Coventry's housing stock tells the story of the city. Rows of Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Earlsdon, Stoke and Foleshill, then huge numbers of post-war homes built quickly after the Blitz, and later estates out toward Tile Hill and Walsgrave. The rebuild-era properties are the ones we see most, because concrete tile roofs laid in the forties and fifties are now well past their intended life and starting to fail in numbers.

Terraced roofs bring their own issues too. Shared valleys and party walls mean a problem next door quickly becomes a problem in your loft, and access usually needs proper scaffolding rather than a ladder.