When a flat roof starts causing problems in Hockwold, the most important question is whether a repair will genuinely fix it or whether you are spending money on a roof that needs replacing.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Flat roofs are used on extensions, garages, outbuildings and bay window tops across the area. They rely on a waterproof membrane - whether felt, EPDM rubber or a modern reinforced system - laid over a timber or concrete deck, with carefully formed upstands at every wall junction and proper drainage falls built in. When all of that is done correctly, a flat roof performs reliably for many years. When any part of it is wrong, problems arrive early.
Brandon Roofers installs and repairs flat roofs in Hockwold and nearby, including Brandon, using EPDM rubber and quality modern felt systems. Both of these materials are a significant step forward from the thin mineral felt that was standard on homes built before the 1990s. Understanding which material and which approach suits your situation starts with an honest assessment of the roof's current state.
This is the question that separates a good roofer from one who will simply take the easier job. A repair is almost always cheaper in the short term. A replacement is sometimes far cheaper over five years. Working out which is right for your roof depends on a small number of factors, and none of them require guesswork if you have someone on the roof doing a proper inspection.
A repair is the right choice when the problem is genuinely isolated - a single failed joint, a loose or cracked flashing, a split at an upstand, or a small blister in the felt surface that has only just broken. In these situations the surrounding membrane is still sound, the deck beneath is dry and solid, and the leak has a specific, fixable cause.
A repair also makes sense on a relatively young roof. If a felt or EPDM roof is under ten years old and has been correctly installed, localised failure is unusual but not unheard of. Impact damage, poorly bedded flashings, or a detail that was never quite right from the start can all cause a leak on a roof that is otherwise in good order. In those cases, targeting the problem is both practical and cost-effective.
If most of these apply, a targeted repair carried out properly should serve you well.
Old mineral felt - the thin, gritty-surfaced material used until the late 1980s and into the 1990s - has a typical lifespan of ten to fifteen years in reasonable conditions, and often considerably less. Once it reaches that age, isolated patches begin to fail in sequence. Repairing one leak stops that particular drip, but another appears nearby within a season or two because the whole membrane has reached the end of its useful life.
Replacement becomes the sensible choice when:
A roof with a rotten deck cannot simply be resurfaced. The deck boards need replacing first, otherwise the new membrane is simply laid over a failing structure and the problem recurs. Any roofer who quotes for a new surface without inspecting the deck condition is cutting a corner that will cost you money later.
Water finding its way into a timber deck causes rot. Rot spreads. A deck that might cost £150 to repair at the point of replacement can become a full deck replacement if the roof is left leaking for another year. The same applies to fascias, rafters and ceiling joists below - all of these can be damaged by water that has been tracking through a failed flat roof for a prolonged period.
A flat roof that is actively leaking should not be left unattended through a wet season. Even if replacement is planned for the spring, temporary measures are worth considering to limit the ongoing damage. See our Mundford page for practical advice on what to do while you wait for a roofer.
A flat roof replacement done properly starts with stripping back to the deck, not overlaying. The deck is then inspected board by board and any soft or damaged sections replaced. Falls are checked - the minimum should be 1:80, though 1:40 is better - and tapered insulation used if the structure does not already provide adequate drainage gradient.
The new membrane - EPDM rubber or a quality torch-on felt system - is then laid and taken up the wall by at least 150mm at every upstand. Outlets are checked for position and clearance, all trims and edge flashings are fitted, and any penetrations (pipes, rooflights) are individually detailed. The job is not finished until there is a clean, unbroken surface, sound upstands and confirmed drainage.
A repair is not simply applying a patch. A proper flat roof repair starts with identifying the actual source of the leak, which is not always directly above the damp patch on your ceiling - water travels. The area around the failed point is cleaned back, the membrane is cut away as necessary to inspect the deck beneath, and any damp or soft deck material is replaced before the new membrane section is bonded in.
Flashing repairs involve removing the old mortar or sealant, cutting the flashing back to sound material if necessary, and reforming the detail properly rather than running a bead of sealant over the surface. Sealant alone over a failed flashing is a short-term fix that rarely lasts more than one or two winters.
A straightforward flat roof repair - a single failed upstand or isolated split in the membrane - typically costs £150 to £400 depending on access and the amount of deck work needed. A full replacement for a typical garage or extension roof (around 15 to 25 square metres) runs from roughly £1,200 to £2,500 using an EPDM or quality felt system. These are typical current UK figures; a survey of your specific roof will give you an accurate number.
If a roofer quotes for a repair on a roof that is clearly beyond repair, they are not saving you money - they are deferring a larger bill. Ask them directly: is this a permanent fix, or are you expecting to be back within a couple of years?
Call Brandon Roofers and ask for a flat roof inspection. We will tell you whether repair or replacement is the right move, explain what is involved, and give you a clear price before any work starts.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
