How much does a flat roof repair cost in Gloucester?
Flat roof leaking or blistered? Post the job for free and it goes to local roofers who cover your area. Only the roofer who takes it on gets your contact details.
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Flat roof repairs
Flat roofs on garages, extensions, bays and dormers deal with standing water in a way pitched roofs never do, and they tend to fail at the edges, the joints and around anything that comes through them. Common repairs are patching splits and blisters, resealing upstands where the roof meets a wall, and replacing damaged edge trims or flashings.
What decides the job is the state of the whole roof. The leaking patch is only part of the picture. If the covering is brittle and cracked in lots of places, or the deck underneath has gone soft, a patch may only buy a little time. A good roofer will tell you when replacement makes more sense.
Say what the roof is covered with if you know: mineral felt, rubber (EPDM), fibreglass (GRP), a liquid coating or asphalt. Each is repaired differently, and patching one type with another rarely lasts.
Older garage roofs need a mention. HSE lists asbestos cement roof sheets among the common places asbestos is found in buildings put up before 2000, and corrugated sheet roofs on garages and outbuildings are a typical example. Don’t drill, cut or stand on them, and say so when you post.
Most flat roof repairs don’t need building regulations approval. If the work grows to half or more of the roof, it’s treated more like a replacement, and approval and insulation rules can apply.
What to include when you post
A few details help the roofer judge whether it’s a patch or something bigger.
- Photos of the roof taken from a window or the ground, never by climbing up
- Photos of any damp patches or drips inside
- The rough size of the roof, in metres if you can measure the room or garage below
- What it’s over: garage, extension, dormer or bay
- What it’s covered with, if you know, and roughly how old it is
- When it leaks: every time it rains, or only in heavy or wind-driven rain
- How a roofer would reach it, including side access and anything fragile below
Choosing a roofer and what to ask
Ask the roofer what they found and why they recommend repairing rather than replacing, or the other way round. Photos of the problem area are a fair thing to ask for.
The written quote should describe the repair: the area being covered, the materials, and whether upstands, edge trims and flashings are included. Ask what happens, and how it will be priced, if the deck turns out to be rotten once they start.
Guarantees on repairs are often shorter or more limited than on a new roof, and some roofers won’t guarantee a patch on an old covering at all. Get whatever is offered in writing. Check they hold public liability insurance, and confirm they’ll take away old material and leave your gutters and outlets clear.
Not quite the right job?
See every job on our Roofer page, or post it anyway and describe it in your own words.
Before a tradesperson starts work
Registrations
Some work must be done by a registered professional. Work on a gas boiler, cooker or fire must be done by a Gas Safe registered engineer, which you can check on the Gas Safe Register.
Our business check
Limited companies are checked with Companies House and sole traders upload their insurance certificate. Trade registrations are confirmed by the tradesperson when they sign up.
Get the price in writing
Ask for a written quote that sets out the work and the price before anything starts. Your contract for the work is with the tradesperson.
Questions
What people tend to ask before booking this job. For anything specific to your home, ask the tradesperson who takes it on when they get in touch.
It depends on the material, how well it was laid and how it's been looked after. Your roofer can tell you what condition yours is in.
Most coverings need a dry surface to bond. A temporary cover can go on in bad weather until the proper repair can be done.
Flat roofs are built with a slight fall so water runs off. Pooling can mean the deck has sagged, the fall was never right, or an outlet is blocked. Water that sits for days puts extra strain on the covering.
It can work on a sound roof with minor wear. It won't fix a rotten deck or a covering that has come away, so ask the roofer to check what's underneath first.
Not usually for a small repair. If half or more of the roof is being re-covered, or the structure is changing, approval is normally needed and the roof may have to be insulated to current standards. The roofer or your local council's building control team can confirm.