Industrial roofing · Exeter
Industrial roofing in Exeter, in two minutes
Industrial roofing contractors in Exeter
Looking for the best industrial roofing contractor in Exeter? The honest answer is the firm that surveys your roof before it quotes, then tells you the truth about what it needs. That is how Nova works across Exeter and the surrounding estates. The city’s commercial roof stock sits mostly on Marsh Barton, Sowton and Matford, a mix of older trade and industrial units alongside newer distribution sheds. On the older roofs it is asbestos cement and early profiled metal; on the newer ones it is profiled metal and composite panel, where the failures are cut edge corrosion, loose fixings and tired coatings.
Nova surveys, refurbishes and re-roofs across Exeter, from Marsh Barton, the city’s largest trading estate, to Sowton between junctions 29 and 30 of the M5 and the units at Matford. We survey from the roof and by drone, and tell you which path yours needs, with the figures to back it.
Industrial roofing in Exeter, in two minutes
Commercial and industrial roofs across Exeter’s trading estates, surveyed from the roof and by drone.
The roof stock around Exeter, and where it fails
Most of Exeter’s commercial roof area sits on three estates. Marsh Barton, the city’s largest trading estate with hundreds of businesses, is full of older trade and light-industrial units. Sowton, between junctions 29 and 30 of the M5 and close to the airport, is the established distribution base. Matford adds newer business-park stock. Between them they hold everything from 1960s asbestos cement to modern composite panel.
Roofs of this age reach the point where the predictable problems arrive: cut edge corrosion creeping back from the laps and gutters, fixings and seams working loose, and coatings breaking down so water finds a way in. Left alone, a tired roof moves quietly from a coating job to a recover job to a full strip, and the bill climbs at every stage.
Asbestos cement roofs, taken off without a licence
On the older Exeter units, the roof is often asbestos cement. Because the sheets are bonded, removing them is non-licensed work, so Nova can take the whole roof off without a licence. We lift the sheets whole, keep the site controlled, and send the material to a licensed facility with the right paperwork. The new roof goes back on as a modern insulated sheet, warmer and watertight. And because you are removing asbestos, the work may qualify the building for Land Remediation Relief, a corporation tax incentive worth raising with your accountant.
Metal roofs, where it is usually cut edge corrosion
On the metal roofs, the story is usually cut edge corrosion. Caught early, it is treated and sealed for a fraction of a full replacement. Failed gutters get lined rather than torn out. And where a roof is genuinely past it, we overclad or replace. The survey decides which, on evidence, not guesswork.
Repair, overclad, or replace
- Targeted repair and cut edge corrosion treatment, where the roof still has useful life in it.
- Overcladding, a second weathertight skin that avoids a disruptive strip and lifts the thermal performance of the building.
- Full strip and replacement, where the substrate or insulation is past economic repair.
Built around buildings that cannot stop
These are working premises, and they cannot down tools while the roof is seen to. Our surveys are carried out from the roof and by drone, and remedial programmes are phased around your trading hours and access so the operation below keeps running. We work with owner-occupiers, estate owners, and the managing agents who look after multi-site portfolios.
The truth from above.
Roof concern on an Exeter trade or industrial unit? Start with a survey and the real numbers.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the best industrial roofing contractor in Exeter?
The best contractor for your building is the one that surveys before it quotes and is straight about what the roof actually needs. Nova works across Exeter, gives you a costed condition report rather than a sales pitch, and recommends the option that solves the problem for the least money, whether that is a repair, an overclad or a replacement.
How much does industrial roof replacement cost in Exeter?
It depends on the roof, so Nova gives you a fixed, itemised price after a survey rather than a vague figure over the phone. Cut edge corrosion treatment is a fraction of the cost of replacement, overcladding sits between the two, and a full strip is the most involved. The survey tells you which your roof genuinely needs.
Do you cover Marsh Barton, Sowton and Matford?
Yes. Nova works across Exeter and its trading estates, including Marsh Barton, Sowton between junctions 29 and 30 of the M5, and Matford Business Park.
What is cut edge corrosion, and can it be treated?
It is the rusting that starts at the exposed cut ends of profiled metal sheets, common on roofs built in the 1990s and 2000s. In most cases it is treatable with a proper edge treatment system, which is far cheaper than replacement if it is caught before it spreads.
Is my roof suitable for solar?
Larger trade and distribution roofs are often ideal. Nova assesses the usable area, the condition of the roof and the supporting structure, then tells you whether solar stacks up before you commit to anything.
Some older Exeter units have asbestos cement roofs. Do you handle those?
Yes. Nova identifies asbestos cement and advises on it properly. As a bonded material it is non-licensed work, but it still needs the right controls and disposal, which we set out clearly before anything starts.
Nova also covers
Rugby · Daventry · Doncaster · Magna Park and Lutterworth · Park Royal · Bristol and Avonmouth · Plymouth · Newton Abbot · Torbay · Yeovil · Taunton · Saltash · Ivybridge · Cullompton · Liskeard · Cold Storage · Drone roof surveys · Roof dilapidations