Oakley
How does a rooflight job work when the village is at the limit of the area we cover?
The roofs are ordinary Hampshire ones. The difference is that every visit counts, so the plan has to be right the first time
Oakley lies on the B3400 west of Basingstoke, and it is one of the most distant places on our list. That is a practical fact with practical consequences. A fitter cannot nip across for an hour, and neither can the surveyor. So an Oakley job is arranged differently from one in the Southampton suburbs: more is decided on paper, the survey collects every measurement that might matter, and the delivery and fitting are timed so the roof is ready on the day and nobody travels twice for a reason that could have been settled earlier.
The village itself has a mixed stock. There are older cottages and farm buildings, a good deal of twentieth-century housing, and newer estates round the edge. Each type of house brings its own kind of roof, so the survey starts by working out which one yours is. Each of those has the standard roof problems, but a few matter particularly for commuter-belt homes: lofts converted for extra bedrooms or a home office, kitchens extended into the garden, and conservatories that have outlived their usefulness.
Making one survey do the work of two
On a normal job we like to see the roof twice, once to measure and once to check the opening against the order. At Oakley we do the first visit thoroughly enough that the second may be only a short call or photographs from your builder. Before the visit we ask for the drawings if there are any, the name of the roofer or carpenter, and a rough build programme. On the day we measure the pitch, the rafter spacing, the roof covering, the ceiling heights below and the route for any cable. We photograph everything and write it up the same day.
Our written quote then sets out the unit and its glazing, states the lead time given by the maker, and sets out what your builder has to supply. A short list of dimensions and dates beats a long phone call for a site this far out. Where the opening is being formed in a roof that is yet to be built, we send the kerb or trimmed size straight away so the carpenter does not wait on us. If we need a second look at the opening once the roof is framed, your builder sends photographs with a tape in shot, and we confirm by return whether the size is right.
Conservatories that are being replaced
Plenty of commuter-belt houses have a conservatory that is too hot in summer and too cold in winter, and some owners are replacing the glass roof with a solid insulated one. A flat or pitched solid roof makes the room much more comfortable, but it also makes it darker. The usual answer is to fit rooflights or a lantern into the new roof so the room keeps its brightness without the swings in temperature.
This is a job where the sequence matters. The old roof comes off, the new structure goes on, the kerb or opening is formed, and the roof is made weathertight with the rooflight in place. If the unit is not ready, the roof stays under a temporary sheet. So the order for the glass is placed as soon as the roof design is settled, counting back from the roofer's finish date. You and your builder both hear the delivery date as soon as the maker confirms it.
In terms of the unit, a lantern gives more height and a sense of volume, while a pair of flat rooflights is lower and simpler to build. Which suits depends on the ceiling height needed and whether the roof is flat or pitched. We lay both out with sizes and let you see what the room would look like with each.
Twentieth-century semis
The classic suburban semi, with a hipped or gabled tile roof, has a great deal of unused space. A loft conversion is usually a dormer at the back with a roof window or two at the front, or a full set of roof windows if the pitch is good. In a semi, the front slope matters to the street, so windows are kept in line with the existing fenestration below and set at a consistent height.
Older semis often have the original rafter roof, which is easier to work with than a truss. Their rafters are visible from the loft, so openings can be marked directly. The quality of the old felt and battens varies, and part of the survey is looking at what is under the tiles at the edges of the opening, because that affects how the flashing is laid and how much the roofer has to make good.
Newer estates and trussed roofs
The estates on the edge of the village use trusses, and a truss roof behaves differently. It is made of triangulated timbers that carry the load together, and no member can be cut for a window. In a trussed roof with a standard W-shaped frame, there is no room for a loft room at all, and daylight comes through a sun tunnel or a window between trusses, with the engineer's agreement. Attic trusses leave a clear central space, and windows are placed to suit them.
Some newer houses are built with an eye on energy performance, and they have thick insulation at ceiling level. A rooflight or a sun tunnel passes through that insulation, and the junction has to be detailed so there is no cold bridge. We give the builder the insulation depth we have allowed for, so the detail on site matches the drawings.
Glass choice for rooms that face the sun
A south-facing extension roof with a large area of glass can get warm in summer, and the answer is in the glazing specification rather than in curtains. Solar control glass cuts the heat that passes through while keeping the room bright. It slightly tints the view, and it is worth seeing a sample against the room's colours before choosing. For roofs that face north or are shaded by trees, a clear low-emissivity glass keeps more light and is the usual choice. We bring samples to the survey and put the chosen specification in the quote.
Opening rooflights help here too. A rooflight that opens at the top of the room lets warm air out, drawing cooler air in through the garden doors. An electric opener with a rain sensor is easy to live with in a room used all day, and its cable is the electrician's first-fix job, agreed well before the plaster goes on.
Who does what on the fitting day
When the unit arrives, the roofer has already dressed the membrane or the flashings to the kerb or opening. Our fitters lift the glass into place, fix it, seal it and test it where it opens. Anything the roofer needs to finish afterwards, such as trims or tile courses, is listed in the quote so that nobody turns up expecting someone else to do it. After the glass is in, the plasterer returns to form the reveals, and the decorator follows.
For a distant site, one small thing makes a large difference: a clear route to the roof. If scaffold, a hoist or a long ladder is needed to get the unit up, that is agreed in advance and noted on the programme, so the fitters arrive to a roof they can work on.
Older cottages near the village centre
In the older cottages and outbuildings, clay tile and slate roofs on varied timber frames call for conservation rooflights, with their slim frames and central bar. The openings are fitted around the rafters as they are, and the quote states who makes good the tiles. If a cottage is listed, consent for the change comes before anything is ordered.
Planning and Building Regulations
Planning in Oakley is decided by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. Most rooflights that stay within the roof slope are permitted development, explained in the planning permission guide, but those rights may have been taken off the house through an earlier condition on the estate, or an Article 4 direction, and a listed building never has them. Neither can be seen from the road, which is why the record gets checked. We check your address and pass the result to you. The council has its own pages at basingstoke.gov.uk.
Rooflights must meet the Building Regulations. Where a whole unit is being installed or replaced, Building Control is told, and we handle the notification. For a loft conversion, the stair and escape rules are for your builder or architect to settle, and we supply the opening sizes and clear dimensions of the windows.
What we need from your builder
A short list covers most of it, and we keep it to a single page: the start date, the roof design, the name of the roofer, and who is forming the kerb or trimming the rafters. With those, the quote is accurate, the order goes in at the right time and the fitting day is agreed in advance. We would rather ask a question that seems obvious now, in writing, than leave a detail to be found on a roof 28.4 road miles from base.
At 28.4 road miles from Southampton, north-east on the western side of Basingstoke, Oakley is one of the longest drives on our list, which is why we fit the survey, the quote and the delivery date into as few visits as the job allows.
