Haverhill Roofers installs and repairs flat roofs for homeowners in Clare, using EPDM rubber and felt systems on garages, extensions and dormers.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Having a flat roof replaced or repaired properly is only half the picture. What happens in the months and years after the work is finished has a significant bearing on how long the new surface lasts and whether you end up calling a roofer again sooner than you should. This page covers what good flat roofing involves, and then focuses on the practical steps you can take to protect your investment and avoid the next problem.
We work in Clare and across this part of Suffolk from our base in nearby Haverhill.
A flat roof that lasts starts with a proper installation. The old membrane is stripped back to expose the deck, which is inspected for rot or moisture damage. Any soft or deteriorated boarding is replaced before the new surface goes on. The fall - the slight slope that carries water to the outlet or drip edge - is checked and corrected if needed.
The membrane is then laid. We use EPDM rubber for most replacements, as it handles the thermal expansion and contraction that flat roofs go through over the seasons better than traditional felt. Felt remains a practical choice on smaller or more accessible roofs where budget is a priority, and when laid correctly in multiple layers it performs well.
Wherever the roof meets a wall, an upstand of at least 150 millimetres is formed, and lead or aluminium flashing is dressed over it and tucked into the brickwork. These junctions are where a disproportionate number of flat roof leaks originate, so they deserve particular care.
A flat roof is a managed surface. Unlike a pitched roof where water runs off quickly and debris tends to blow free, a flat roof accumulates leaves, moss and dirt. Outlets block. Upstands get knocked. Flashings work loose over time as the brickwork they are tucked into weathers. None of these are inevitable failures, but all of them become problems if left unattended.
The good news is that the maintenance a flat roof actually needs is minimal and straightforward. Most of it can be done safely from a ladder or from an adjacent structure without setting foot on the roof surface itself.
Most flat roofs drain through a single outlet, either an internal pipe through the deck or a drip edge at the low side. Blocked outlets cause water to pond, and standing water is the single biggest cause of early membrane failure. Check and clear the outlet at least twice a year - in autumn after leaf fall and in spring after any accumulated winter debris. It takes a few minutes and costs nothing.
Leaves and organic matter hold moisture against the membrane surface and accelerate degradation. A flat roof that stays clean and dry between rainfalls will outlast one that sits under a wet mat of rotting leaves. If trees overhang the roof, clear it more frequently.
Lead and aluminium flashings at wall junctions can work loose as the pointing that secures them weathers. A flashing that has dropped even a centimetre is no longer doing its job - water can run behind it and into the upstand. This is a visual check that takes a minute. If a flashing looks like it has moved, call a roofer before water gets in.
High winds can lift or pull back the membrane at upstands, particularly if the roof is on an exposed side of the property. After any significant storm, take a look from a safe vantage point. If the upstand looks disturbed or if you can see daylight under the flashing edge, arrange an inspection.
Moss on a flat roof is not just cosmetic. Moss roots work into any micro-cracks in the surface and the moisture it retains accelerates deterioration. A proprietary moss treatment applied to a felt roof every couple of years is cheap prevention. EPDM rubber is less hospitable to moss growth, but it can still occur in shaded spots.
Small blisters in a felt surface are caused by air or moisture trapped during installation, and they are not always an immediate problem. But a blister that grows, or that eventually cracks open, allows water into the felt layers beneath. Keep an eye on any blisters and report them to a roofer if they appear to be growing or if the surface feels soft around them.
Twice-yearly inspections - once in spring and once in autumn - are enough for most flat roofs in normal condition. Each inspection should cover:
You do not need to walk on the roof to do this. Most of it can be seen from a ladder at the eaves or from an upstairs window. If anything looks wrong, get a roofer to take a proper look rather than leaving it.
Do not delay calling a roofer if you notice water staining on an interior ceiling below the flat roof, if a flashing is visibly out of position, or if after heavy rain you can hear water sitting on the roof rather than draining away within a reasonable time. Small problems on flat roofs rarely stay small - the sooner they are addressed, the less chance there is of the water reaching the deck and turning a simple repair into a more significant job.
We handle repairs and replacements across the full range of domestic roofing - pitched roofs with tiles or slates, chimney flashings, ridge tile repointing, storm damage repairs and garage roof replacements.
If your flat roof is showing any of the signs mentioned on this page, or if it has simply not been looked at for a few years, call us to arrange a survey. We will check the surface and the flashings, give you an honest view of the roof's condition, and let you know whether any work is needed. A short inspection now can prevent a much more expensive problem later.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
