Flat roofing in Mudeford

Felt roofs coming to the end. A lot of the flat roofs in Mudeford are the original felt from when the houses and extensions went up in the 1970s and early 1980s, or a later layer of torch on felt laid over the top.

Old built up felt on a Mudeford roof blisters, cracks along the laps and lets go at the edge trim. One split or blister can be cut out and patched, and we will do that where the rest of the roof still has life in it.

Replacing the covering. When the felt has failed in several places we strip it back to the deck. A rotten chipboard deck is replaced with plywood or OSB, the firring pieces are checked so the roof has a proper fall to its outlet, and the new covering goes on. That is usually EPDM rubber in a single sheet, a GRP fibreglass roof, or a three layer torch on felt system with a mineral cap sheet, laid to BS 6229:2025 on flat roofs. We tell you which suits the roof and why. A garage or a small extension is typically two to four working days.

Edges, upstands and outlets. Most flat roof leaks start at a detail rather than in the middle. The upstand against the house wall, the lead cover flashing chased into the brickwork above it, the drip edge over the gutter and the rainwater outlet are where we look first, and where we spend the time on a new roof.

Dormers on bungalows. On a Mudeford bungalow, a dormer's flat roof is small, high and awkward, and it often drains onto the main tiles. We renew the covering, dress the lead apron where it meets the tiles, and check the cheeks while we are up.

Warm roof or cold roof. Many older flat roofs in Mudeford have no insulation, or a thin layer between the joists with no vapour control layer, which leads to condensation. Replacing the covering is the time to fix that with PIR insulation boards laid on top of the deck as a warm roof, and building control applies when you do, because of Part L. A rooflight or a lantern is easier to reseal or replace at the same time.

When we would talk you out of it. A roof with one split and a sound deck needs a repair, not a new roof. Ponding on its own is not always a leak either, and we would say so.

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. In Mudeford, a garage at the end of a drive, a dormer on a bungalow that needs a scaffold on the tiles, and the roof of a block of flats reached through a shared stairwell are three very different jobs. 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.

We work on flat roofs across Mudeford and BH23, from the quay and Avon Beach to Friars Cliff, Highcliffe, Stanpit and Christchurch. BCP Council handles planning and building control, and our base in Boscombe is about four miles away.

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. Before you book a visit in Mudeford, you can read our customers' Google reviews, word for word, on our reviews page.

Most repairs in Mudeford need no application at all. What decides whether a change to the outside of your house does is who the council is, whether a conservation area or a listing applies, and whether the place sits in a protected landscape.