Clear SkylightsCrawley

Surrey · 19 miles from Crawley by road

Rooflights and skylights in Warlingham

Warlingham's roofs are plain clay, slate and newer pan-tile, high on the North Downs scarp. We fit rooflights and skylights to suit each, and specify the glass for the trains and the rain.

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Three roof windows in a row above a kitchen island in a rear extension
Planning
Tandridge District Council, Surrey
Homes
Detached and semi-detached, plus terraces and flats
Roofs
Plain clay tile, slate, newer pan-tile
Setting
North Downs scarp, Green Belt, Oxted and Caterham lines

High ground, hung tile and two railway lines in earshot

  • Two lines, 150 m apart

    Upper Warlingham and Whyteleafe stations sit close together, so a loft near either line hears trains through a thin roof.

  • Hung tile at the edges

    Vertical clay tile-hanging meets the roof at dormers and gables, so flashings tuck under it and tiles are set back in order.

  • Weather on the scarp

    Parts of the village stand about 200 m up, and a flat kitchen roof there takes hard rain on glass.

  • Older units to renew

    Misted panes and loose gaskets in an older rooflight let in draughts and the sound of passing trains.

A written spec for a slope-side loft near the line

One way a written spec might read for a pitched clay roof near a station. Each quote carries its own, drawn up once the room has been surveyed.

Room:
loft bedroom in a tile-hung 1930s semi, a short walk from the Oxted line
What we would listen for:
trains on a still night, and rain on the roof at height
Glazing:
a laminated inner leaf facing the room, panes of differing weight and a low-conductivity edge bar
Seals and upstand:
continuous gaskets, flashing tucked under the hung tile, frame colour matched to the clay

Noise out hereStill in here

The survey file

Rooflights in Warlingham

Warlingham sits high on the North Downs, round a triangular green, with Green Belt on every side. A rooflight installation in Warlingham usually starts with a tile-hung semi or a detached house on the slope, and with one practical question: what is the roof made of, and what has to be lifted to get daylight into the loft? This page goes through the parish as the records describe it, then sets out what we would specify, room by room, for a rooflight or skylight here.

The parish

A village on the scarp, in Tandridge District

Warlingham is a hilltop parish in Tandridge District, about 19 road miles from Crawley, and its height changes what a roof lives through.

Warlingham is a civil parish in Tandridge District, Surrey. That places it under Tandridge District Council for planning, with Surrey as the county, and it puts the village about 19 road miles from our base in Crawley.

The parish is centred on a triangular village green, and the Green Belt separates it from Woldingham and from Caterham. The land sits on the scarp slope of the North Downs, and parts of the village stand about 200 m above sea level. Height changes what a roof lives through. A slope that high catches more of the weather than a house in a hollow, so rain arrives harder and the glass above a bedroom or a kitchen takes the full force of it.

The 2011 census counted 8,036 residents. That is a village of a modest size, with a settled feel, and most of its roofs are the ones the houses were built with. Those roofs are the starting point for everything below. A rooflight is a hole in the roof with glass in it, and a good job respects the roof it is cut into.

Warlingham in three numbers

  • 19 road milesDistance from our Crawley baseWarlingham falls under Tandridge District Council for planning.
  • 200 mHeight of parts of the villageThe village stands on the scarp slope of the North Downs.
  • 8,036Residents counted in 2011A village of modest size, with a settled feel.

If you are still deciding between the two words, our page on what rooflight and skylight mean clears up the vocabulary. In this village the choice of word matters far less than the choice of unit, and the rest of the page is about that.

NextDorking reds, hung tile and flint in the walls

Walls meeting the roof

Dorking reds, hung tile and flint in the walls

The village palette of brick, tile hanging, flint, render and boarding is a list of things that meet the roof at the edges.

The village design statement names the main facing materials in Warlingham. They are local facing brick, known as Dorking Reds, vertical red clay tile-hanging, render, flint dressings set within brickwork, and horizontal boarding. It reads like a palette, and a roofer reads it as a list of things that meet the roof at the edges.

Tile hanging is the detail that shapes a rooflight job most often. Where a dormer cheek, a gable or an upper storey is hung with vertical tiles, the rooflight sits close to a wall surface that has its own laps and fixings. Flashings have to tuck under the hanging, and the tiles around them have to be lifted and set back in order. A slim frame in a dark finish sits quietly against red clay, and a raised dome looks heavy beside it.

Flint in brickwork is a different kind of memory. It tells you the older parts of a house may have thick, irregular walls, and that a roof space under them was shaped by hand. All Saints' Church, dating to about 1250, is built of flint rubble with stone dressings and is partly rendered. Nothing so old is likely to be in your loft, yet the same thinking applies to any older house: open the roof only as far as the structure allows, and size the opening to the frame that is there.

What meets the roof at the edges

  • Dorking RedsThe local facing brick that gives the village its main wall colour.
  • Tile hangingFlashings tuck under the hanging, and tiles are set back in order.
  • Flint in brickworkOlder walls are thick and irregular, so the opening is sized to the frame there.
  • Render and boardingUsually below the roofline, so they touch a dormer more than a roof window.

Render and horizontal boarding bring a lighter touch. Boarded gables and rendered walls usually sit below the roofline, so they affect the look of a dormer more than a roof window. Frame colour and profile are chosen with the whole elevation in view, which is why we look at the front and the back of a house before recommending anything. Our guide on where to position a skylight explains how placement changes both the light and the look.

NextPlain clay tiles, slate and newer pan-tiles

Roof coverings

Plain clay tiles, slate and newer pan-tiles

Plain clay tile, slate and pan-tile are each opened in their own way, and the flashing has to suit the covering.

The same design statement describes the roofs. Most are red or brown plain clay tiles. Many are blue or black slate, and some are newer pan-tiles. Each one is opened in its own way, and a rooflight frame has to be flashed to suit it.

Plain clay tiles are small and overlap in courses. For a window, the tiles around the opening come off and are stacked, battens are trimmed to suit, and the flashing is stepped with the courses so water always runs over it. Any tile that breaks is replaced with a close match. A window sitting flush with the tile line suits this covering, and roof window installation covers those units.

Slate is thinner and more brittle. It is cut and lifted with care, because a cracked slate is a future leak, and the flashing kit has to be the one made for slate. The blue or black colour also pairs naturally with an anthracite frame. On a slate roof we allow time for the lifting, and we keep spare slates from the opening for any that do not survive.

Pan-tiles are the newer arrival. Their large, wavy profile calls for a flashing designed for that profile, and the opening tends to be wider between the rafters than on a plain-tile roof. They are also where a rooflight is most likely to sit on a recent extension, with modern insulation beneath.

Plain clay tile

Usually suits
Flush roof window
Watch for
Matching tiles at the flashing

Blue or black slate

Usually suits
Slate-kit roof window
Watch for
Cracked slates on lifting

Newer pan-tile

Usually suits
Pan-tile flashing set
Watch for
Wide rafter spacing

Flat rear roof

Usually suits
Flat rooflight or lantern
Watch for
Upstand and rain noise
Roof coveringUsually suitsWatch for
Plain clay tileFlush roof windowMatching tiles at the flashing
Blue or black slateSlate-kit roof windowCracked slates on lifting
Newer pan-tilePan-tile flashing setWide rafter spacing
Flat rear roofFlat rooflight or lanternUpstand and rain noise

Branded pitched-roof units and the wider choice between them are covered in the guides linked from our home page.

NextDetached, semi-detached, terraced and flats

House types

Detached, semi-detached, terraced and flats

Detached and semi-detached homes are the great majority, and each type leads to a different conversation about the roof.

The 2011 census counted 1,154 detached homes, 1,182 semi-detached homes, 283 terraced homes and 708 flats in the parish. Detached and semi-detached houses are the great majority, and they are almost evenly matched. That balance tells you where loft conversions and rear extensions are likely to be found, and it shapes the kind of rooflight a typical Warlingham household asks about.

A detached house usually has a roof space with room to work in, and a rooflight can go where the light is best. A semi-detached house shares a party wall, so the roof is a half of a pair. The window has to sit clear of the party wall and the chimney, and the neighbour's roof and the boundary both feed into the fire and planning questions. Terraces add a narrower plot and usually a smaller, shallower roof space. Flats bring a separate set of questions about who owns the roof, which a survey settles before anything else.

The four cases lead to four different conversations, and each has its own natural product:

  • A detached loft usually suits one or two roof windows, sized to the room.
  • A semi-detached loft usually suits a single larger window on the rear slope, kept clear of the party wall.
  • A terraced roof space often suits a small flush unit, or a sun tunnel where the roof space is too crowded for a window.
  • A flat with roof access depends on the lease and on who owns the roof.

Homes counted in the 2011 census

  • 1,154Detached homesA roof space with room to work in, so the rooflight goes where light is best.
  • 1,182Semi-detached homesHalf of a pair, so the window sits clear of the party wall and chimney.
  • 283Terraced homesA narrower plot and a smaller, shallower roof space.
  • 708FlatsWho owns the roof is settled by a survey first.

Sun tunnels suit a landing, bathroom or hall where the roof space is too shallow for a window: a tube carries daylight down from the slope. Sizing is its own decision, made with a tape in the room.

NextTandridge, the Green Belt and the conservation question

Planning and Green Belt

Tandridge, the Green Belt and the conservation question

Tandridge lists 19 conservation areas and none lies in Warlingham, so Green Belt, listing and past conditions are the checks.

Planning here has a simple headline and one specific caution. Tandridge lists 19 conservation areas, and none lies in Warlingham or Whyteleafe. The restrictions that complicate roof glazing in many Surrey villages are therefore not the first worry for a house in this parish.

The caution is that the village is washed over by Green Belt. Green Belt policy is mostly a matter for new buildings and large extensions, and it is not usually the deciding factor for a window in an existing roof. It becomes relevant when a rooflight comes with a bigger project, such as a roof extension or a new dormer. In that case the scale of the whole project is what the council looks at.

Conservation areas are not the only constraint on a house. A listed building carries its own consent, and an earlier permission can leave conditions behind. For that reason the position is checked address by address, never guessed from a street name, and any consent needed is named in writing before work is planned.

When planning needs a closer look

  • A roof extension Green Belt becomes relevant when a rooflight comes with a bigger project.
  • A new dormer The council looks at the scale of the whole project.
  • A listed building It carries its own consent.
  • An earlier permission It can leave conditions behind, so the address is checked.

The general rules are in planning permission for rooflights and skylights. Tandridge publishes its list on the conservation areas page.

Building Regulations run alongside planning for every house. The work is done to the current Approved Documents, and the Building Control notification is ours to make when the job is notifiable. Insulation value, distance from a boundary and safety glass all come into it.

NextTwo stations 150 m apart, and the sound of the line

Trains and glass

Two stations 150 m apart, and the sound of the line

Upper Warlingham and Whyteleafe stations stand about 150 m apart, so many homes hear trains at either end of the day.

Noise in Warlingham comes from the railway, and the file is specific about how. Upper Warlingham station opened on 10 March 1884 on the Oxted line. Whyteleafe station, on the Caterham line, stands about 150 m from it. Two lines meeting that closely put many homes within earshot of trains at either end of the day.

Hearing a train through brick is one experience and hearing it through a roof is another. Above a loft bed the glass is often the thinnest thing between you and the track. A single pane, or a double unit whose seals have tired, passes the rumble straight down. The slope makes it worse for some houses, since they look across to the line with no wall in the way.

The remedy is specified on paper. A laminated acoustic inner pane, glass of mixed thickness, a chosen cavity and unbroken gaskets each change what reaches the bed. So does the upstand, because a gap at the edge lets sound slip round the glass. That build goes into the written quiet spec with every quote, in words and never in numbers. Read about road and rail noise through a rooflight for the reasoning.

What changes what reaches the bed

  1. 1Laminated acoustic inner pane Sits on the room side of the unit.
  2. 2Glass of mixed thickness Two panes that do not ring together.
  3. 3A chosen cavity Set for the room the unit serves.
  4. 4Unbroken gaskets A gap at the edge lets sound slip round the glass.
  5. 5The upstand Finished so nothing leaks sound at the kerb.

The survey is where this is decided. We stand in the room at the time of day you use it, listen to the line, and write down what we heard. A bedroom that faces the tracks gets a different specification from a kitchen at the back of the house. Our page on the quiet spec shows what one contains, and what goes into a quiet rooflight specification explains the thinking behind it.

NextRain at 200 m on flat glass

Rain on glass

Rain at 200 m on flat glass

The height of the village gives rain more to work with, and a flat extension roof is the loudest place in a shower.

Rain is the other sound, and the height of the village gives it more to work with. A house on the scarp takes more of the weather than one in a sheltered street, and a flat extension roof on such a house is the loudest place in a shower.

Flat glass and lanterns are hard, and a shower on them produces a steady patter that a dining table below can hear clearly. Thin glass rings and a stiff frame carries the drumming into the room. A heavier laminated build softens it, as does a properly formed upstand, while a lantern on a bare hollow kerb is the likeliest to drum.

A flat-roofed rear extension suits a rooflight well, since one lifts the middle of a deep room that side windows never reach. See flat roof rooflight installation for the units and upstand detail. Larger glazed features and structural glass have their own pages.

What makes a flat roof loud in a shower

  • Flat glass or a lantern Hard surfaces turn a shower into a steady patter.
  • Thin glass It rings when rain lands on it.
  • A stiff frame It carries the drumming into the room.
  • A bare hollow kerb The likeliest place for a lantern to drum.
  • An exposed scarp It takes more of the weather than a sheltered street.

Whichever you choose, the glazing build is picked for the room and not from a brochure.

NextMatching glass to a loft, a landing and a kitchen

Room by room

Matching glass to a loft, a landing and a kitchen

A loft, a landing and a kitchen each ask something different of the glass above them, and the roof decides how far the answer goes.

Loft, landing and kitchen each ask something different of the glass above them, and the roof decides how far the answer can go.

In a loft bedroom near either station, the window should open for air and be built to keep the night quiet. A top-floor room that bakes in July benefits from a window that opens, and a motor helps when the sash sits high out of reach. A stairwell asks for daylight and little else, so a fixed unit will do the job and keeps the price down. A kitchen extension wants a lantern or a flat rooflight, with the glazing build picked for rain. Electric and opening units are explained on our page for electric and opening rooflights.

Winter is the other test. Up on the scarp the wind is sharper, so warm-edge spacers, coated glass and an insulated upstand earn their keep. Glass that holds heat in also tends to hold noise out, which is why the warm choice and the quiet choice seldom pull apart.

What each room asks of the glass

  • Loft bedroomA window that opens for air and is built to keep the night quiet.
  • Landing or stairwellA fixed unit gives daylight and keeps the price down.
  • Kitchen extensionA lantern or flat rooflight, with the glazing build picked for rain.
  • Winter on the scarpWarm-edge spacers, coated glass and an insulated upstand earn their keep.

A rule of thumb about size: a window that is too small leaves the room dim, and one that is too large can overheat it. The survey measures the floor and the slope before a size is named. Post-war houses make up much of any Surrey village, and their roof construction is worth reading about before an opening is planned.

NextRenewing the units a house already has

Replacing old units

Renewing the units a house already has

Condensation between panes, a sash that will not close square or a cold draught all say the unit should be replaced.

Some Warlingham lofts and extensions already hold roof glazing that has had its day. Condensation trapped between panes, a sash that no longer closes square, or a cold draught on the landing all point the same way: the unit should be replaced and not nursed along.

A replacement does not have to match what came out. Units fitted a generation ago tended to use thin panes and basic gaskets. Today the same opening can take a laminated acoustic inner pane, improved gaskets and a fully insulated kerb. The room comes out warmer and calmer, and because the hole is already cut, there is less disturbance to tiles and timber. Our misted and failed rooflight replacement page sets out the process.

Budgets depend on size, access and glass, and the costs page gives general market ranges for each.

What a replacement can take

  1. 1Laminated acoustic inner pane In place of the thin panes of a generation ago.
  2. 2Improved gaskets In place of the basic gaskets older units used.
  3. 3A fully insulated kerb Fitted into the opening that is already cut.

NextWarlingham questions: conservation, Green Belt, trains and old units

Common questions

Warlingham questions: conservation, Green Belt, trains and old units

Short answers on conservation areas, Green Belt, trains, tile and slate roofs and replacing old units.

These are the questions that come up most naturally in a village with this mix of roofs, stations and Green Belt.

Is my Warlingham house in a conservation area?

The council's list of 19 conservation areas has none in Warlingham or Whyteleafe. A listed building or a planning condition can still apply, so we check the status for your address before quoting, and we tell you in writing what we find.

Does the Green Belt stop me fitting a rooflight?

Green Belt policy mainly concerns new buildings and large extensions. A window in an existing roof is a small alteration, and a bigger project such as a new dormer is judged on the scale of the whole. We check the position for the address, and we say at the start if an application is needed.

Will I hear the trains through a rooflight?

It depends on the room and the glass. A loft bedroom close to the Oxted line or the Caterham line is exposed, and a thin unit carries the sound in. A laminated acoustic inner pane, unequal glass thicknesses and continuous seals change that, and the quiet spec records the build.

What is best on a clay tile or slate roof?

A flush roof window with the flashing kit made for that covering. Clay tiles are lifted, kept and relaid in order, and slate is cut with care. Tiles that cannot go back are matched to the ones beside them.

Can you replace the rooflight I already have?

Yes. A misted or loose unit can be replaced with one built to a better standard, often in the opening that is already there. We survey first, and the written quiet spec says what changes.

Warlingham has neighbours on all sides, and our pages for Caterham, Oxted, Coulsdon and Biggin Hill cover the surrounding area. To start, get a quote, write to info@clearskylightscrawley.co.uk, or message us on WhatsApp. Every quote comes with a written quiet spec and a 10-year workmanship guarantee. Our home page, skylight and rooflight installation in Crawley, shows the ten services we install and replace.

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