Flat Roofing and Flat Roof Repairs in Telford

Flat Roofs on Telford's Estates

Much of Telford's growth was "new town" housing, and flat roofs are part of how those estates were put together. The usual ones:

• Garages, on their own or in blocks where one roof runs over several doors.
• Link blocks, the single-storey section tying a house to its neighbour, often a garage or utility room.
• Rear extensions, kitchens and dining rooms built on later with a flat top.
• Porches and canopies over front doors.
• Dormer cheeks and tops, where a dormer has a flat roof of its own.

Most were built as felt over a timber deck. Some have been re-covered since, and some still wear a tired first covering. Garage blocks need extra thought: when one roof runs over several garages, a leak can start on a neighbour's section and show up in yours, so doing the whole run together is often simpler.

Repair or Replace

Signs of trouble are water sitting a day or two after rain, blisters and splits near the edges, a gap where the roof meets a wall, and staining on the ceiling below. A single split or failed trim on a sound roof is a repair, and a good one can buy years. The decision rests on the deck. If the boards are firm and dry, patching makes sense. If they have gone soft or dropped, a patch sits on something already failing. An old covering also tends to fail again a few feet from the last repair, so ask for both prices and compare.

Felt, GRP or EPDM

Felt

Torch-on felt goes down in layers with a mineral top sheet. It is the quickest and least expensive of the three, and sensible for a garage that may be rebuilt. It has the shortest working life, and it struggles with standing water and with joints that open as the roof moves.

GRP Fibreglass

GRP is resin and glass matting laid over a new deck, setting into a hard, joint-free skin with a coloured topcoat. It can be walked on, it handles awkward corners and edges neatly, and it suits balconies and busy roof details. It must go down in dry weather over a stable deck, because movement in the boards can crack it.

EPDM Rubber

EPDM is a synthetic rubber membrane, usually laid in one piece on a domestic roof so there are no joints to fail. It copes well with heat, cold and a little movement, which makes it a common pick for garages and extensions that nobody walks on.

Laid on a sound deck, GRP and EPDM are generally expected to outlast felt by a wide margin.

Falls, Ponding and Outlets

A flat roof is never truly flat. It needs a fall so water runs to a gutter or outlet. When the deck dips, water sits in shallow pools, known as ponding, which finds every weak joint and wears the covering faster. On a replacement, the fall is restored with tapered timbers or insulation. One outlet blocked with leaves turns the roof into a tray, so check the quote covers outlets and edge trims.

Insulation and the Warm-Deck Question

Older flat roofs are often "cold deck": insulation sits under the boards, and warm air from the house condenses on the cold deck, rotting it and looking just like a leak. A "warm deck" puts insulation on top of the boards, under the new covering, so the timber stays warm and dry.

If more than half the roof is renovated, Approved Document L normally requires the insulation to be brought up to current standards, which usually means a warm deck. That raises the roof level, so ask how the new edge meets door thresholds and window sills. A firm in NFRC CompetentRoofer can self-certify the work; otherwise building control should be told before work starts. This is general information, not advice about your roof.

What Changes the Price

Area. A porch and a double garage are very different jobs, and larger roofs usually cost less per square metre.

The deck. Replacing rotten boards adds material and time. Ask what the quote assumes and how extra boards are charged.

Insulation. A warm-deck build-up adds material and raises the edges.

Details and access. Upstands, rooflights and outlets add work, and a dormer needs a tower or scaffold where a garage is ladder work.

What Drives a GRP Roof Cost

The deck is the main factor, because GRP needs a new, stable one. Then the number of edges and corners to be trimmed, and whether the weather allows a dry run of days.

What Drives an EPDM Roof Cost

Size and shape come first: one rectangular sheet is quick, while a roof with several upstands and pipes takes longer to detail. Adhesive, trims and any new deck follow.

Our guide to flat roof replacement cost sets out typical UK ranges for felt, GRP and EPDM.

How It Works

Tell us which flat roof it is and what it is doing. We pass the details to an independent roofing firm covering your part of Telford, and they contact you to look and quote. We don't do the work, and we don't inspect, approve or check the firm. The service is free with no obligation, and enquiries outside working hours get a call back the next working day.

Related Services

Where a flat roof meets a pitched one, the leak is often in the flashing, covered under roof repairs. If the whole house needs doing, the flat sections can go with it under roof replacement. Leaks that turn out to be an overflowing gutter belong to guttering, fascias and soffits.

Areas We Cover

Flat roofing across Hollinswood, Sutton Hill, Woodside, Stirchley & Brookside, Donnington and Lawley, plus every other Telford estate and town. see all service areas