- Cambridgeshire's Most Trusted Roofing & Roof Repair Experts
Cambridge roofers offering expert new roofs, roof repairs, flat roofing, guttering, chimney repairs and bird proofing covering the whole of Cambridge & Cambridgeshire. Experience with period properties, Conservation Areas and Listed Buildings. Free surveys, 10-year guarantee on new roofs.
Cambridge is one of the most architecturally varied cities in England — a challenge and an opportunity for any roofing company that works here seriously. The city’s housing stock spans eight centuries: medieval colleges and their associated properties in the centre, Victorian terraces densely packed across Romsey, Petersfield, Arbury and Mill Road, Edwardian and inter-war semis through Chesterton, Cherry Hinton and Trumpington, mid-century and post-war estates in King’s Hedges, Arbury and Abbey, and fast-growing modern developments in Cambourne, Trumpington Meadows, Clay Farm and the new settlements along the southern fringe. Each era and each property type brings its own roofing materials, its own failure patterns and its own requirements. We work across all of them.
Cambridge has more Conservation Areas per square kilometre than almost any other city in the country. They cover substantial parts of the city centre, the Backs and the University quarters, Newnham, Grantchester, Chesterton, De Freville, the Kite in Petersfield, and many of the surrounding villages. Within these areas — and for the city’s large stock of Listed Buildings — roofing work requires careful material specification, appropriate lime mortars for chimney and masonry work, and in some cases prior planning approval before work can begin. We are familiar with these requirements, advise on them as a standard part of our survey process, and never proceed with any work that may require consent without first confirming the position with you.
Our Cambridge office makes us genuinely local — our roofers work in the city every week, on the specific property types that Cambridge produces and in the conditions that Cambridge’s climate creates. We are directly employed — never subcontracted — and verified Google reviews reflect the standard of work we deliver consistently across the city and county. All new roofs include a 10-year workmanship guarantee and a 14-day cooling-off period, both confirmed in writing before any work starts.
Whether it’s a repair, a replacement, or a brand new roof, call Acorn Property Improvements today on 01223 859867 or request a free online quote. Our friendly team will be happy to arrange a no-obligation survey and talk you through your options.
Roof repairs are the most frequent roofing work we carry out across Cambridge — and the most varied. The city’s mix of property ages and materials means every repair call is different: a slipped concrete tile on a 1970s semi in King’s Hedges, a cracked natural slate on a Victorian terrace in Romsey, a failed lead flashing on a Listed building near the market square, ridge tile movement on an Edwardian property in Chesterton, a split EPDM seam on a Cambourne extension flat roof. Whatever the material, whatever the cause, our Cambridge team diagnoses the problem correctly, quotes it honestly and fixes it properly — not patches it.
Every repair call begins with a free on-site inspection. We access the roof, photograph every problem area, and identify the root cause rather than just the visible symptom — a damp patch on a ceiling is rarely caused by the single tile directly above it. You receive a written, fixed-price quotation based on what we find, with the before photographs included. If we find additional damage beyond the original call during the inspection, we tell you about it with photographs before quoting for it. Nothing is added to the scope without your knowledge and agreement.
Cambridge’s stock of Victorian and Edwardian terraces — concentrated across the Mill Road corridor, the Petersfield triangle, the streets around Hills Road and along the Newmarket Road — generates a consistent volume of repair work related to aged mortar joints, failing lead flashings, nail-fatigue slate displacement and deteriorating felts behind ridge lines. On these properties, the correct approach to chimney and masonry repairs uses Natural Hydraulic Lime mortar rather than Portland cement — a distinction that protects the soft original brickwork and is a standard requirement in Conservation Areas across the city. Our team applies this specification as a matter of course on all pre-1920 Cambridge properties.
Call 01223 859867 for a free Cambridge roof repair inspection — same-working-day response to all enquiries.
A full roof replacement is a significant investment and one that should last 40 to 100 years depending on the material chosen and the quality of the installation. We carry out complete re-roofing projects across Cambridge and Cambridgeshire — stripping the existing covering, inspecting and repairing the timber structure, laying new breathable membrane, fitting pressure-impregnated battens to the correct gauge, and installing the new tile or slate covering to the manufacturer’s specification and relevant British Standards. Every installation is photographed before and after, and every new roof comes with a 10-year workmanship guarantee and a 14-day cooling-off period, both confirmed in writing before any work begins.
Material selection matters more in Cambridge than in most places. The city’s Conservation Areas specify or strongly guide material choice on many properties — clay plain tiles are a requirement on a significant number of buildings in the historic core and in the designated village conservation areas surrounding the city. Natural slate is appropriate for Victorian and Edwardian properties in areas such as Newnham and the streets around Mill Road and Hills Road. For properties outside conservation designations, we advise on the full range of options — natural slate, fibre cement slate, concrete interlocking tiles and clay plain tiles — based on the age of the property, the pitch, the budget and the planning position. We check conservation and Listed Building status as a standard step in every survey and advise on any requirements before the quotation is issued.
Cambridge’s growing southern and western suburbs — Trumpington, Trumpington Meadows, Clay Farm, Great Kneighton and the Cambourne development — generate substantial new roof installation work on properties that are now reaching their first major maintenance cycle. The concrete-tiled roofs on properties built in the 1990s to 2010s in these areas are now 15 to 30 years old, and some are showing the signs of approaching end-of-life. Our Cambridge team carries out surveys on these properties and advises honestly on whether repair or replacement is the right decision at this stage.
Free Cambridge roof survey — call 01223 859867. Written fixed-price quote, 10-year guarantee, 14-day cooling-off period.
Flat roofs are a defining feature of Cambridge’s built environment — on the rear extensions that have been added to Victorian terraces across Romsey, Petersfield and Cherry Hinton over the past 50 years, on the garages and outbuildings throughout the city’s residential areas, on the dormer additions to terraced properties in the Mill Road and Hills Road corridors, and on the commercial and light-industrial properties in the business parks on the city’s edges. We install and replace Firestone RubberCover EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass and high-performance felt systems across Cambridge — selecting the right system for each application based on roof size, shape, access requirements and budget.
EPDM is our most frequently specified system for Cambridge domestic flat roofs — its large-format single sheets minimise seaming, its flexibility accommodates the thermal movement in Cambridge’s variable climate, and the Firestone RubberCover system carries a 20-year manufacturer warranty. GRP fibreglass is our recommendation for dormers and complex roof shapes — particularly common on the terraced properties throughout the older residential areas of Cambridge — where its seamless, rigid surface handles multiple upstands and penetrations more reliably than a sheet membrane. For straightforward budget applications, high-performance mineral felt systems provide a reliable, cost-effective solution. We survey the existing deck, check the falls, assess drainage provision and recommend the right system for each project — not a one-size-fits-all specification.
We also carry out flat roof repairs across Cambridge — assessing whether a blistered or split membrane can be effectively repaired or whether the system is beyond economic repair and replacement is the right route. We will always tell you honestly which is the case, with photographs to support our recommendation. A repair that will hold for five more years is a legitimate option. A repair on a system that will fail again within twelve months is not — and we will not quote one.
Free flat roof survey in Cambridge — call 01223 859867. We assess the deck, falls and drainage and recommend the most appropriate system for your property.
A properly functioning guttering system is the first and most cost-effective line of defence against water damage to Cambridge’s housing stock. When gutters block, crack, sag or lose their fall toward the outlet, the water they can no longer contain goes straight down the face of the wall — saturating the brickwork, causing damp internally, and accelerating the deterioration of the fascia boards beneath. On Cambridge’s dense Victorian terraces, where properties share party walls and run in long unbroken blocks, a single blocked gutter outlet can affect multiple properties. We carry out guttering installation, replacement and repair across the full city area, fitting UPVC systems in all standard profiles as well as cast-iron-effect systems where aesthetics or planning requirements demand them.
Cambridge’s large stock of Victorian and Edwardian properties — concentrated across the Mill Road corridor, Romsey, Petersfield, De Freville and the streets running north from the city centre — was originally fitted with cast iron guttering in ogee profile. For these properties, we supply and fit cast-iron-effect UPVC ogee guttering in black: visually indistinguishable from the original at normal viewing distance, requiring no painting, not susceptible to rust, and fully compliant with the aesthetic requirements of Conservation Area designations across the city. For properties within Cambridge’s Conservation Areas where material specification is restricted, we advise on the appropriate choice during the survey. We never assume — we check the planning position first.
All guttering installations include a fascia board condition check. On many Cambridge properties, particularly those where the guttering has been leaking or overflowing for some time, the timber fascia boards beneath are softened or rotten. Installing new guttering onto a rotten fascia is a false economy — the brackets have no sound fixing and the board will fail within months. We replace rotten fascia boards with UPVC fascia systems before any new guttering is fitted, and we inspect the rafter ends behind the boards for any signs of water ingress into the timber structure. Soffits are fitted with the correct ventilation provision to maintain adequate roof void airflow — a critical consideration on Cambridge’s cold roof construction properties.
Free Cambridge guttering survey — call 01223 859867. We assess the full roofline, check fascia board condition and recommend the correct profile for your Cambridge property.
Cambridge’s Victorian and Edwardian terraces, its Georgian townhouses and its older university-associated properties carry some of the most chimneys per acre of any residential area in England. Many of these stacks have received no major attention in decades — the mortar joints have receded, the flaunching at the pot bases has cracked and the lead flashings at roof level have lifted and pulled from their chases. The result, on a wet Cambridge winter, is water penetrating directly into the roof space, the chimney breast and the wall fabric. Chimney problems are among the most common sources of persistent damp in Cambridge’s older housing stock, and among the most consistently misdiagnosed.
The single most important technical distinction in Cambridge chimney repointing is the mortar specification. Pre-1920 Cambridge brickwork — which describes the vast majority of the city’s Victorian and Edwardian stock — was built using soft lime mortar. Repointing with modern Portland cement is one of the most widespread and damaging errors made by inexperienced contractors across Cambridge. Portland cement is significantly stronger than the original brickwork and traps moisture rather than allowing it to breathe outward — the result is brick spalling, frost damage and accelerated structural deterioration. We use Natural Hydraulic Lime (NHL) mortar — NHL 2 or NHL 3.5 depending on exposure — as the correct and only appropriate specification for pre-1920 Cambridge chimney repointing. This is a requirement on Listed Buildings and a best-practice standard in Conservation Areas throughout the city.
We carry out the full range of chimney repair work across Cambridge — repointing, flaunching renewal, lead flashing repair and replacement (Code 4 and Code 5 lead), chimney pot and cowl replacement, partial and full stack rebuilds using matching brick where required, stack removals with roof making-good, and Stormguard waterproofing treatment on porous Victorian brick. Every chimney inspection includes photographs of all accessible faces of the stack, and you receive copies of both the inspection photographs and the completion photographs — a complete before-and-after record of work carried out at height, out of your direct line of sight.
Cambridge has extensive Conservation Area designations covering the city centre, Newnham, Chesterton, De Freville, Cherry Hinton and many surrounding villages. Within these areas, and on all Listed Buildings, chimney repairs require appropriate material specification and any works that alter the appearance of the stack may require planning consent or Listed Building Consent. We advise on all relevant planning requirements during the survey and never proceed with any work that may require consent without first confirming the position. If in doubt, Cambridge City Council's planning department can confirm your property's designation status.
Free Cambridge chimney inspection — call 01223 859867. We photograph every face of the stack and provide a written fixed-price quote with no obligation.
Bird proofing is an increasingly requested service across Cambridge — driven in large part by the rapid growth in solar panel installations across the city’s housing stock over the past decade, and the equally rapid growth in pigeon colonies nesting beneath them. Cambourne, the southern Cambridge estates and the newer residential areas of north Cambridge have some of the highest densities of solar-equipped properties in the county, and pigeon nesting beneath panels is now one of the most common property issues in these areas. Beyond solar panels, Cambridge’s dense Victorian terraces and the ridge lines of the city’s older housing stock provide extensive roosting ground for pigeons and seagulls, while starlings regularly exploit gaps in ageing fascia boards and mortar joints to enter roof voids.
We install the full range of bird proofing systems across Cambridge: non-penetrating solar panel mesh using UV-stable clip fixings (preserving your solar panel warranty in full), stainless steel spike strips on ridge tiles, chimney stacks, parapet walls and ledges, tensioned wire systems for period properties and Listed buildings where spike systems would be visually inappropriate, and heavy-duty bird netting for larger exclusion requirements on commercial properties and open eaves. Every installation begins with a full nest clearance and guano removal — using appropriate PPE given the health risks of disturbed bird droppings — before the proofing system is fitted. We comply fully with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in all nest clearance work.
For Cambridge’s period properties and Listed buildings, tensioned wire systems are the preferred deterrent over spike systems — they are effectively invisible from the street and fully reversible, making them appropriate where the visual character of the roofline must be preserved. On Conservation Area properties where any visible alteration to the roofline may be sensitive, we advise on the most appropriate and least conspicuous solution during the survey. Our roofers understand the construction of Cambridge’s period rooftops and can identify the specific entry points and roosting sites that a specialist without roofing knowledge would miss.
Free Cambridge bird proofing survey — call 01223 859867. We identify the species, entry points and appropriate system and quote in writing before any work starts.
Cambridge homeowners are, by reputation, among the most informed and discerning in the country. They do their research, they check reviews and they ask the right questions. Here is what we think you should know about us before you call — and why so many Cambridge homeowners call back when they need work done again, and recommend us to their neighbours.
Our Cambridge office address is 21A Brackley Close, Arbury. We are in the city. Our roofers work in Cambridge streets every week and are familiar with the specific property types, planning contexts and roofing challenges that Cambridge produces. When you call us, you are not reaching a call centre that will book a subcontractor — you are reaching the people who will be on your roof.
We visit your property, inspect the roof with photographs and give you a written, itemised, fixed-price quotation. If a repair will do the job, we will say so. If it is genuinely time for a replacement, we will explain why with evidence. We do not use high-pressure sales tactics and we do not quote work that is not needed. What we find is what we tell you.
New roofs, repairs, flat roofing, guttering, chimney work, bird proofing, Velux windows — all carried out by the same directly employed team. No need to find and manage multiple contractors for a project that involves, say, a re-roof, new guttering and a chimney repoint. One call to Acorn covers the full scope.
Every roofer on your job is a direct Acorn employee, backed by full public liability insurance. We never subcontract. That means consistent quality, clear accountability and a team that stands behind what it does.
Every new roof installation includes a 10-year workmanship guarantee and a 14-day cooling-off period — both confirmed in writing before any work begins. All repair and maintenance work carries a full workmanship guarantee. If something is not right, we return and fix it at no charge.
We respect your property as if it were our own. We cause as little disruption as possible and always leave everything clean and tidy when the job is done.
Acorn Property Improvements is one of Cambridge’s most trusted local roofing companies — built on personal recommendations, repeat business, and 67 verified Google reviews from homeowners and businesses across the city and county. We are a professional roofing company with a Cambridge office, a St Neots office, and a directly employed team that works in Cambridge streets every week. Whether your property is a Victorian terrace in Romsey, a Listed building in the city centre, a modern new-build in Cambourne or a rural farmhouse in the Fens, we have the experience, the materials knowledge and the local presence to look after it properly.
Our Cambridge office serves the city in its entirety — all postcodes, all property types, all areas. We work regularly across the CB1 corridor including the Mill Road area, Romsey and Petersfield; CB2 covering the southern terraces, Trumpington and the growing southern suburbs; CB3 covering Newnham, Barton Road and the western approaches; CB4 covering Chesterton, De Freville, Arbury, King’s Hedges and Milton; CB5 covering Newmarket Road, Fen Ditton and the eastern areas; and the surrounding growth settlements of Cambourne, Bar Hill, Histon, Cottenham, Waterbeach, Sawston, Great Shelford, Fulbourn, Teversham, Linton and the village clusters in each direction from the city.
Beyond Cambridge, our two offices cover the whole of Cambridgeshire. Our Cambridge team reaches south into South Cambridgeshire — including Royston, Saffron Walden, Newmarket and the A10 corridor villages — and east into East Cambridgeshire, including Ely, Soham, Littleport and the Fen Edge settlements. Our St Neots office covers Huntingdonshire, Peterborough, March, Wisbech, Chatteris and the Fenland district. Between the two offices, we cover the county from its southern boundary to its northern edge without compromise on response time or local knowledge.
Whether you need a tile repaired, a full re-roof, a flat roof replaced, new guttering fitted, a chimney sorted or bird proofing installed, Acorn Property Improvements provides a professional, honest service from our Cambridge office. Free survey, written fixed-price quote, 10-year guarantee on new roofs. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for urgent calls. Call 01223 859867, email info@acornpropertyimprovements.co.uk or fill in the quick form below. All enquiries answered the same working day.
We offer a complete roofing service across Cambridge and Cambridgeshire: roof repairs of all types (tiles, slates, lead flashing, ridge tiles, flat roof repairs), full new roof installations and re-roofing in all main materials, flat roof installation and replacement (EPDM, GRP and felt), guttering and full roofline services, chimney repairs and repointing, and bird proofing including solar panel mesh systems. Every service is available with a free on-site survey and written fixed-price quotation. Call our Cambridge office on 01223 859867.
The cost of a new roof in Cambridge depends on the size of the property, the roof pitch and complexity, the material specified, the condition of the existing timbers, and whether guttering, fascias or Velux windows are included in the scope. A full re-roof on a typical Cambridge three-bedroom semi-detached in concrete tile runs to several thousand pounds; natural slate on a larger detached property with dormers will be significantly more. The only accurate figure comes from an on-site survey — which we provide free. Call 01223 859867 to arrange your Cambridge survey.
Yes. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For storm damage, sudden leaks or wind-lifted tiles, call our Cambridge office directly on 01223 859867. We respond as quickly as possible to make the roof safe and weathertight and schedule the permanent repair. Do not wait or use the online form for urgent issues — call us directly.
Yes — period and Listed property work is a significant part of our Cambridge workload. We use Natural Hydraulic Lime mortar on all pre-1920 Cambridge properties as a matter of course. We are familiar with the material requirements within Cambridge's Conservation Areas and the approval processes for Listed Buildings. We advise on any relevant planning or consent requirements during the survey and never proceed with any work that may require consent without first confirming the position with you.
Like-for-like repairs — replacing tiles with matching tiles, re-bedding ridge tiles, repairing lead flashing, repointing chimneys — do not generally require planning permission even within a Conservation Area. However, changing roofing materials, altering a chimney's appearance, or any work on a Listed Building that goes beyond like-for-like repair may require prior approval from Cambridge City Council. We check the conservation and Listed Building status of every Cambridge property as part of our survey process and advise on any requirements before issuing the quotation. We will never proceed with potentially consented work without first raising this clearly with you.
We are a genuine local company with a Cambridge office at 21A Brackley Close, Arbury. Every roofer who works on your Cambridge property is a direct Acorn employee — not a subcontractor from an agency or third-party labour supplier. This means consistent quality, clear accountability and a team that genuinely cares about its reputation in the local area. You are dealing directly with the people who will be on your roof.
We respond to all web and phone enquiries the same working day. We are available 24/7 for urgent calls. For survey appointments, we typically aim to visit within a few days of your initial enquiry; for urgent issues we prioritise. Our Cambridge office means our team can be on-site quickly across the city and surrounding areas without the travel times of contractors based outside Cambridge. For genuine emergencies call 01223 859867 directly rather than using the online form.
Victorian Cambridge properties were originally fitted with cast iron guttering in ogee (moulded) profile. We recommend cast-iron-effect UPVC ogee guttering in black as the most practical and appropriate replacement — visually authentic, requiring no painting, not susceptible to rust. For Conservation Area properties, cast-iron-effect UPVC is generally acceptable as a like-for-like replacement; we advise on the planning position during the survey. Where genuine cast iron is specifically required, we can source and fit it.
Yes — we cover the whole of Cambridge city across all postcodes (CB1 through CB5) as well as the surrounding villages and growth settlements including Cambourne, Bar Hill, Histon, Cottenham, Waterbeach, Sawston, Great Shelford, Fulbourn and Teversham. We also cover the wider Cambridgeshire county from our two offices. If you are unsure whether we serve your specific postcode, call 01223 859867 and we will confirm immediately.
Yes. All new roof installations carry a 10-year workmanship guarantee, confirmed in writing as part of your contract. New installations also include a 14-day cooling-off period — you have two full weeks to consider the quotation before any commitment is required. All repair and maintenance work also carries a full workmanship guarantee. If anything fails within the guarantee period through any fault of workmanship, we return and fix it at no cost to you.