St Nicholas church
Listed Grade II in March 1988 and still an Anglican church, so its roof repairs are approved by faculty.
Roofers in Dunkeswell
Blackdown Hills National Landscape, a conservation area and St Nicholas church
Dunkeswell lies inside the Blackdown Hills National Landscape, with a conservation area near its centre and 13 listed buildings within 500 metres. We survey before we price.
Autumn Cottage, St Nicholas and the hills
Cottages on the list
Autumn Cottage, Church Cottage, Bramble Cottage and Middle Tencery are all listed Grade II, so consent comes first.
A National Landscape setting
The village lies wholly inside the Blackdown Hills National Landscape, formerly an AONB, which affects what roof alterations are allowed.
Street map of Dunkeswell with Broadhembury, Hemyock, Upottery, Culmstock marked around it, and Taunton.
Hemyock, Upottery and Honiton
Hemyock and Ashculme lie north of Dunkeswell, Culmstock to the north-west, Upottery to the east, Honiton to the south, and Broadhembury and Kentisbeare to the south-west and west.
About 11 miles south-west of Taunton, East Devon District Council and Devon County Council.
Dunkeswell: the jobs we take on
Hillside roof checks, one at a time
Reading a Dunkeswell roof, from the National Landscape to the contract
Designations that shape a Devon village roof, the energy figures for roof windows, flat roofs on extensions, and what the law gives you when you sign at home.
Check 1 of 4A National Landscape and a conservation area
Three layers that shape the plan
Dunkeswell sits wholly inside the Blackdown Hills National Landscape. A conservation area comes within about 0.75 km of the centre, and 13 listed buildings stand inside 500 metres. St Nicholas church and Autumn Cottage are Grade II, and so are Church Cottage, Bramble Cottage and Middle Tencery. That gives three layers to check before any roof job here, and each can alter the other two: the landscape designation, the conservation area and any listing on the house itself. The planning authority for all three is East Devon District Council, so one address sent to one office starts the answer. We help you frame the question; the answer has to come from the council, and it pays to have it in writing.
Is a National Landscape the same as an AONB?
It is the same land under a new name. In November 2023 the Blackdown Hills AONB took the title Blackdown Hills National Landscape, along with every other AONB in England. GOV.UK's protected landscapes guidance describes that rename as not statutory, so the legislation still speaks of AONBs. For roof work it means dormers cannot be added under permitted development, and our planning permission for roof work page covers the rest.
What do we check first?
The address against all three layers, with the council. After that, the roof itself: what covers it, how old each slope looks, whether it matches its neighbours and what the survey photos show. Matching what is there is the straightforward route in a landscape setting, and it keeps the roof looking right from the lane and from the hillside above. A change of covering, a new ridge style or an extra window on the lane side is worth raising with East Devon District Council's planners while the order is still unplaced, because a refusal after delivery costs far more than a phone call.
Look for
- Mixed coverings across one roof
- New windows facing the lane
- Ridge styles that have changed
- Cement repairs on older tiles
Check 2 of 4Roof windows and the energy rules
Light, insulation and the right figure
A roof window lies in the plane of the slope and opens like a window; a rooflight is a fixed or flat-glass unit set into a flat roof or a very low pitch. The Building Regulations measure them against different energy figures, and mixing the two up is an easy mistake. Approved Document L gives a roof window 1.4 W/(m²·K), or else Band B on the Window Energy Rating scale, and gives a rooflight 2.2. The 2021 edition applies until 24 March 2027, when the 2026 edition takes over.
From the ground
- Which slope faces the lane
- Where the loft ceiling and rafters sit
- Stains below an existing roof window
- Condensation on the glass in winter
Leave to a roofer
- Cutting the opening and trimming the rafters
- Fitting the flashing kit to the slope
- Sealing the junction at the head
- Checking the surrounding battens and tiles
Does a new roof window change the insulation around it?
The window is one part and the roof it sits in is another. When a loft is converted or an old roof renovated, the existing roof is held against a threshold of 0.35 with the aim of reaching 0.16. If that is not technically workable, or would not pay for itself inside 15 years, the guidance asks for the best upgrade that is feasible within that payback. The right answer comes from the survey, with the rafters and the loft in view, and not from a catalogue. A roof window in a loft room brings daylight and a view, but it also changes how the room heats and cools, and the direction the slope faces matters as much as the glass.
What does a roof window cost?
MyJobQuote lists a standard mid-range Velux at £1,100, with a straightforward swap around £100 less (Sep 2026). Those are typical UK figures before extras, and a roof window is only as good as the flashing and the battens around it, which is why we inspect those first. Cutting a fresh opening, trimming rafters, fitting flashing kits and finishing the reveal inside all move the number. Our roof windows and skylights page covers the options, from a like-for-like swap to a new opening.
Check 3 of 4Flat roofs on extensions
Gentle falls and the right covering
A pitched house can carry a flat roof somewhere, over an extension, a porch or a utility room, and the joints and edges of that roof are where leaks start. No flat roof is truly level; it is laid to a slight slope so that water runs off. BS 6229:2025 sets a minimum finished fall of 1:80, and IKO, citing the earlier edition, advises designing for 1:40 so the finished roof still reaches the minimum. Standing water long after the rain has gone may signal that the fall has been lost, an outlet is choked or the deck has dipped, and the survey works out which.
What decides the price
- Roof area and the shape of the deck
- EPDM, GRP or felt as the covering
- Insulation brought up to standard
- Condition of the timber underneath
Which covering lasts longest?
Published figures disagree, so we give ranges and name the source. GreenSpec gives EPDM, a rubber membrane laid in one piece, 20 to 30 years, while Less says 30 to 50. For GRP, a resin-and-fibreglass laminate formed in place, Less gives 25 to 40 years, and for torch-on felt 10 to 20. These are typical lives, not promises, and a poor installation can fail well inside them. Choosing between them is partly about the shape of the roof and partly about who will walk on it, since a roof used as a balcony or for access to a chimney needs a tougher surface than one nobody visits.
What does a flat roof cost?
MyJobQuote gives a typical UK range of £1,500 to £6,000 for replacing a flat roof, with an average of £2,400 (Oct 2026). Renewing the waterproof layer counts as renovation under Approved Document L, so insulation can come into the job. That is worth knowing early, because a roof that was cheap to cover can turn out dearer once the insulation beneath it has to be lifted and replaced. Our flat roofing page sets out which covering suits which roof.
Sound or needs work
- Sound: smooth membrane, water draining off
- Needs work: ponding long after rain stops
Check 4 of 4Signing at home: your rights
What the law gives you after a survey
A contract agreed at your own table after a survey is, in law, an off-premises contract: one made anywhere other than the trader's business premises. That carries a right to cancel. The cancellation period for services ends 14 days after the contract is entered into, though missing cancellation information can extend it by up to 12 months. If you want work to begin inside the 14 days, you need to ask in a lasting written form, which the regulations call a durable medium; an email or a signed form will do.
What decides the price
- Whether VAT is inside the quote
- Whether scaffold is inside the quote
- The start date you ask for
- The share of the roof being replaced
What about an urgent call-out?
Not where you have specifically asked for a visit to carry out urgent repairs, because the regulations treat a call-out you have requested differently from a job agreed in advance. Regulation 28(1)(e) takes those visits out of the cancellation rules. A planned re-roof agreed after a survey is a different matter, and the cancellation period applies to it in full. For help with your own case, ring the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133. We would rather you rang it than guessed at where you stand.
What else is worth checking in a quote?
Citizens Advice's tip for choosing a roofer is to get written quotes from at least three traders before deciding, and a pause of a few days to read each one is time well spent. Standard VAT is 20 per cent on repairs and re-roofing to a home, so look for a line saying whether VAT and scaffolding sit inside the price. We send you photos of your own roof after the survey, with one total written price for the whole job, so you can read it at home and take your time over it. Tell us the lane and the trouble, and we will book the visit.
Walked the roof?
- 1 read
- 2 not read yet
- 3 not read yet
- 4 not read yet
When you have read the checks, we walk the roof and show you the photos.
Dunkeswell answers, from the hills to the contract
Can a roof window be added on the lane side of a Dunkeswell house?
Possibly, but it depends on the house. The National Landscape removes permitted-development dormers, though not roof windows as such. A conservation area and any listing add their own questions, and a window facing the lane is the most visible change. Ask East Devon District Council's planning team, with your address, before you order anything.
Who approves roof repairs to St Nicholas church in Dunkeswell?
St Nicholas is listed Grade II and remains an Anglican place of worship, so a faculty covers its roof repairs in place of listed building consent from the council. The parish pursues the faculty and the roofer follows whatever specification emerges. Planning permission for exterior development can still arise as a separate question.
Does re-roofing a Dunkeswell house need a Building Regulations application?
Not always. According to the Planning Portal, you do not normally need an application where less than 25 per cent of the building envelope and less than 50 per cent of the roof is touched. A new covering that is 15 per cent heavier or more changes that and needs approval. Check with your building control body, and tell us if the weight is changing.
Is a National Landscape in Dunkeswell stricter than an AONB was?
No, it is the same designation with a new name. Every AONB in England became a National Landscape in November 2023, the Blackdown Hills among them. The rules that applied before the rename, the dormer restriction included, still apply to the same land, because the new name itself does not alter the legislation.
Plan a Dunkeswell roof survey
Give us the address and a note on the problem, and a date for the survey will be agreed.