Haverhill Roofers help homeowners in Burwell and nearby villages decide whether their flat roof needs a repair or a full replacement - and carry out both.
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When a flat roof starts causing problems, the first decision is whether to repair the existing surface or strip it back and start again. Getting this wrong is expensive either way - a full replacement on a roof that only needed a repair wastes money, but a repair on a roof that is past saving just delays the same cost and allows water to keep getting into the structure underneath.
There is no universal answer. The right call depends on the age of the existing covering, what material it is, how widespread the damage is, and the condition of the deck beneath. A roofer should be able to tell you which applies to your roof after a proper inspection - not before they have looked at it.
Flat roofs appear most often on garages, single-storey rear extensions and dormer sections of loft conversions. They use a very shallow pitch - enough to drain water, but not enough to be visible as a slope from the ground. The surface material is either a bitumen felt product (the most common covering on older properties) or a modern single-ply system such as EPDM rubber. The deck underneath is typically tongued-and-grooved timber boarding, OSB or plywood sheets.
When a flat roof leaks, water can enter through a split or blister in the surface membrane, through a failed flashing at a wall junction, through a cracked or open perimeter trim, or through an outlet that has become blocked and allowed water to pond. Identifying the actual source of the leak - rather than just where water appears inside - is the first job.
A repair is the right option when the problem is localised and the rest of the roof surface is in reasonable condition. The following situations are good candidates for repair rather than replacement:
A competent repair will cut out the damaged section, check the deck for moisture beneath it, dry and treat the area if needed, and patch with a compatible material. For felt roofs, this means a heat-bonded patch with the same or better grade of felt. For EPDM, it means a factory-compatible patch bonded with seam tape or EPDM adhesive. A repair done this way will hold; a repair that simply applies lap sealant over a surface that has not been cut back and inspected will not.
Replacement becomes the right call when the damage or deterioration is widespread, when the deck has been compromised, or when the existing covering is at or beyond its working life. The following are signs that a repair will not be adequate:
If the deck is wet or rotten, the surface material cannot be replaced without sorting the deck first. This adds cost but is not optional - laying a new membrane over a compromised deck means the new roof will fail prematurely and the rot will continue.
A full flat roof replacement starts with stripping the old covering back to the deck. The deck is then inspected board by board. Damaged sections are replaced with new structural-grade ply or OSB. The new membrane - either torch-on felt or EPDM rubber - is then installed to the full area, with properly formed upstands at walls and lead or aluminium trim at the perimeter. Any outlets are cleared and checked for fall. The old material is removed from site as controlled waste.
Flat roof replacement in this region typically costs between £70 and £130 per square metre, depending on the material used and the extent of deck repairs needed. A standard garage roof of around 15-18 square metres might run to between £1,200 and £2,200 for a full replacement. A localised repair on the same roof could cost between £150 and £450 depending on what is involved.
For replacement work, homeowners are generally choosing between a torch-on felt system and an EPDM rubber membrane. Torch-on felt is a reinforced bitumen product applied in layers with a gas torch. A quality installation uses a three-layer system: vapour control layer, base layer and a mineral-finish cap sheet. EPDM is a synthetic rubber sheet bonded to the deck with adhesive. It is highly resistant to UV degradation and temperature cycling, and the material itself has a good long-term track record when properly installed.
Neither material is categorically better for every situation. EPDM is particularly well suited to roofs with complex detailing or where torch-on work near timber or combustibles is a concern. Torch-on felt is a proven and widely understood material and remains the most common choice for straightforward garage and extension roofs.
We cover Burwell and the surrounding area from our base in Haverhill. We also carry out flat roofing work in Linton, Steeple Bumpstead, Saffron Walden, Sturmer, Little Walden, Great Sampford and other villages and towns nearby. Call us to check whether we cover your postcode.
If you are unsure whether your flat roof in Burwell needs a repair or a full replacement, call us to arrange a survey. We will inspect the surface, check the deck where we can access it, and give you a straight answer along with a written quote for whichever option makes sense for your roof.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
