sarah cat

Im thinking of buying a house which has a low pitched felt roof. I would prefer to have something longer lasting but wouldnt be able to do slate etc as the house is not able to take the weight. Ive read about mastic asphalt which sounds good, but i'd love some more advice if anybody can help?

nickbetsy

Hi Sarah,

We have all but stopped working with felt. Our product of choice is EPDM. It's a synthetic rubber membrane. relatively easy to apply. It is slightly more expensive but it lasts a lot longer and leaves customers less susceptible to later failure. The product itself comes is guaranteed for up to 30 years.

You can find more information about it at http://ahbroofsandlofts.co.uk/services/new-roofs

stonegate

Yes, EPDM flat roofing membrane is definitely the way to go. I found a very informative site that offers flat roof contractor services or provides EPDM DIY flat roof repair/renovation kits: http://www.flat-roof-repair.co.uk

prem-roof

Hi

where we are located felt is still widely used by a lot of roofers, is a good product and we still use it, either torch-on or pour and roll with hot bitumen pot, alongside other products we are trained in such as Rhepanol single ply membrane and Curon Fibreglass,

steve

verne

a firm of roofers i do work for do not tackle flat roofs. they say it is specialist work and attracts more bodgers than average... i have had to do some flat roofing repairs myself as a "temporary measure".

it seems to me the biggest problem with flat roofs is the under-boarding which never seems strong enough and allows movememnt, if not at first, certainly as the roof ages... people seem to equate flat roofs with cheap and consequently the budget is never big enough from construction onwards...

i have seen some very nice flat roofs of the bitumen felt type which must have been around half an inch thick with three or four layers of different types of felt and then gravel on top to keep the sun off... beautiful detail too - these people must have trained first as dressmakers and then as leadworkers before they started roofing...

question is; surely a roof like that is very nearly as heavy as some of the other traditional roofing methods?

shingles are not used much in this country but would offer sarah cat a lightweight alternative with the added advantage of easier and cheaper repairs and the possibility of treating to make them more fire resistant.
in addition, the use of shingles would be friendlier to the planet as long as they are sourced from properly managed forests.

CopperKing

My company offers the only alternative to a felt roof which we can guarantee for 100 years+.
We offer a standing seam metal roof in either copper, zinc or stainless steel. This method is hundreds of years old and is seen on many important buildings all over the world. The only reason it isn't used more domestically is because the general public do not know enough about it.
It's not as expensive as lead and doesn't have the draw backs of lead (no steps or weight issues), you can buy it pre-weathered so the colour that it is when installed is the colour it stays. You can also fit the hard metal to evey part of the roof- soffit, fascia, flasings and even have the gutter and down pipes made from the same material with the same guarentee.
I hope this gives you something to think about.
Good luck whatever you decide.