Ely Roofers carries out flat roofing installations and repairs in Sutton, and we think homeowners should know exactly what to expect from the moment we arrive to the moment we leave.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Flat roofing can feel like a black box - a crew arrives, work happens on a roof you cannot easily see, and a bill is presented at the end. Knowing what a properly done job actually involves helps you ask the right questions, spot shortcuts and feel confident that the work is being carried out correctly.
We cover Sutton and the surrounding area, working on extensions, garages, outbuildings and flat-roofed single-storey additions of all kinds.
Before any price is agreed, the roof needs to be looked at properly. That means getting up to it, not just glancing from the ground. A ground-level inspection can spot obvious sagging or blocked outlets, but it cannot reveal the condition of the seams, the upstand details, the state of the deck or how well the drainage falls are holding up.
During the assessment, a roofer should be checking the surface membrane for cracks, blisters and failed laps; the edge trims and fascia boards for rot or movement; all upstands where the roof meets a wall; the outlet or outlets for blockage and condition; and anywhere the deck feels soft underfoot. Any findings should be explained to you clearly before work is agreed.
If a roofer quotes without going up to inspect the roof, that is worth asking about. A quote produced from the ground is a guess.
Once the assessment is complete, the roofer should be able to tell you clearly: whether this is a repair or a full replacement; what material will be used and why; whether any of the deck needs replacing; what the edge and upstand details will involve; and what the total price is.
For a full replacement on an extension or garage roof, the price typically includes stripping the old covering, disposing of the waste, inspecting and if necessary repairing the deck, laying the new membrane with all edge trims, dressing upstands to the wall, and clearing up on completion. Make sure you understand what is and is not included before work starts.
On a replacement job, the first task is stripping back the existing membrane to expose the deck. This is where the real condition of the roof is confirmed. Old felt often comes away in layers, and what lies underneath is not always what was expected.
A common problem found at this stage is that previous repairs have been patched over the original covering rather than properly stripped back. Multiple layers of felt trap moisture and add weight to the deck, and they can mask rotted boards beneath. Any rotten or soft areas of decking identified at this stage need to be cut out and replaced with new plywood or boarding before the new membrane is laid. Covering rotten timber is not an option - it will continue to deteriorate and compromise the new roof.
Waste from a stripped flat roof - old felt, timber sections and edge trims - should be removed from site, not left for you to deal with.
Once the old material is off, the deck is thoroughly inspected and any soft or damaged boards are replaced. If insulation is being added - either as part of a warm roof upgrade or to meet current standards on a new build extension - it is laid at this stage, above the deck and below the new membrane.
The deck surface must be clean, dry and secure before any new covering is applied. Edge trim battens and drip trims are checked or replaced at this point, as they form the border into which the new membrane is finished.
The approach differs depending on the material being used.
For a torch-on felt system, the underlayer is bonded to the deck first, followed by the cap sheet. Each layer is bonded using a gas torch, melting the underside of the felt to form a continuous adhesive bond. Laps are typically 75mm to 100mm and are carefully torched to seal. The process is warm work and is done carefully - any uncured lap is a future leak point.
For an EPDM rubber membrane, the rubber is typically bonded using a specialist adhesive applied to both the deck and the underside of the membrane. Because EPDM comes in large sheets, the number of joins is kept to a minimum. Where joins do exist - at corners, pipe penetrations or very large roofs - they are made using self-adhesive EPDM tape and seam primer. Getting these details right is the difference between a watertight roof and a problem waiting to happen.
In both cases, the membrane is taken up the wall at every upstand point to a minimum height of 150mm, secured and sealed. This upstand is what keeps wind-driven rain from getting behind the covering at the wall junction.
Once the main field of the membrane is laid, the drainage outlets are fitted or refitted through the membrane and sealed. On EPDM systems, purpose-made rubber outlet collars bond directly to the membrane. On felt systems, the felt is dressed tightly around the outlet body and sealed.
Edge trims - typically aluminium or galvanised steel - are fitted to the perimeter of the roof to secure and protect the edge of the membrane. These are fixed to the fascia board or the structural edge and then the membrane is dressed over and under them to form a clean, weathertight edge.
Any lead flashing where the roof meets a brick or render wall is either refitted or replaced. A lead flashing that is cracked, pulling away or poorly pointed into the mortar joint is a leak waiting to happen regardless of how good the membrane below it is.
Before leaving, the completed roof should be walked and checked. All laps and seams should be confirmed as bonded. All outlets should be clear and seated correctly. All upstands and edge trims should be secure. Any debris from the job should be cleared from the roof surface itself.
At ground level, all waste from the stripped roof and any packaging from new materials should be removed. The surrounding area should be left as it was found.
It is reasonable to ask the roofer to walk you through what has been done before they leave, especially if there were any findings during the job - replaced deck sections, adjusted drainage, additional flashing work - that affected the final price.
A typical flat roof replacement in this area runs from around £70 to £120 per square metre for torch-on felt, and £90 to £150 per square metre for EPDM rubber, including stripping, disposal and edge details. A garage roof of around 20 to 25 square metres might cost between £1,500 and £3,500 depending on material choice and deck condition. Extension roofs and those needing significant deck work sit towards the upper end.
We cover Sutton and the surrounding area including Ely, Haddenham, Wilburton, Witchford, Stretham, Soham, Littleport, Prickwillow, Over, March and the villages around them.
If your flat roof needs attention, call Ely Roofers to arrange a proper inspection in Sutton. We will get up to the roof, tell you what we find and give you a clear price for putting it right.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
