About Tate & Sons Roofing, Chesterfield

A Roofing Business Built on Doing It Properly

Tate & Sons started from a complaint plenty of homeowners will recognise: too many roofs are tarted up to look respectable for a season, then give way the moment a harsh winter wind sweeps down from the Derbyshire moors. We set out to work the other way round — find out what's genuinely wrong, use the right materials for the job in hand, and leave a roof that holds for years rather than months.

Our firm has grown steadily throughout the years by sticking to that idea instead of chasing the biggest possible turnover. We've stayed deliberately hands-on, which means the person who comes out to price your job is part of the same crew that turns up to carry it out. There's no anonymous call centre sitting in the middle, and nobody disappears once the deposit clears. You deal with people who've actually seen your roof, remember what was agreed, and are still around to sort it out if anything ever needs revisiting.

Everyone on the team is fully trained, and our work is fully insured and backed by relevant industry accreditations. We treat your property the way we'd want our own treated: tidy, well-run sites, driveways and borders protected, and the whole lot cleared away properly before we leave.

Meet the Team

A roof is only ever as good as the people who fit it, so we've been careful about who carries our name up the ladder. Our roofers are directly employed and trained in-house — not a rotating cast of subcontractors drafted in to hit a deadline. That continuity tells: the same familiar faces come back for any aftercare, they remember the awkward corners of your property, and they take real pride in a job they'd be happy to put their name to.

Between us we bring over 40 years of combined experience across just about every roof type you'll find around here — from delicate slate and lead detailing on heritage character homes to large flat-roof systems on commercial units out on the Sheepbridge or Chesterfield Trading estates. The team holds NVQ Level 2 and 3 qualifications in Roofing Occupations, CSCS cards, and we keep putting time into training so our methods and materials stay up to date.

The People Behind the Work

• James Tate — Founder & Managing Director: James started the business after fifteen years working roofs across Derbyshire and the East Midlands, and still prices most jobs himself. He set Tate & Sons up to work the way he always wished his old employers had — find out what's genuinely wrong, use the right materials, and stand behind the result. He's happiest up a ladder on a tricky period property, working out how to put it right without losing its character.
• Daniel Oakland — Project Manager & Lead Roofer: Dan has more than twenty years in the trade and runs the day-to-day on site, from full re-roofs to commercial flat-roof systems. He's the one who keeps a job moving to schedule and to standard, and he specialises in EPDM, GRP and standing-seam work as well as heritage slate and lead detailing on the older homes around Chesterfield.
• Janice Whitmore — Office Manager: Janice is usually the first voice you'll hear when you call our Marsden Street office. She keeps quotes, scheduling and aftercare running smoothly, makes sure surveys and follow-ups don't slip through the cracks, and chases nothing to the customer that hasn't been agreed first. If you've a question about timings or your quote, she's the one with the answer.

From the first phone call to the final inspection, you'll get the same straightforward, no-nonsense approach whoever you're dealing with. We're far more interested in earning your trust than rushing a quick sale, and the team is chosen and trained with exactly that in mind.

Roofers Who Know Chesterfield and North Derbyshire

For us, local knowledge isn't a marketing line — it shapes the work itself. Chesterfield's older residential pockets carry a fine mix of Victorian villas, stone cottages, and classic brick housing that needs sympathetic tile, slate, and lead detailing. Meanwhile, properties situated on the exposed, rising ground heading out toward the Peak District National Park take a real battering from the elements.

The geography of the valleys means that wind, driving rain, and sudden temperature drops interact with a building's age, height, and position in very specific ways. Knowing how the North Derbyshire climate tests a structure allows us to anticipate vulnerabilities and quote with genuine confidence.

We work right across the borough and the surrounding North Derbyshire fringe:

• Chesterfield Central & West: Brampton, Ashgate, Hasland, Newbold, and the Town Centre.
• North & East: Staveley, Brimington, Whittington, and Clay Cross.
• Peak Fringe: Dronfield, Eckington, and villages leading out toward the Peak District.

Knowing the area means we can anticipate the trouble that comes with a property's era and setting, ensuring the repair we provide is built to last.