Project: the roof we drove to Hereford to build, and what it says about trusted builders in Bristol
Hereford is roughly 60 miles from our yard in Kingswood. An hour and a half in the van on a good morning, longer with the M5 doing what the M5 does. There are plenty of roofers between here and there. Mark Simpson rang us anyway. He wanted a new roof, he wanted it done properly, and he wanted it done by people he already knew. When people search for trusted builders in Bristol, this is the version of trust they mean: someone you would take 60 miles out of their way rather than gamble on a stranger down the road.
The call from Hereford
Mark is a client we had worked for before: we had done carpentry work for him a couple of years earlier, including fitting a kitchen. When his roof needed replacing he did what most people do first: he thought about who he trusted with his house. Then he rang Bristol.
We will be honest about how that conversation went at our end. Hereford is well outside our normal patch, which runs across Bristol from BS3 up to BS9 and out through Kingswood, Keynsham, Bath, Yate and North Somerset. A roof 60 miles away meant early starts, careful planning of deliveries and skips, and a crew away from our Bristol sites. Two carpenters drove up each day. We said yes because Mark asked for us by name, because the work was squarely what we do, and because a roof is not something you want done by whoever is free.
Why trust beats postcode
Nobody drives 60 miles for a builder because of a logo. They do it because of what happened last time. On a previous build, Mark saw how we run a site: the same faces every day, a detailed and itemised quote before we start, a modest deposit rather than a large one, a phone that gets answered, and a site left tidy every evening. Those things sound small. They are the whole thing.
Trust also cuts the other way. If we did not think we were the right people for a project we would say so and point you to someone who is. We are carpenters by trade. Roof structures, dormers, hip-to-gable rebuilds and the timber engineering behind an extension are the middle of what we do, which is why a new roof sat comfortably in our hands. We are members of the Federation of Master Builders and our team carries SMSTS, CSCS and First Aid at Work certification, so a distant client could check us out before we turned a wheel. Our whole approach to this is set out in our story about the two grandfathers we are named after: give builders a better name, one house at a time.
The roof: scope and craft notes
The job itself was a new roof structure, felt and batten, and four days on the roof. What we can tell you is how we build a new roof, because it does not change with the postcode.
- Structure first. On a new roof we set out the wall plates, strap them down and either cut the roof on site or set engineered trusses, depending on the span and what the house needs. Every structural change is backed by an engineer's calculations and inspected by building control.
- Membrane and battens. A breathable underlay goes over the rafters, lapped correctly and dressed into the gutter, then treated, graded battens fixed at the gauge the tile or slate manufacturer specifies. This is where a lot of roofs go wrong years later, and it is invisible once the covering is on.
- Tiles or slates. We match what the house wants and what the structure will carry. Swapping a light covering for a heavy one, or the other way round, changes the loads, and the Planning Portal's re-roofing guidance is clear that the structure may need checking and strengthening when you do.
- Leadwork. Flashings, soakers, valleys and abutments in the right code of lead, dressed by hand. Most leaks we are called to on other people's roofs start here.
- Ventilation and insulation. A new roof is a thermal element under Part L of the building regulations, so we insulate it to the standard in the Approved Documents and ventilate the void at eaves and ridge so the timbers stay dry for the next hundred years.
- Weather management. We never strip more roof than we can make watertight by the end of the day. On a project 60 miles from the yard that discipline matters twice as much.
If you have wondered why our loft conversions look the way they do from the outside, this list is why. Same crew, same standards, same carpentry-led approach.
What Mark said
We keep this one exactly as he wrote it, because it says the important thing better than we can:
"I had Craig and Dan drive all the way to Hereford to build me a new roof… I wanted the job done right and by people I trust." Mark Simpson (Google review)
That is one of the reviews behind our 5.0-star Google rating from 25 or more clients. You can read the rest alongside our other project write-ups, such as the BS9 rescue after an attic leak.
What travelling for a client says about how we work
To be clear, we are not a roofing firm that tours the country. Our service area is Bristol and the towns around it, and that is where we want to keep working. Hereford happened because a trusted client asked, and we would do the same again for the same reason. What the trip says about us is simpler: we treat every project as if the client will ring us again in five years, because in Mark's case that is exactly what happened.
If you are in Bristol and your roof, loft or extension needs carpenters who build roof structures for a living, we are on your doorstep. If you want to know what to ask any builder before you hand them your house, our guide to choosing a Bristol builder is the checklist we would use ourselves.
Frequently asked questions
Do Wilson & Cole work outside Bristol?
Our normal service area is Bristol and the surrounding towns: Kingswood, Keynsham, Bath, Yate, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset. We have travelled further, including Hereford, for trusted existing clients. If your project is outside that area, ask us and we will give you a straight answer about whether it makes sense.
Do you build new roofs in Bristol, or only loft conversions?
Both. We are carpenters, and roof structures are the core of what we do on lofts, dormers, hip-to-gable conversions and extensions. Full re-roofs and new roofs on renovations are part of our house renovation service.
Does a new roof need building regulations approval?
Yes. A new roof structure needs structural calculations and building control inspection, and because a roof is a thermal element it has to be insulated to current Part L standards. Changing the weight of the covering also has to be checked against the structure. We handle the application and the inspections.
How long does a new roof take?
It depends on the size of the roof, the covering and whether the structure is being replaced. Most house re-roofs we do take one to three weeks on site once the scaffold is up. We give you a written programme with the quote and never promise a date we cannot keep.
How do I know I can trust a builder I have not used before?
Check the basics: Companies House registration, insurance certificates, FMB membership, reviews with real detail, and a detailed itemised quote with a small deposit. Then ask to visit a live site. Our standing invitation is to come and see one of ours.
Come and see a site we are working on. That tells you more than any brochure. Tell us about your project and we will call you back within one working day. Our written guarantees are explained on our FAQ page.
