Flat Roofs ThatShed the Water.
Felt and GRP fibreglass flat roofs on extensions, garages and dormers, repaired where that is honest, stripped and re-laid where it is not.
Flat Roofing in South West London, Surrey and West Sussex.
Flat roofs are not truly flat. They are laid to a shallow fall so water runs to an outlet, and most of the flat roofs that fail have lost that fall. The deck has sagged, water sits in a pool, and standing water finds every weakness there is.
They fail at the edges rather than the middle. The upstand where the roof meets a wall, the drip at the front edge, the outlet, and any junction with something else. If someone tells you the whole roof has failed because there is a leak at one upstand, get a second opinion.
We repair what is genuinely repairable and re-lay when the deck has had enough. Felt and GRP fibreglass both have their place, and which is right depends on the roof, what is under it and what you want from it.
Flat roofs fail at the edges, long before the middle gives up.
Two Coverings, and Where Each One Belongs.
Most flat roofs are one or the other. This is the honest difference, without the sales pitch.
Both are laid to a fall, both need sound timber underneath, and we fit either. Tell us the roof and we will say which we would use on it.
What the Work Involves.
Felt Systems
Torch-on felt, laid in layers with the laps and upstands detailed properly.
GRP Fibreglass
Laid in one piece over a prepared deck, with no joints across the field of the roof.
Repairs to Upstands and Edges
Where the roof meets a wall or turns down at the front, which is where most flat roof leaks are.
Outlets and Rainwater Exits
Cleared, replaced and made sure they are at the low point rather than somewhere the water never reaches.
Deck Replacement
Where the boards underneath have gone soft, there is no point laying a new covering over them.
Falls Corrected
Building the fall back in with firrings so water leaves the roof rather than pooling on it.
How to Tell You Need It Looked At.
Water Sitting on the Roof Days After Rain
The fall has gone or the outlet is blocked. Standing water finds every weakness.
Blisters or Bubbles in the Covering
Moisture trapped underneath, expanding in the sun.
Cracks at the Upstand
Where the roof turns up to meet a wall. The commonest leak point on any flat roof.
The Ceiling Below Feels Soft
Water has been getting in for a while and the deck may be affected, not just the covering.
Flat Roofing We Have Done.
Why Two Flat Roofing Jobs Cost Different Things.
We give a written price for the work we have looked at. These are the things that move it.
How We Reach It
A bungalow off a properly secured ladder and a three-storey terrace needing a scaffold are two different jobs before anyone touches the work itself.
The Size of the Roof
A porch, a garage and a full-width rear extension are quite different.
What Is Under the Covering
If the deck is sound the job is a re-cover. If it is soft, the boards come off too.
Felt or GRP
Two different systems with different costs and different strengths. We will talk through which suits your roof.
The Questions We Get Asked About Flat Roofing.
It depends on the system, how well it was laid and whether water is standing on it. Rather than a number, the things that decide it are the falls, the detailing at the edges and whether the deck underneath stayed dry. A flat roof that drains properly lasts far longer than one that ponds.
Neither is better in every situation. GRP goes on in one piece with no joints across the roof, which suits some jobs well. Modern torch-on felt systems are laid in layers and are very durable. What matters more than the material is the fall, the detailing and the deck.
If the deck is sound and the problem is at an upstand, an outlet or the front edge, that is a repair. If water has been getting in long enough to soften the boards, a new covering over a wet deck will fail. We will look and tell you which you have got.
Either the fall was never right, or the deck has sagged over time, or the outlet is not at the low point. Standing water is not automatically a disaster but it does shorten the life of the covering, so it is worth correcting when the roof is re-laid.
The materials are available, but the detailing at the upstands, edges and outlets is where flat roofs are won and lost, and torch-on systems involve a naked flame on a building. It is not the DIY job it looks like.
Yes. Tell us what it is and what is underneath it. Anything walked on needs a different specification from a roof nobody goes on, so that changes the approach.
Four Steps From Your Call, to the Job Done.
You Call or Send the Form
Tell us your town and what you have noticed. A photo from the ground helps more than you would think.
We Come and Look
At the actual thing, where it is safe to get to it. You hear what has failed and what it takes to put right, in plain words.
You Get a Written Price
For the work we have described, with time to think about it. If there is a word on it you do not recognise, ask and we will explain it.
We Do the Work and Clear Up
Agreed dates before we start, and everything off the drive when we finish.
Flat Roofing Across Fourteen Towns.
South West London, Surrey and West Sussex. There is a local number for each area, plus a mobile. If you are just outside, ask anyway.
Other Things We Get Called Out For.
Tell Us About the Flat Roofing, and We'll Come and Look.
Your name, a number, roughly where you are and what you have noticed. That is all we need.