Flat Roofing in Brockenhurst

Wind first, because the most exposed side of most buildings here faces the south westerlies. Wind does not press a flat roof down, it lifts it, and the suction is strongest along the edges and in the corners. That is why the perimeter fixings and the edge trim matter more than the middle of a sheet, why a trim that has come loose is urgent rather than cosmetic, and why we fix the perimeter at tighter centres than the field. On a mechanically fixed single ply roof the whole fixing pattern is designed around that one fact.

Water second, and it only does damage when it stops moving. Ponding means the fall is wrong or the outlet is blocked, and standing water pushes its way into any lap that is not fully welded or bonded. We re-cut falls with firrings or tapered insulation, put the outlet at the true low point, and clear the hopper, the gutter and the downpipe as part of the work rather than as an extra at the end.

Sun third, and it is the quiet one. Ultraviolet takes the surface off a felt covering until the mineral cap sheet goes bald, then the bitumen underneath hardens and starts to craze. Blisters and bubbles are the same story: trapped moisture expanding under a surface that has lost its flexibility. A single split is a repair, back to sound material with a fresh piece bonded or welded across it. Where the crazing runs right across the roof, patching is only buying months and we will say so.

Movement fourth. An old house with modern additions moves at different rates in different places, and the covering has to absorb that at the upstand. EPDM manages it well: one bonded rubber sheet, no joints out in the field, enough give at the junction. GRP cures into a single rigid fibreglass skin and wants a stable new plywood deck under it, which is ideal on a garage and less so bridging old and new. Three layer built up felt under a torched mineral cap sheet takes traffic best of the four. Welded single ply covers the wide spans.

Then there is what people do to a roof. Ladders leaned on the edge, aerials, a dish, somebody up in boots to clear a gutter. Where a roof gets used we specify a covering that will take it and lay walkway protection out to the rooflight or the flue. And under all of it is the deck, which is what really decides the price: chipboard that has been damp for years comes out and OSB goes back, with the joists checked while the boards are up. If the covering is being renewed, the sensible build is warm, with PIR above the deck and the vapour control layer under it so the dew point stays out of the timber, rather than a cold roof relying on a ventilation gap. BS 6229 covers the construction. Detailing is the last job and the one that keeps you dry: a cover flashing chased in or lead dressed over an apron, coping bedded on a parapet with a cavity tray behind, a drip on every open edge, kerbs built up under rooflights and lanterns so the skylight sits clear of water, and collars on the Velux, the hatch, the soil pipe and the vent pipe.

No rate per square metre, because the square metres are the easy part and what is under the covering is what decides the job.

Getting to it. A detached garage down a gravel drive, a lean-to behind a cottage and a dormer cheek on a two storey house are three different jobs before anything is unrolled. A garage or a single storey extension will often come off a tower, anything above a two storey wall wants a scaffold, and the platform has to stand while the deck is open rather than for an afternoon. The work at height rules are why it is a priced line rather than something folded into a rate.

The deck under the covering. A sound deck can be re-covered. Chipboard that has been wet for years, or ply that gives underfoot, has to come off and be replaced, and you cannot tell which you have from the ground or from a photograph. We lift a corner before quoting, because the deck is the single biggest swing in the price.

The falls, and where the water is meant to go. Most flat roofs that fail were never laid to a fall, or the fall runs at an outlet that has since been blocked or built over. Correcting it with firrings is more work than laying a membrane and it is the difference between a roof that lasts and one that ponds. Upstands, edge trims and each outlet are priced one at a time, because that is where the hours and the leaks both are.

Comparing quotes? Ask which system is being quoted and how many layers, whether the deck is being renewed or covered over, whether the falls are being corrected with firrings, how the upstands, outlets and edge trims are detailed, and whether the scaffold and the skip are in the price. Two quotes for the same job are usually two different jobs.

We cover Brockenhurst and out to Boldre, Lymington, Sway and Lyndhurst across SO42, working over from Bournemouth. You are dealing with Bournemouth Roofing & Building, the trading name of Bournemouth Roofing & Building Ltd, registered in England and Wales, company number 15471719, which you can look up in a minute. Thomas Hannen's business, and he is the one who comes out to price the job, not a salesman. A verified customer's 10 out of 10 on Checkatrade. The visit and the written quote are both free.