Ely Roofers handles commercial roofing projects in Sutton from the initial survey through to final clean-up, keeping your business running throughout.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Commercial roofing is not the same as domestic roofing, even when the building is modest in size. There are more people to consider - staff, customers, tenants - access is often more complex, and the consequences of doing the job poorly land harder when a business is operating underneath. Knowing how a well-run commercial roofing job progresses from first contact to completion helps you plan, ask the right questions and spot when something is not being handled properly.
Below is a straightforward account of how we approach a commercial roofing project. We work on warehouses, offices, retail units and agricultural buildings around Sutton and across Cambridgeshire. The process varies in detail depending on the building and the system involved, but the overall sequence holds.
Nothing useful happens before someone has actually been on the roof. A survey carried out from the ground, or based solely on photographs, is not enough to specify a commercial roofing job accurately. We need to assess the roof deck condition, the existing waterproofing and insulation, any penetrations or plant, the state of edge details, gutters and outlets, and the access situation.
On a flat roof, we are checking for soft spots in the deck that indicate saturated insulation or rotted timber or board beneath, and looking at how the existing system has performed - where it has failed, how old it is and whether it is worth repairing or needs replacing. On a metal sheet roof, we are checking individual sheet condition, fixings, ridge and hip caps, and any rooflights.
The survey also covers access. What scaffold or access equipment is needed? Is there a working parapet or edge protection already in place? Are there overhead power lines or other site constraints? All of this affects both the programme and the cost, and it needs to be established before any price is given.
Once we have surveyed the roof, we can put together a specification - a written description of what the job involves, including which system will be installed, the thickness and type of insulation, how penetrations and edges will be detailed, and what preparatory work is needed on the deck.
A proper commercial roofing quote should break down the work clearly enough that you understand what you are paying for. If a quote gives you a single lump sum with no detail, you have no way of knowing what is and is not included. Ask for the specification in writing before you agree to anything. A Risk Assessment and Method Statement (RAMS) is standard for commercial roofing work and should be available on request before the job starts.
This is the step that separates a contractor who works on commercial buildings from one who usually works on houses. Roofing noise, scaffold, dust and intermittent access disruption all affect the people working in or visiting the building below. Planning the programme around your operational needs matters.
For occupied offices or retail units, we discuss which sections of the roof can be completed in a sequence that keeps the noisiest work out of the busiest trading hours where possible. For warehouses and storage buildings, we plan the sequence to keep the covered area protected at all times - you should never have a large section of roof stripped and open at the end of a working day unless it is watertight and secured.
Where scaffold is required, we agree positioning with you in advance. Scaffold on a retail frontage or blocking a delivery entrance is not something that can be sorted out on the morning of installation. The access arrangements should be in the programme before work starts.
On a refurbishment project, the existing roofing system usually needs to be stripped back to the deck. On some projects - where the existing system is sound and suitably flat - it may be possible to overlay rather than strip, but this is a decision that requires a careful assessment of the deck loading, the existing insulation performance and the condition of the existing membrane. Overlaying should not be a default option chosen simply to save time.
Once the surface is stripped, the deck is inspected in detail. Any areas of damaged, soft or saturated board or plywood are cut out and replaced before the new system goes on. Installing a new membrane over a degraded deck is one of the most common causes of premature flat roof failure - the new system cannot perform if the substrate beneath it is not sound.
Falls are also checked at this stage. A flat roof needs a minimum gradient to drain properly - typically 1:80 as an absolute minimum, though 1:40 is preferable. If the existing deck does not drain adequately, tapered insulation can be used to build in falls within the new system. This adds cost but is far preferable to installing a new membrane onto a roof that ponds water.
The installation sequence depends on the system being used. On a single-ply membrane roof, the insulation boards go down first, the membrane is then laid and either mechanically fastened or fully adhered, and the seams are heat-welded. On a felt roof, multiple layers are built up in sequence. On a metal sheet roof, new sheets are fixed over the existing purlins, with flashings and caps fitted as work progresses.
Penetrations - pipes, vents, extraction units, rooflights - are detailed as the installation reaches them. These details are not an afterthought; they are often where roofs fail first and they need to be formed properly using the correct materials for the system being installed. Bodging a penetration detail to save time is a decision that causes a leak within a few years.
Edge details and terminations - where the membrane or sheeting meets walls, parapets, upstands or gutters - are completed last. These are checked against the specification before the scaffolding or access equipment is struck.
Before we leave site, we carry out a final inspection of the completed roof. Any remedial points identified at that stage are dealt with before we consider the job finished. We clear all debris, strip any temporary protection and leave the roof and the surrounding area clean.
You should walk the site with us at completion and ask to see any areas of the roof you want to check. If anything does not look right, say so before the scaffold comes down - once access equipment is removed, returning to address a concern costs time and money.
If your commercial roof needs repair, refurbishment or replacement in Sutton or nearby, call us to arrange a site survey. We will assess the roof properly and give you a clear, written specification before any work begins.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
