If you own a 1930s red-brick semi in Drumcondra, Cabra or Marino, a pre-winter roof inspection should focus on five things: hip tile bedding, valley lead condition, chimney flashings, slipped Bangor Blue slates, and gutter falls. Do it before the November Atlantic gales. Book a proper roof inspection by mid-October, or call us on 01 2657795 for a fixed-price quote.
Leaking Slate Roof in Tyrrellstown, Dublin, Full Replacement Starts
The housing stock across Drumcondra, Cabra, Marino, Fairview and parts of Glasnevin is remarkably consistent. Most of it went up between 1927 and 1939 under Dublin Corporation's post-independence housing drive. Marino was the first major scheme, followed by the Cabra and Drumcondra Corporation builds. Red-brick or roughcast walls, hipped roofs, clay ridge and hip tiles bedded in sand-cement mortar, and Bangor Blue Welsh slate as the standard covering.
Ninety-odd years on, that original specification is at the end of its service life. Bangor Blue slate itself is famously durable, but the fixings, the mortar bedding, and especially the lead flashings rarely make it that far without intervention. Any one of: nail sickness, hip tile slippage, or perished valley lead will let water in over a wet winter.
Dublin winters are defined by short, sharp Atlantic lows rolling in from the west and south-west. November through February is when things break. A gable-end hip that has been quietly loose since summer can let go in a winter storm, so getting up and having a proper look in October is money well spent.
The hipped roof is the defining feature of these houses, and the hip tiles, half-round or angular clay units running from ridge down to eaves, are almost always bedded in a sand-cement mortar from the original build. That mortar is now 85 to 95 years old.
What to look for:
Modern best practice is mechanical fixing, with hip tiles screwed or clipped rather than relying on mortar alone. If a roofer is quoting only for rebedding and not for mechanical fixings, ask why. For a fixed price on a hip tile job on your semi, request a free written quote.
Where the main roof meets a rear return or a projecting bay, you will find a lead valley. On a 1930s semi, that lead has been expanding and contracting through decades of Dublin winters. It cracks along the centre line, splits at the laps, and eventually pinholes.
Get up close and check for:
When valley lead is renewed it should be properly dressed with welted edges. For repair and replacement cost guidance, see our roof repair cost guide.
Almost every 1930s semi has at least one chimney stack, often two. The lead soakers, step flashings and back gutter around that stack are the single most common leak point we find. Original flashings were often under-specified and the mortar fillets that many well-meaning owners have applied over the decades crack within two winters.
Check for:
If the brickwork needs repointing at the same time as a re-flash, that is best done in the same visit. See our guide to lead flashing and chimney aprons in Dublin for more detail on what good chimney work involves.
Bangor Blue is Welsh slate from the Penrhyn quarry, thin, dense and dark blue-grey. The slates themselves usually outlast the copper or iron nails holding them up. When nails corrode, slates slip. This is nail sickness, and it is the number one reason a 1930s Dublin roof needs attention.
Signs of nail sickness:
If you are losing more than five to ten slates a year across the roof, you are past patch-repair territory and into strip-and-relay. On a Blanchardstown job we filmed the strip as it began so the condition of the battens and felt underneath was on the record rather than described afterwards. The same principle applies on any 1930s roof: what is under the slates matters as much as the slates themselves.
A full re-roof on a standard 3-bed semi in Marino using reclaimed Bangor Blue slate is covered in our Dublin slate and tile roofing prices guide. New roof costs for Dublin houses more broadly are in our 2026 new roof cost guide. For a fixed price on your own house, get a written quote.
The original cast-iron half-round gutters on these houses are mostly gone, replaced piecemeal with uPVC over the years. Check that:
Blocked gutters are what turn a small flashing defect into a saturated bedroom ceiling. On a Stillorgan job, what looked like a gutter problem from the ground turned out to be rotten timber behind the fascia: the gutters had pulled away from the boards, not the other way around. Clear gutters in October and make sure the boards they hang from are sound.
Book the inspection between mid-September and mid-October. That gives you time to schedule any remedial work before the weather closes in. Trying to get lead work done in a wet, windy January means waiting for a dry window, paying more for access, and often getting a worse result.
An inspection on a standard semi should include a roof-level survey (not just binoculars from the garden), photographs of every defect found, and a written report. A quote visit for work we would then carry out is free and no obligation. A standalone written inspection report, not tied to any follow-on job, is chargeable: confirm the fee when you call.
For context on what repairs typically cost, our roof repair cost guide for Ireland covers the common jobs, and the roof condition survey guide explains what a proper written report should cover.
The ranges below are indicative 2026 figures. Every job is priced on site after a free inspection. VAT at 13.5% applies on top.
Indicative 2026 price range, Dublin, in euro. VAT at 13.5% applies on top. Every job is priced after a free on-site inspection.
Drumcondra (D9): The stretches along Hollybank Road, Ferguson Road and the roads off Grace Park have particularly tall stacks and steep roof pitches. Mature trees mean valley debris is a bigger issue here than elsewhere, so clearing moss and leaf build-up from valley leads is not optional.
Cabra (D7): The Corporation estates around Fassaugh Avenue and Ratoath Road were built to a tighter budget than Marino. Original lead work was lighter gauge, so flashings tend to fail earlier. Chimney stack repointing is very common on these streets.
Marino (D3): The Marino Crescent and Griffith Avenue houses are architecturally protected in parts. Check with Dublin City Council Planning before any material change: moving from Bangor Blue to a concrete tile substitute is not permitted on protected terraces without consent.
For homeowners across the northside and inner city, our wider Dublin repairs service is at repairs, and our guide to vetting a roofer in Dublin covers what to check before you appoint anyone.
Repair work carries a written guarantee of a minimum of three years, and up to ten years on major repair work. Any job that involves a full roof replacement carries our ten-year workmanship guarantee plus the Lifetime Leak Guarantee. The guarantee is handed over in writing before contracts are signed, not promised afterwards. Our crews are directly employed: the people on your roof are our people, not subcontractors.
You can read what Dublin customers say on our reviews page, and see how similar jobs were handled in our case studies.
“Really happy with service provided. They were extremely helpful and efficient from start to finish. An assessment and quote were provided the day after I first got in touch, and the repair was completed within a week. The issue and proposed solution were clearly explained, and I really appreciated that they recommended a proportionate repair rather than simply suggesting everything needed to be replaced. Very professional, straightforward and efficient service. Would definitely recommend!”Alice Daniels, Dublin, ★★★★★ on Google
If you are looking for the same level of pre-winter inspection and repair work outside Dublin, we cover Cork, Limerick and Galway with the same directly employed crews and written guarantees:
To book your pre-winter inspection, go to our contact page or call us directly on 01 2657795. We will have someone out to you within the week.
We also wrote “Roof Replacement Cost Dublin: What You'll Pay in 2026” on our Blogger page.
Every three to five years for a roof in reasonable condition, and annually once it is over 80 years old or if you have had previous slippage. After any severe storm, do a visual check from the ground and call if anything looks out of place.
A quote visit for work we would then carry out is free and no obligation. A standalone written inspection report, with no follow-on job attached, is chargeable. Confirm the fee when you book.
Nail sickness is what happens when the iron or copper nails fixing your slates corrode through age. The slates themselves are usually fine; it is the fixings that fail. Signs include slates missing in a random pattern rather than clustered in one area, slates appearing in the gutter after a moderate breeze, and rust streaks down the slate face.
Storm damage clusters: you lose several slates from one area in a single event. Nail sickness is random and gradual, one slate here, two there, over months. Nail sickness means the whole fixing system is failing; storm damage is typically a targeted repair job.
Indicative 2026 ranges are €400 to €2,500 for a roof leak repair, and €1,500 to €8,000 for emergency storm damage work. VAT at 13.5% applies on top. Every job is priced after a free on-site inspection.
Not usually, as long as you are using the same material (slate for slate). If the house is on a protected structure list or in an Architectural Conservation Area, parts of Marino Crescent are, check with Dublin City Council Planning first. Changing to concrete tiles almost always requires consent on protected streets.
Yes, if they are sound. A slater will sort salvageable slates from cracked ones. Reusing original Bangor Blue maintains the visual match, which matters particularly on architecturally protected streets in Marino. The alternative is new natural slate or a fibre-cement slate; concrete tile is not a like-for-like substitute on these houses.
Roof repair itself is not grant-aided. If you are doing attic insulation as part of the works, the SEAI Better Energy Homes scheme may cover some of that cost. Check current eligibility at the SEAI grants page at https://www.seai.ie/grants/ before applying. Confirm current figures with SEAI directly.
Mortar fillets crack within a winter or two and do not flex with the stack the way lead does. They need to be stripped back and replaced with proper lead step flashings and soakers. It is a common find on 1930s semis across Drumcondra, Cabra and Marino, and the fix is straightforward.
If your gutters are sagging or pulling away from the wall, probe the fascia board with a screwdriver at the corners and ends. If it goes in easily, the timber is rotten and re-hanging the gutter onto it will only last one winter. The timber needs to come out and be replaced first.
No. The people on your roof are directly employed by us. We do not subcontract. That is one of the things we actively encourage customers to ask any roofer before appointing them.
Repair work carries a written guarantee of a minimum of three years, and up to ten years on major repair work. If a job involves a full roof replacement, it carries our ten-year workmanship guarantee plus the Lifetime Leak Guarantee. Both are automatic and in writing before any contract is signed.
Roof Repairs in Dublin, Ireland. Free survey, written fixed-price quote, 10-year guarantee.