is easier to detail than several small windows, and it lets in even light from above that does not fall on a screen. If the building is used in summer, a solar control glass keeps the heat down, and an opening unit gives warm air a way out.
Farm buildings and rural conversions
In places like this the old farm buildings and barns have been turned into homes, and the roofs of those buildings carry their own challenges. Profiled sheeting, widely spaced timber purlins, and trusses of unusual spans are all found, and the pitch can be low. A rooflight in these roofs needs a real look at how the load is carried. We stand in the roof space with your builder or engineer, agree which members can be trimmed and which cannot, and send the opening size in writing afterward.
Where the roof was re-covered when the building was converted, the insulation depth is often substantial and the opening is deep, so the window needs a longer light well or a deeper reveal. We note the depth at the survey and tell the plasterer what to expect.
Replacing what a previous owner fitted
Houses that have been extended piecemeal tend to carry a collection of old rooflights: a plastic dome on a lean-to, a roof window of an unknown make in a loft, a glazed panel on a porch. When the sealed unit has clouded, the glass can be replaced in the existing frame if the frame is sound. If the frame has failed, the whole rooflight is replaced, and that is a controlled fitting that is notified to Building Control. We measure what is there, say which route suits and put the answer in the quote.
Our polycarbonate dome replacement page explains what happens when an old dome comes off, including the state of the kerb underneath, which is usually the real deciding factor in the cost of the job.
Newer homes at the edges
Recent houses around the area are built with trusses and concrete tile, and the loft is tight. A truss roof cannot be opened up without an engineer's design for the trimming, and the cheapest route is usually to size the window to the gap between members. A sun tunnel suits an upstairs landing or bathroom in these homes, because the tube can bend and the roof only needs a small hole.
Quiet roofs benefit from a few extras. A roof window can take an integrated blind in the frame that is fitted before the plaster goes on, and a laminated pane reduces the drumming of heavy rain on glass. Both are easiest to arrange at order stage, so we ask what the room will be used for.
Daylight in a lofty barn-style room can be spectacular, but a large area of glass under a pitched roof needs thought about heat, glare and cleaning. We set out the options and let you decide with your designer.
Extensions on rural plots
Plots out here often allow a large single-storey extension to the back or side, and a lantern or a long flat rooflight lights a deep kitchen or family room well. A lantern adds height, which means a taller kerb, a heavier structure and a longer lead time. For that reason the size should reach your builder before the steelwork or joists are ordered, and the unit should be ordered while the foundations go in.
On a plot with open fields behind, the glass faces open sky and wind. Exposed roofs take more weather, so the fixings and the flashing at the kerb are checked against the position, and the coating on the glass is chosen with care. A rooflight facing south over a kitchen with big doors can overheat on bright days, so we usually talk about solar control glass or an external blind at the survey.
Power, wiring and electric units
An electric unit needs a power supply, and in an outbuilding the nearest consumer unit may be some way off. We ask early how the building is fed, whether the cable run is already in, and where the switch or handset will sit. The electrician puts in the cable at first fix, before the ceiling and walls are closed, and the rain sensor needs a small additional connection. A manual unit with a pole or a winder is a sensible alternative where the roof is low and power is awkward, and we say so at the survey.
Our electric rooflight wiring page sets out what the electrician needs to know. In a building on a long garden, the cable may have to be armoured and buried, which is a separate job from ours but one that affects the programme, so it belongs on the same list as the kerb.
Where the lane meets the schedule
Rural jobs bring practical points. Lanes can be narrow, and a lorry carrying a large lantern needs a route and a place to stop. We confirm days in writing so everyone works from the same note, and because a missing part can cost a half-day, we bring the flashing, fixings and sealants for the job in the van, and we check them against the quote before we leave.
Weather matters more with fewer buildings around to break the wind. We look at the forecast the day before and again on the morning, and we would sooner move a day than open a roof in rain. Your builder is told as soon as we know.
Planning, in Eastleigh's hands
Eastleigh Borough Council decides on applications for the parish. Most rooflights on houses can go in as permitted development, and our planning guide explains when. The position can differ for converted agricultural buildings, for houses whose rights were removed by a condition when they were built, and for listed buildings. We research your address, report back and the council makes the decision.
Where Building Control must be notified, we do it, and the installation meets the current Regulations. Our workmanship guarantee runs for ten years.
To start, tell us what the building is, what the roof is made of and when it will be ready. The survey is free. The written quote that follows lists the chosen unit and glass, gives the maker's lead time and spells out what your builder must provide.
Heading north-east from our Southampton base, the run to Horton Heath is 7.4 road miles, short enough to fit a survey or a second look around your builder's working days.
