Roofers in Buxton
Buxton is over the hills from Macclesfield on the Cat and Fiddle road, and its roofs face some of the harshest weather of any town we cover. At around 300 metres above sea level, it gets more snow, frost and wind than the Cheshire towns, and roofs here need to be laid and fixed for that exposure.
The Georgian stone Crescent in Buxton. Photo: Michael Garlick, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Buxton's houses and roofs
Buxton is a spa town, and the Georgian Crescent, built in the 1780s for the Duke of Devonshire, and the Devonshire Dome set the tone for a town of grand stone buildings. Victorian Buxton added villas, hotels and terraces in local limestone and gritstone, mostly roofed in Welsh slate, with stone slates on older cottages and farm buildings on the edges of town.
Buxton sits just outside the Peak District National Park boundary, with the Park all around it. Stone walls, slate roofs and gritstone chimneys define the town, and the weather tests them: freeze-thaw breaks up mortar, snow load sits on roofs for days, and wind drives rain under poorly fixed slates.
What goes wrong on Buxton roofs
- Freeze-thaw damage
- Frost breaking up pointing, flaunching and ridge mortar faster than at lower levels.
- Snow and ice
- Snow load and ice in gutters causing water to back up under slates at the eaves.
- Wind-lifted slates
- Slates and ridges lifted on exposed slopes when fixings are not up to the exposure.
- Stone chimneys
- Gritstone and limestone stacks with weathered joints and failed flashings.
Planning and roof work in Buxton
Buxton is in Derbyshire, and planning and building control for the town are with High Peak Borough Council. The central area is a conservation area with many listed buildings, where slate and stone must be kept. Properties just outside the town may fall within the Peak District National Park, where the National Park Authority is the planning authority and has its own design guidance for roofs.
Council: High Peak Borough Council. Postcodes: SK17. Getting to you: Buxton is over the hills from Macclesfield on the A537 Cat and Fiddle road, or the A5004 Long Hill via Whaley Bridge when the top road is closed.
Roofing services in Buxton
The jobs we are asked for most here come first.
- Roof repairsLeaks traced to the cause, then slates, tiles, ridges, valleys and flashings put right.
- Slate roofingWelsh, reclaimed and natural slate repaired, refixed and relaid to match.
- Chimney repairsRepointing, flaunching, pots, cowls, flashings, rebuilds and removal.
- Emergency roof repairsMake the roof watertight first, then a proper repair once the weather allows.
Also in Buxton: new roofs, flat roofing, fibreglass roofing (GRP), rubber roofing (EPDM), lead flashing and leadwork, guttering, fascias and soffits, velux and roof windows, roof surveys, garage roofs, roof cleaning and moss removal, heritage roofing, commercial roofing, gutter cleaning, conservatory roofs.
Roofing in Buxton: questions
Do roofs in Buxton need different fixing?
Exposure is assessed when a roof is specified, and Buxton's height and wind mean larger headlaps and extra fixings are often needed compared with a sheltered town. That is part of how we specify a new roof here.
Can you get to Buxton when the Cat and Fiddle is closed?
Yes. When the A537 is closed by snow or works, we come round on the A5004 Long Hill via Whaley Bridge, or the A6.
Do you cover the villages around Buxton?
Yes, including Harpur Hill, Burbage, Fairfield, Chapel-en-le-Frith and Whaley Bridge.
Roof problem in Buxton?
Call, or send a few details and a photo if you have one. We will come back to you, arrange a visit and give you a written quote before any work starts.