We have been carrying out roofing work in Chichester and the surrounding area since 2003. Not a national company. Not a lead generator. A local team who know this city's housing stock, its conservation requirements, and its coastal climate — and who will be here to stand behind the work we do.
Chichester Roofing Experts was founded in 2003 by a team of local tradesmen who had spent the previous decade working for larger regional contractors and growing frustrated by the gap between what those companies promised and what they delivered. The decision to go independent was straightforward: build a company small enough to give every job direct supervision, local enough to develop genuine knowledge of the area's specific challenges, and honest enough to tell customers what they actually need rather than what generates the most revenue.
Twenty-two years later, that founding principle has not changed. We are still based in Chichester. We still carry out the work ourselves rather than subcontracting it out. We still carry out free surveys and give honest assessments — which sometimes means telling a customer that their roof does not need replacing, when a less scrupulous company would take the re-roof money. Our reputation in Chichester has been built on that honesty, one job at a time.
We have grown steadily over two decades. What started as three people has become a team of eight, covering every aspect of residential and light commercial roofing across Chichester and the surrounding West Sussex and Hampshire area. Each team member has been with us for a minimum of five years. There is no revolving door of labour on our jobs — you get the same experienced tradesmen every time.
Most of our new work comes through recommendation. A neighbour whose ridge we re-bedded refers a friend whose chimney is leaking. A property manager whose commercial flat roof we recovered introduces us to a residential landlord in Bognor Regis. We do not spend money on paid advertising because we have not needed to. After two decades of doing the work correctly in this city, the work finds us.
NFRC membership requires assessment against recognised industry standards for technical competence, quality of workmanship, health and safety, and business integrity. Our membership is current and verifiable at nfrc.co.uk.
We carry £5m public liability insurance on every job. This protects you — the homeowner or property owner — against any property damage or personal injury arising from our work. We are happy to provide proof of insurance on request before any work starts.
Every roofing job we carry out — re-roofs, flat roofing, leadwork, chimney repairs — is covered by a written 10-year workmanship guarantee. This runs alongside any manufacturer warranty on materials. We provide the guarantee in writing at completion of every job.
We have been trading continuously in Chichester since 2003. Companies that have been doing the same work in the same city for over two decades are accountable to their local community in a way that transient operators are not. We are not going anywhere.
We tell you what your roof needs — not what generates the largest invoice. If your roof needs a minor repair, we say so. If it needs replacing, we explain why with clear evidence. We do not manufacture problems that do not exist.
The right materials for the property. Lime mortar on Victorian chimneys. Matched reclaimed clay tiles on period terraces. Mechanically fixed systems on coastal properties. Not the cheapest option that passes visual inspection at handover.
Every job is carried out by our own employed tradesmen. We do not subcontract. The people on your roof are the people we are responsible for — experienced, trained to our standard, and accountable to us directly.
Written quotes before work starts. No scope creep without your approval. No additions to the invoice that were not discussed. If we find something unexpected during the work, we stop, tell you, and agree how to proceed before continuing.
A 10-year written guarantee means nothing if the company is not around in year 6. We have been here for 22 years. We intend to be here for the next 22. Our guarantee is backed by a company with a track record in this city, not a piece of paper from a company that may no longer exist.
Chichester is not a generic town. Its housing stock, conservation requirements and coastal climate create specific roofing challenges. Twenty-two years of working in this city means we know what those challenges are and how to address them correctly.
Eight people, all employed directly, all with a minimum of five years with the company. No agency labour, no subcontractors on our residential work. Call us on 01243 278085 to speak directly to the team.
Founded the company in 2003 after 12 years with regional roofing contractors. Holds NVQ Level 3 in Roofing Occupations. Carries out all major surveys personally and oversees specification on conservation area and listed building work throughout Chichester.
With the company since 2007. Specialises in leadwork and heritage roofing — chimney flashings, valley replacements and flat lead on historic buildings. Holds a Lead Sheet Association Advanced Craftsman certificate. Carries out the majority of our conservation area work.
Joined in 2011. Leads all GRP fibreglass and EPDM rubber installations across the company. Holds a GRP application certificate and has completed over 400 flat roof installations across Chichester and West Sussex. Specifies drainage and fall corrections on all flat roof surveys.
The first person you speak to when you call. With the company since 2015. Manages all survey bookings, insurance documentation and customer communication. Holds a CITB Health & Safety certification and manages our quality assurance documentation across all jobs.
All credentials available to view on request. Call 01243 278085 before booking if you want to verify insurance or NFRC membership in advance.
National Federation of Roofing Contractors. Membership is assessed and current. Verifiable at nfrc.co.uk. The NFRC is the UK's largest roofing trade body and the benchmark for professional roofing standards.
NVQ Level 3 in Roofing Occupations held by the company director. The vocational qualification for experienced roofing tradespeople, covering all aspects of technical roofing practice to the national standard.
Lead Sheet Association Advanced Craftsman certificate held by our lead specialist. The recognised qualification for high-quality leadwork, covering technical specification, bay sizing, fixing methods and jointing to LSA standards.
£5 million public liability insurance cover on every job. Employer's liability insurance held for all employed staff. Certificates available on request before any work commences.
CITB Health and Safety certification held by multiple team members. All site work is carried out under a documented health and safety plan. Risk assessments are available for all jobs on request.
Certified GRP fibreglass roofing applicators. The certificate covers correct substrate preparation, laminate specification, gelcoat application and quality control — the basis for the manufacturer warranty we provide on GRP installations.
We have carried out more roofing work in Chichester's conservation areas than any other single company we are aware of. The Cathedral Close, The Pallants, St Pancras, Whyke — these are environments we know in detail. We know which conservation officers at Chichester District Council are involved in which designations, we know the material expectations for each area, and we know the consent requirements before work starts. When we say a job requires lime mortar, it is because we know the specification from direct experience on the same streets — not because we read it in a manual.
Chichester Harbour creates a microclimate that affects roofing across a wider area than most homeowners realise. Salt aerosol from the harbour deposits on roof surfaces and accelerates the corrosion of metal fixings, the degradation of mortar joints, and the surface wear of concrete tiles in ways that are not apparent to someone working the area for the first time. We have observed these effects on properties across Fishbourne, Bosham, Emsworth, Pagham and Donnington over two decades. Our material specifications for harbour-adjacent and coastal properties — patination oil on all new lead, stainless fixings on guttering brackets, enhanced-durability tiles on coastal re-roofs — are based on what we have seen fail and what we have seen last.
The concrete interlocking tile roofs on Chichester's post-war estates in Portfield, Donnington and Tangmere are now approaching the end of their design life. Nail sickness — the corrosion of the original galvanised fixing nails — is widespread and accelerating. We have been watching this problem develop across these estates for the past 10 years and have re-roofed hundreds of properties in these districts. We know the typical tile profiles used on each estate, the typical batten condition under the tiles, and the typical felt deterioration patterns. We can give an accurate re-roof estimate for a Portfield semi faster and with more confidence than any company without our history in these streets.
The Victorian and Edwardian properties of St Pancras and Whyke, the Georgian townhouses of the city centre, the Edwardian semis of Stockbridge — these are buildings that deserve to be worked on correctly. Cutting corners on a 120-year-old clay plain tile roof with a cheap concrete tile and Portland cement mortar is not just aesthetically wrong. It is damaging to the building. The wrong mortar in a period chimney causes the brick to spall. The wrong tile on a Victorian terrace disrupts a roofscape that has been consistent for a century. We take this seriously. It is why we carry reclaimed clay tiles, why we mix lime mortar to the correct specification, and why we source natural Welsh slate rather than substitutes when the property warrants it.
If you want to discuss your Chichester property with someone who knows the area, call 01243 278085. We are happy to have a no-obligation conversation about what your roof needs before booking a survey.
"Had three quotes for a full re-roof. These were not the cheapest, but the survey was the most thorough by a long way. James came himself, spent 40 minutes on the roof and explained everything clearly. Two years on and the roof is perfect."
"Listed property in the Cathedral Close. I was worried about finding a roofer who understood the requirements. Mark knew exactly what was needed — lime mortar, Code 5 lead, reclaimed clay tiles — without me having to explain the conservation position. Excellent work."
"I manage 14 residential properties in the Chichester area and use them for all roofing work. Honest assessment, correct specification, turn up when they say they will. In 8 years of using them I have never had a guarantee callback."
"Called at 6am after the January storm. Sarah answered, Tom was on site by 9, roof sheeted and safe by 11. Permanent repair done four days later. Cannot fault the response or the quality of the work."
"They told me my roof did not need replacing when two other companies said it did. Just needed ridge repointing and two lead flashings. Saved me several thousand pounds. That kind of honesty is why I recommended them to six people in the past year."
"Pre-purchase survey on a Victorian terrace in St Pancras found nail sickness on the rear pitch that the RICS valuation survey completely missed. That information knocked £3,000 off the purchase price. Best £175 I have ever spent."
Free survey, honest assessment, written quote. No call-out fee, no obligation. Over 20 years serving Chichester and West Sussex.
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