Ely Roofers covers March for flat roof repairs and full replacements, and this page explains what to do if your flat roof fails, how to limit the damage while you wait for a roofer, and which jobs should always be left to a professional.
Flat roofs on extensions, garages, and outbuildings are built using one of a small number of membrane systems: traditional built-up felt, torch-on felt, or EPDM rubber. Each sits on a timber deck and relies on a slight fall to drain water to a gutter or outlet. When the membrane fails, either through age, storm damage, or a blocked outlet causing ponding, water can reach the deck and the structure below it within a surprisingly short time.
Discovering a flat roof leak is stressful, particularly in bad weather. A few straightforward steps can limit the damage while you wait for a roofer to attend.
Inside the building: Move anything that can be damaged away from the wet area. Put down buckets or containers to catch dripping water, and use towels or absorbent material around the edges. If water is pooling on a ceiling and the area feels soft or bulging, it is holding water above the plasterboard. Carefully piercing the lowest point with a screwdriver allows it to drain in a controlled way rather than collapse under its own weight. This is destructive to the ceiling but prevents a much larger failure.
On the roof: If the weather is calm and you can access the roof safely from a fixed ladder, check whether the outlet or gutter is blocked. A blocked outlet causing the roof to flood is a common source of sudden leaks and clearing it immediately can stop the water coming in. Do not attempt to access the roof during high winds or if the roof surface is slippery.
A heavy-duty tarpaulin fixed over the problem area is the most effective short-term protection. It needs to be weighted or fixed at the edges so that wind does not lift it and cause further damage. A tarpaulin that flaps in wind can do more harm than the original problem.
Over-the-counter roof repair sealants, leak-stop sprays, and bitumen paint are sold as emergency fixes. They can slow a minor surface leak temporarily, but they have significant limitations. Applied to a wet surface they often do not bond properly. Applied over a blister or delaminated area they trap moisture and make it harder for a roofer to assess and properly repair the roof later. Treat them as a very short-term measure, not a solution.
The temptation when a roof is leaking is to get up there and do something about it. Some of those instincts lead to more damage, not less.
When you call, be ready to describe the roof clearly. A roofer who can plan the visit properly will attend more usefully. Helpful information includes: the approximate size of the roof, what it covers (extension, garage, outbuilding), what system you believe is on it (felt or rubber), how long the leak has been apparent, and whether there is visible standing water on the roof. If the interior damage is severe, say so: that affects how urgently the job needs to be attended.
A roofer should get onto the roof to inspect it before quoting for anything other than the most obvious minor repair. Any quote given purely from the ground or the ladder edge is incomplete.
Timescales vary with the job. A straightforward repair, such as a re-sealed flashing or a patched split in the cap sheet, may need only a short visit. A full replacement depends on the size of the roof and on whether deck replacement is needed. The roofer will strip the old membrane, inspect the deck for rot or softening, replace any damaged boarding, and lay the new membrane with properly turned-up edges at walls and a secured flashing at every junction.
Flat roof replacement costs in the UK currently run from around £70 to £120 per square metre for felt systems and from £90 to £150 per square metre for EPDM rubber. A typical single-garage roof of 20 to 25 square metres therefore tends to fall in the range of £1,400 to £3,000 in total, depending on system chosen, deck condition, and access. Deck replacement, where needed, adds to this figure.
Once a repair or replacement is complete, check the outlet and gutter are clear within a week or two, particularly after the first significant rain. Note whether any water is pooling on the surface after rain and for how long. A small amount draining away within a day or so is normal. Water sitting for three or more days points to a fall problem that should be raised with the roofer.
Any damp patches inside the building below the roof may take several weeks to dry out fully after a repair, depending on how long the water had been getting in. Monitor them rather than assuming the repair has failed. If new water is appearing, rather than existing dampness drying, that is when to call back.
We cover March and the wider Fenland area from our base in Ely, working across to places including Littleport, Soham, Stretham, Sutton, Haddenham, Prickwillow, and Over. If a flat roof in or near March is giving you trouble, call us to arrange a proper inspection. We will give you a clear account of what the roof needs and an honest recommendation on whether repair or replacement is the right call.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
