Flat roofs in Croydon

What a flat roof is made of

Under the covering, a flat roof is a timber deck laid on joists, with a slight fall so the rain runs off to a gutter or outlet. The waterproof layer goes on top. For many years that meant built-up felt: two or three layers bonded together, the top one finished with mineral chippings or a cap sheet. Torch-on felt works the same way, its layers softened with a gas torch as they are laid so that each one bonds to the one below. Single-ply rubber membranes and fibreglass are other common coverings, each with its own way of being laid and repaired.

Signs your flat roof is failing

Water that stays in the same place for days after rain, blisters and bubbles in the felt, cracks along the edges, chippings washing into the gutter, and felt pulling away from the wall at the upstand are all warnings. Inside, it shows as a stain on the ceiling of the extension or garage, often some way from the split. Left too long, the water gets into the deck boards. Once they go soft, a new covering cannot simply be laid on top: the deck has to be replaced as well, which makes the job bigger.

New flat roofs

When a flat roof has been patched too many times, a new one can be the better answer. We take off the old roof and lay a new one. The new flat roofs in our photos are felt, finished with lead flashing where the roof meets a wall. R T had us replace a flat roof, then called us back for the chimneys and gutters.

How the work is done, and how long it takes

For a repair, the damaged area is cut out, dried and covered with new material that laps well onto the sound covering round it. For a new roof, the old covering is stripped, the deck is checked and any rotten boards are replaced, then the new layers go down and the edges, the upstands and the lead at the wall are finished. A small repair often takes a few hours. A new roof on a garage or a single storey extension is commonly a day or two of work, but that depends on the size, on what turns up under the old felt and on the weather.

New pitched roofs

Flat roofers near you

We are based in Shirley, Croydon, and work on flat roofs across Croydon, Bromley, Orpington, Beckenham and South London. Toni Wilson called us for a flat roof repair, had a quote within a couple of days, and has not had a leak since.

Pitched roof repairsLead flashingGuttering