Burbage roofs
Canal, forest edge and village lanes
Burbage is a large village inside the protected downland of the North Wessex Downs, at the eastern end of the Vale of Pewsey, with the Kennet and Avon Canal running past and Savernake Forest not far to the north. Its houses range from old cottages to plain twentieth-century rows and recent infill, and each of those needs a different reading before a rooflight goes in.
Stage 01 · The village
Old cottages, plain rows and recent infill
Burbage grew along its lanes rather than around a single green, so a walk through it crosses several eras in a short distance. There are older cottages close to the road, some in brick and some with a rendered or painted finish, and there are larger village houses set back behind gardens. Between them come the quieter streets of twentieth-century housing, mostly brick with tiled roofs, and a scatter of newer infill built where a plot became free.
That spread of ages matters more than any single street name. A cottage with a roof space already in use will probably want a window on the rear slope. A plain mid-century house with a dark landing is a better candidate for a round sun tunnel than for a full window. A newer house with a trussed roof has its own limits on where an opening can go, since its timbers were designed as a system and not as loose rafters.
We use the first survey to place a house in one of these groups, because the group shapes everything that follows: the roof structure, the likely planning route, the product, and the order in which the work runs. A table helps to keep the groups straight, so this is the one we use in the plan.
| Group | Likely roof | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Older cottage | Tile or slate | Size and spacing of rafters |
| Larger village house | Tile, sometimes slate | Listed status of the building |
| Mid-century row | Concrete tile | Rafters or trusses, loft use |
| Recent infill | Concrete tile, trusses | Conditions on the planning permission |
Stage 02 · Inside the roof
Rafters and trusses under a village slope
Loft space in Burbage tells the story of when the house was built. Under an older cottage roof the timbers are often hand-cut, unevenly spaced and sometimes thickened or thinned by later owners. Under a newer roof, factory-made trusses run at regular intervals, and the rule changes: a truss carries load from the whole roof, so it is not cut for a window the way a single rafter can be trimmed.
On a trussed roof the opening is planned between the members. That is where size codes earn their place: with a VELUX code like MK04, the first letter is the width and the number is the height, so the frame can be matched to the gap on paper. Where rafters allow a bigger opening, the plan records how it is framed and who has checked it.
A good survey also looks at what is above and around the planned spot. Chimney stacks, the edge of a valley, a neighbouring ridge and the lie of the battens can all push a unit a hand's width one way or the other. None of these is a problem if it is found early, and each one becomes a surprise if it is found on the fitting day.
The loft is measured with a tape and a pencil, not by eye. The numbers go onto the survey sheet, and the sheet becomes the first page of the written job plan.
A truss carries the whole roof, so the unit is sized to the gap and not the other way round.
Older rafter roof
- Timbers uneven in size and spacing
- Opening can be framed to suit the unit
- Condition of the wood checked first
- Underlay may be thin or missing
Trussed roof
- Regular members that carry the whole roof
- Unit chosen to fit between them
- Big openings call for a structural check
- Underlay and battens tend to be uniform
Stage 03 · Who to ask
Reading the planning position for a Burbage address
Planning here is handled by Wiltshire Council. On most houses a rooflight falls within permitted development, with the detailed conditions gathered in our guide to rooflight planning permission for anyone who wants them. What no general guide can say is whether something has stripped those rights from your particular house, which is why the address gets looked up and not just the village.
Three checks apply to a Burbage house. One is conservation: boundaries are on Wiltshire Council's conservation pages, and the planning register records any direction withdrawing permitted development from a street. Two is listing, since a listed building needs consent for works altering its character. Three is a condition attached to the original permission, which turns up most on infill and newer estates.
The village and its fields are covered by the North Wessex Downs designation. Part of the usual rights are cut back on land of that sort, though rooflights are not outlawed; if the council's pages leave you unsure, a short question to the planners before ordering settles it.
Whatever we find goes into the job plan in plain words. If the house needs nothing, the plan says so. If an application is advised, it says that. The council makes the decision, and we make sure you know what to ask it.
Permission checks for a Burbage house
- Conservation area pages on the Wiltshire Council site
- Whether the house is listed
- Any direction recorded on the planning register
- Conditions attached to the first planning permission
- Downland protection status, raised with the council if unclear
Stage 04 · Extensions
Flat roofs behind village houses
Behind many Burbage houses sits a flat-topped or lean-to addition: a kitchen that has grown into the garden, a utility room, a garage made over as a study. These roofs suit a flat rooflight or a roof lantern, which light the room from directly above and need no pitch to work. They are also the roofs where an old covering can quietly limit the choice.
The survey for a flat unit covers the deck, the upstand round the opening and the slope of the roof towards its outlet. A rooflight sits on a raised kerb, which is built up from the roof deck and wrapped in the roof membrane. The height and finish of that kerb decide how the unit lands, so it is measured on the survey and written on the plan, not left to be worked out with the glass already on site.
Size is the other point. A single large pane lets in more daylight than a small one but needs a stronger kerb and more people on the day to lift it. A row of smaller units can suit a long narrow extension better. The plan sets out the options for the specific roof, and the written quote follows once you have chosen.
If the extension is recent, its own Building Control paperwork often shows how the roof was built. We ask to see it, since it saves guessing about the structure below the membrane.
What shapes a flat rooflight job in Burbage
| Roof deck | Timber or concrete, and whether it can carry a new kerb |
|---|---|
| Opening size | Larger panes need more hands and a stronger kerb |
| Membrane | The existing covering is checked before it is cut |
| Fall of the roof | Water must still run away from the new kerb |
| Inside finish | Plaster or lining round the opening and the ceiling edge |
These are factors we record at the survey and reflect in the written quote.
Stage 05 · Morning of the fit
One date, set at the point of order
A fitting day in a village like Burbage tends to be simpler than in a crowded town centre. There is usually room to park near the house and a garden to reach the rear slope. The things that do complicate a day are a steep or high roof, a narrow gap beside the house, and a driveway shared with neighbours. All of these are noted at the survey, along with whether a scaffold or access tower is needed and when it will be booked.
The calendar is settled the moment the order goes in. Stock sizes of roof window turn up fast; conservation units, lanterns and big flat panes are made to order and take longer. The plan puts three dates side by side: when the unit is ordered, when it is due and the day we arrive. Nobody has to chase a supplier.
A roof that already stands cannot simply be cut into: the Building Regulations apply. Notification, where it is required, is something we send to Building Control, choosing between the local council and a registered building control approver, and which one is used is stated in the plan. Come the evening, the slope has been closed and dressed back, and the ceiling opening is waiting for its lining.
Before the team drives off, you are handed our ten-year promise on the quality of the fitting, set down on paper.
On the Burbage fitting day
- Team arrives at the time written in the plan
- Access checked and scaffold in place if needed
- Opening formed and the unit set in its flashing
- Roof closed and covering made good
- Handover of the plan and the guarantee
