Roofer for the Marina and Village Quarter
Pitched and flat roofs on the newer side of Portishead: the Marina, Village Quarter, Ashlands and The Vale, built on the town’s former docks and power station land.
A new town on old industrial land
The last of Portishead’s power stations was demolished in 1992, and the character statement describes how the large brownfield site it left became an area of very varied housing. The Marina has been built from about 2000, the Village Quarter from around 2006, and The Vale from the late 1990s, partly on dockland once used for dumping ash from the power station. Port Marine alone was planned for thousands of homes in a deliberate mix of styles.
The result is a part of town where the roofs are young but varied. The character statement records pitched roofs in slate and red pantiles, and flat roofs on the waterfront buildings, which run from three to seven storeys.
Typical roofs and problems
Flat roofs on the waterfront
Large flat roofs on apartment buildings. Outlets, upstands, rooflights and plant penetrations are where they usually leak.
Slate and red pantile
Pitched roofs in natural or man-made slate and concrete pantiles. Common faults are slipped tiles at verges, dry-fix ridge components working loose, and valleys that collect debris.
Dormers and balconies
Many houses use dormers, balconies and terraces. Each junction between a flat and pitched surface is a potential leak point.
Managed buildings
For flats, roofs are usually the responsibility of a freeholder or management company. We can quote and report to them directly.
Low-lying ground
The Environment Agency’s flood warning area for Portbury Wharf and the Gordano Valley explicitly includes the Marina, Harbour Road, Wyndham Way and the Fennel Road area. It is about tidal and river flooding, not roofs, but good rainwater drainage from roofs matters on low, flat sites.
Access
Taller buildings need planned access: scaffold, towers or powered access depending on the job. We price it properly from the start.
Young roofs still need looking after
A roof built in the 2000s can still have problems. Detailing on modern estates is often built quickly, dry-fix components can work loose, and flat roofs on blocks rarely get looked at until something drips. A check after a winter of wind off the estuary is sensible.
See flat roofs and EPDM, roof repairs, or our other area guides for Redcliffe Bay and Woodhill and West Hill.
Sources: Portishead Community Character Statement, areas J and L; Design Commission for Wales, Port Marine case study; Environment Agency flood warning area Portbury Wharf and Common and Gordano Valley.
Problem with a newer roof or a flat roof on a block?
Free inspection and a written quote, for owners or managing agents.