Asbestos Roofing Removal in Teddington
Teddington homes carry a lot of cement roofing out the back, on extensions, sheds, lean-tos and outbuildings near Bushy Park and the river. We take down the old sheets, soffits, gutters and fascia boards safely and clear the lot.
Why so much cement roofing sits behind Teddington houses
Walk the streets off Waldegrave Road or the rows of 1930s semis on the outer edges of Teddington and you start to notice the back gardens. Flat-roof kitchen extensions, lean-tos against the house, sheds and small outbuildings, all of it added over decades and a fair amount of it roofed in corrugated cement. The bigger period villas towards Bushy Park and the river often have more of it again, with larger outbuildings and higher roof runs that nobody has touched in years.
For a long stretch of the last century, corrugated cement was the cheap and easy way to roof anything that was not the main house. It went on extensions, garden stores and lean-tos because it was light, it lasted, and it cost very little. Plenty of those sheets are still up there now. The same goes for the cement soffits, gutters and fascia boards on the interwar semis, fitted when the houses were built and quietly weathering ever since.
Much of this material predates the UK asbestos ban of 1999, so on the older Teddington stock the assumption has to be that it contains asbestos until a test says otherwise. You cannot tell by looking at a sheet whether it is the dangerous kind. That is why a roof out the back is worth proper attention rather than a guess and a ladder.
Why a tired roof is the bigger worry
Cement roofing holds together while it is sound. The fibres are bound inside the sheet, and an intact roof in good order is low risk. The problem in Teddington is age and weather. Sheets that have sat through decades of rain, frost and sun near the river go brittle. They crack, they craze across the surface, they shed grit into the gutter and they start to flake at the edges.
Once a sheet is breaking down, the fibres are no longer locked in. A cracked extension roof, a split lean-to panel or a soffit that has gone soft can release fibres into the air, and that is when the risk climbs. Standing water on a flat-roof extension makes it worse, and so does anyone climbing up to clear leaves or patch a leak without knowing what the roof is made of.
The higher and larger roofs behind the bigger houses bring their own issue. A weathered run of cement up at first-floor level or across a sizeable outbuilding is harder to reach and easier to damage in a clumsy attempt to fix it. The safe move with any deteriorating cement roof is to stop disturbing it and have it looked at properly before a small crack turns into a scattering of broken pieces.
How we take the roof down
Before anything comes off, a small sample of the sheet goes to a UKAS-accredited laboratory so we know exactly what we are dealing with. Once that is confirmed, the work is about taking the roof apart slowly rather than smashing it up. Cement sheets, soffits and fascia boards come away whole wherever the fixings allow, kept wet to hold the dust down, then wrapped and taken off site to a licensed facility. No breaking sheets up to make them fit a bag.
Most domestic roofs around Teddington come off in a single visit. An extension or a lean-to is usually a straightforward day depending on the run and the access, and a shed or small outbuilding is quicker again. Soffits, gutters and fascia along the front of a semi are handled the same careful way, section by section, with the ground sheeted below to catch anything that comes loose.
With the old roof gone, there are sensible replacements to put back. Galvanised steel box-profile is a common choice for an extension or outbuilding, three-layer torch-on felt suits a flat roof, and asbestos-free fibre cement keeps the original look if you want it. Soffits and fascia go back in modern uPVC or timber. We can box out and finish so the building is weather-tight again, not left open.
Local roofing removal you can book
Clearaway is based in Chessington, a short run from Teddington, and the owner Graham runs the local jobs himself rather than passing them to a crew you have never spoken to. That matters on the smaller back-of-house roofs that make up most of the work here, where it helps to have someone who will actually look at the extension or the lean-to and tell you straight what it needs.
Lower-risk cement roofing out in the open air is often non-licensed work and can be booked in without a long wait. Where the material turns out to be higher risk, the stricter licensed standard applies, which means 14 days of notice to the HSE before work starts, a full enclosure around the area, and four-stage clearance testing signed off by an independent analyst before the space is handed back. Either way the same care goes in, and you get told which route your roof falls under once the sample comes back.
Clearaway holds Spectra licence 142305706 and has been working across Teddington and the surrounding Richmond upon Thames area for more than seven years, so the cement roofs, soffits and outbuildings around here are familiar ground. If you have an old extension roof, a cracked lean-to, a tired shed or soffits that have started to go on the front of the house, call 0800 024 6168 and we will sort out what comes next.
Corrugated Asbestos Sheet Removal, Esher
Esher, Surrey · Sheet Removal
View this project"Graham has organised two jobs for me, both of which ran smoothly and on time. Clive and the team are really great, they completed the work in the agreed time and left the site spotless. Would recommend using Clearaway if you need any work done."
Why Choose Clearaway
Specialist Crew
Asbestos work is all we do, every day, across the South East.
Fully Licensed
Licensed asbestos removal contractor (Licence No. 142305706). Full public liability insurance on every job.
Local & Fast
Surrey-based. Most domestic jobs are booked in and finished within a week.
Our Own Team
We never subcontract. The people who quote your job are the people who do it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Removal Process
From first call to final certificate, every job follows the same clear four-step process.
Survey
We inspect the property and confirm the material. Sampling available if required.
Quote
Fixed written price covering removal, disposal and any replacement work.
Removal
Material is removed safely, double-wrapped and taken to a licensed disposal facility.
Certificate
You receive a waste consignment note and disposal certificate confirming legal handling.
Get in Touch
Send a few details about your project and we will come back the same working day with a fixed price. We cover Surrey, London and the South East, including Esher, Cobham, Kingston, Richmond, Epsom, Guildford, Woking and Croydon.