Flat roofing in Milford on Sea

The perimeter, because that is where it starts. Wind lifts a flat roof at the edge and hardest of all at the corners, and what holds it there is a run of trim, a line of fixings and a lap. So we look at the trim first: whether the fixings are still tight, whether the covering is bonded or mechanically fixed at the edge, and whether the drip and apron really do throw water clear. A lap that has split or a seam that has failed at the perimeter is a different problem from one out in the field, and it is the one that gets worse overnight.

The covering. Repairs are worth doing early here. A blister lifted off the deck, a crack along a joint in GRP fibreglass, a seam gone in EPDM rubber. Felt is cut out, primed and welded back under a fresh cap sheet; fibreglass is ground out and re-laminated; rubber is cleaned and bonded down. On a full re-cover, rubber gives one sheet with no joints across the field, fibreglass takes foot traffic on a balcony, a built up three layer torch on felt system is still a proper roof, and single ply suits a wide area over a ground floor flat.

The deck and the fall. Plywood, OSB or chipboard, and chipboard this close to the water has often taken damp from below as well as above. Firrings over the joists, or tapered insulation in a warm roof build up, put a fall back so water reaches the rainwater outlet. Ponding is not a leak on its own, but it holds grit and salt against the covering and it is where the split appears. A bubble underfoot means the deck is already wet, and standing water in a corner means the outlet and the fall have parted company.

The junctions and the threshold. The upstand against the house wall, the abutment where a lead cover flashing is dressed into a chase, the kerb round a rooflight, and on a balcony the door threshold, which has to be detailed so driven rain cannot get behind it. A parapet, a coping and a cavity tray are formed rather than sealed. A skylight, a lantern, a Velux, a hatch, a soil pipe or a vent pipe each get a collar. The gutter, hopper and downpipe are checked as a matter of course.

The build up. A ventilated cold roof is fine over a garage. Over a sun room we would put PIR insulation above the deck with the vapour control layer under it, so the dew point sits clear of the timbers and you do not swap a leak for condensation and interstitial damp. BS 6229 covers it. A garage is a day, a sun room with a new deck and firrings two or three working days.

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 balcony over a front room, a detached garage on a side drive and a sun room on the seaward elevation are three different jobs before anything is stripped. 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 Milford on Sea, Keyhaven, Hordle, Everton and the SO41 lanes down to the shingle, and the site visit is free. 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.