Flat Roofing in Wiltshire

There are three coverings in regular use on domestic flat roofs, and each comes with a real trade-off. EPDM rubber is a single sheet with no seams on most garage and extension roofs, stays flexible in cold weather, and typically lasts 25 to 30 years or more — it's our default recommendation for most flat roofs we quote. GRP fibreglass is also seamless and takes foot traffic well, which makes it the better choice for a balcony or anywhere people actually walk, but it's rigid: if the deck underneath moves, it can crack. Typically 20 to 30 years. Torch-on felt is the traditional multi-layer system — cheapest of the three, and still a perfectly good roof when it's laid properly, typically good for 15 to 20 years. It requires hot works, which is why not every roofer will quote for it; ours is £5m public liability including hot works cover, so it's a genuine option rather than one we quietly avoid.

Most flat roof problems trace back to one of five things: ponding water where the falls weren't right to begin with, seams or joints that have failed, splits at an upstand or abutment, a blocked outlet backing water up, or a deck that's rotted underneath while the covering on top still looks fine. That last one matters most — a new covering laid over a soft deck is money spent on a roof that's already failing, which is why we don't just re-cover without checking what's underneath first.

We fit flat roofs on garages, single-storey extensions, dormers, porches and garden rooms — and the deck can also carry a Velux rooflight or a full green roof, both of which we install. One thing worth knowing before you start calling roofers: a "flat" roof isn't actually flat. It needs a fall built in to drain properly — a roof laid dead level is one that will pond.