West Sussex roofers whounderstand flint, thatchand salt air

Chichester itself mixes Georgian and Victorian townhouses in and around the conservation area with post-war and modern estates on its outskirts, and a good number of the older properties are listed or sit within a conservation boundary that dictates what materials can go back on. Southbourne and Westbourne, effectively one continuous village strip along the A259, are largely 20th-century family housing with straightforward tiled pitches, which makes them some of the more predictable roofs we work on in the area. Bosham and Fishbourne are a different proposition entirely — flint-walled cottages, thatch, and period timber-framed buildings sitting close to the water, many with listed status, where a standard repair applied without thought can do real damage to a building's character and value. Selsey, out on its exposed peninsula, takes the harshest coastal weather of anywhere we cover, with wind and salt exposure that ages roofing materials faster than almost anywhere else in our patch.

Flint and period construction genuinely change how a roof should be approached. A flint cottage in Bosham was typically built with a structure and roof pitch designed around local materials that are no longer produced the same way, and forcing a modern felt or a mismatched tile onto it does not just look wrong — it can trap moisture against timbers that were never meant to be sealed in. We treat conservation-area and listed properties as needing a proper look before any quote, checking what materials are appropriate and, where needed, being upfront that planning or conservation consent may be required before work starts.

Coastal salt exposure runs right through this coverage area, from Southbourne and Westbourne along the A259 corridor to Bosham, Fishbourne and out to Selsey. Metal fixings, cheap guttering and modern flashings all corrode faster this close to Chichester Harbour and the open coast at Selsey than they would ten miles inland, and we specify materials with that in mind rather than defaulting to whatever is cheapest on the merchant's shelf. Downland exposure is the other side of the coin — Chichester itself sits at the foot of the South Downs, and properties on the northern edge of the city catch wind and rain patterns closer to what we see around Petersfield than what we see on the coast.

Response times reflect the geography. Southbourne, Westbourne and Chichester are a reasonably short run from Havant and usually available for same-day or next-day free inspection. Bosham, Fishbourne and Selsey take longer, particularly Selsey at the far end of the peninsula, so routine inspections there typically run next-day to within a few days — but a genuine emergency, an active leak or storm damage anywhere in this area is treated as urgent and we come out regardless of the distance, with the emergency call-out fee adjusted for travel where needed.

Havant-based, close to the harbour villages

Our Havant base keeps travel time reasonable for Chichester, Southbourne, Westbourne, Bosham, Fishbourne and Selsey, so inspections do not sit in a queue behind work happening much further afield.

Owner-led across two counties

Tommy-Davey Stevens and Jordan Jay Stevens work across Hampshire and West Sussex themselves, including period and conservation-area properties. A team of six, an owner on the phone.

Care with flint, thatch and listed buildings

We check what materials and methods are appropriate before quoting on period property in Bosham and Fishbourne, and are upfront where conservation consent may be needed before work can start.

Fixed written prices

Materials and labour itemised separately, in writing, whether the job is a straightforward Southbourne tile repair or a more careful job on a listed Fishbourne cottage.

Insured and guaranteed

£1,000,000 public liability insurance, and a workmanship guarantee confirmed in writing with every quote across the whole West Sussex coverage area.

Reviewed by customers across the area

Google reviews from customers including Sarah Woolley, Kaila Clark, Darcie Wall, Ashley Bellinger and Justin Kercher describe the same evidence-first approach we bring to every West Sussex job.

The biggest risk in this part of West Sussex is treating a period Bosham cottage the same as a modern Southbourne semi, or treating a Chichester conservation-area property like any other townhouse. The materials, the permissions and the correct repair method can all be different, and getting it wrong can be expensive in ways that go beyond the roof itself — from damage to old timbers to problems with a conservation officer after the fact.

Our process stays the same wherever the property sits: free inspection first, a photographic report showing exactly what we found and why, then a fixed written price for the right repair — flagging clearly where a listed or conservation-area property needs extra care or consent before work can begin. Whether you are in Chichester, Southbourne, Westbourne, Bosham, Fishbourne or Selsey, you get the same standard of diagnosis before spending anything.

S&S Roofing & Building Limited

13 Braishfield Rd, Havant, Hampshire PO9 2HS, UK

Open 24 hours, 7 days a week