Anyone who’s lived in Exeter through the last few winters will know the weather has felt noticeably wilder — heavier downpours, stronger gusts off the coast, and the odd spell of relentless dry heat in between. It’s not just a feeling. New research from the NHBC Foundation has confirmed what roofers across the South West have been noticing for years: the climate affecting our homes is changing faster than many buildings were designed for.
The report, produced with Studio Partington, found that intense rainfall, powerful storms and prolonged dry spells are all becoming more common, and that over 70% of UK construction managers experienced major weather-related delays in 2024 alone. For homeowners, the practical upshot is that roofs are being asked to cope with conditions well beyond what was standard when many Devon properties were originally built.
That means the details matter more than ever — quality flashing around chimneys and valleys, properly fitted ridge tiles, and guttering sized to cope with sudden, heavy downpours rather than gentle English drizzle. A roof that was perfectly adequate a decade ago may now be working harder than it was ever designed to.
For anyone in Exeter or the wider South Devon area who has noticed a slipped tile after the last storm, a damp patch appearing in a spare room, or simply hasn’t had their roof properly checked in a few years, now is a sensible time to get it looked at before the next spell of extreme weather arrives. Bailey and Sons Roofing has been repairing and replacing roofs across Exeter and Devon for over 40 years, and offers free, no-obligation quotes for both repairs and full re-roofs. If your roof hasn’t been checked recently, it’s worth getting ahead of the weather — visit rooferexeter.co.uk/ to get in touch.