VELUX® Windows and Roofing in Altrincham

About Altrincham's homes

Altrincham was part of Cheshire until 1974 and is now in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford. The town grew quickly after the railway arrived in the nineteenth century, and the streets around the town centre and towards Bowdon and Hale are lined with substantial Victorian and Edwardian houses. Many of them have natural slate roofs, bays, turrets, valleys and several chimney stacks.

Towards Broadheath and Timperley, the housing becomes more varied, with inter-war semis, post-war homes and newer developments. Around the town centre and the transport interchange, modern apartment buildings sit alongside older terraces.

Conservation areas in and around the town

Trafford Council has designated several conservation areas in and around Altrincham, including Old Market Place, George Street and Goose Green in the town, and Bowdon, Ashley Heath, Hale Station and South Hale nearby. In these areas, changes that alter the appearance of a roof facing a road may need planning permission, and the council may prefer low-profile conservation-style roof windows.

We can advise on suitable windows and roofing materials, but please confirm what applies to your property with Trafford Council before any new roof windows are fitted.

Roof windows in larger period homes

Many of Altrincham's bigger houses had their second floors or attics converted decades ago, and the roof windows fitted then are now reaching the end of their life. Replacing them with current windows of the same size usually keeps the existing opening and internal lining, while improving insulation and reducing draughts. Electric or solar operation is a popular upgrade where windows sit high above a stairwell or landing.

Looking after complex period roofs

Large Victorian roofs have more places for water to get in: valleys between pitches, lead around turrets and dormers, and junctions at every chimney. When slates start slipping on a roof of this age, it is often because the original fixings have corroded. We will tell you whether a targeted repair is enough or whether a section, or the whole roof, needs re-slating.