A leaking flat roof doesn’t always require replacement and in most cases our waterproofing system can be used to overlay the existing roof, carrying out flat roof renovation and refurbishment, rather than re roofing and replacement.
Carrying out flat roof refurbishment over replacing your flat roof, can offer many benefits on top of the obvious money saving / cost factor, without affecting the longevity or quality of the new waterproofing.
What are the associated benefits of overlaying, rather than full flat roof replacement?
Some of these benefits can include:
- Not exposing the building to the elements during the installation of the new waterproofing.
- Saving costs related to reduction in labour time and materials required.
- Not having to strip back the roof and deal with unnecessary waste disposal.
- Faster installation, ultimately helping to meet deadlines and schedules.
How do we determine whether your flat roof requires replacement, or renovation and refurbishment?
In order for us to determine the best approach to take, whether it be flat roof refurbishment and renovation, or to carry out re roofing via replacement of the flat roof and the existing substrate structure, will depend on the outcome of our free survey. As re roofing repair experts and from our experience, we find most roofs can be overlaid with an EPDM breather membrane.
Our comprehensive survey will determine if your current roof deck is structurally sound and secure. Where required, we may also take a core sample to determine whether any additional insulation is required to meet current building regulations, before discussing the outcome of our survey and recommendations.
The EPDM membrane we use are designed to be able to overlay an existing roof. The EPDM system is a permeable breather membrane, which means any existing moisture trapped within the roof structure can escape on a hot day, while still remaining 100% watertight against the elements.
What if I need my flat roof replaced?
In some cases where the roof is severely damaged, the best option would be to strip back and carry out full replacement of the existing flat roof structure. This is often the case where there has been water ingress for a prolonged period of time and the timber decking / underlying plyboards have become rotten.
In this case the only option to ensure safety and longevity, is to strip back the previous waterproofing material, replace the damaged timber, boarding, joist or decking and fully re roof the building, before replacing the flat roof waterproofing with a more long lasting, durable system.
How to avoid flat roof replacement?
Unfortunately to say there is no magic solution to this. Often the determining factor of whether your flat roof requires replacement (stripping and re roofing the building), or flat roof renovation and refurbishment (overlaying the existing roof composition), comes down to how quickly you address your leaking roof.
Although our EPDM waterproofing system doesn’t require any maintenance, you should also be aware that certain waterproofing systems (particularly outdated systems like felts) will require maintenance from time to time to ensure they last their full lifespan. General maintenance is also suggested such as clearing gutters and gulleys to ensure minimal ponding of water.
Once one leak occurs, you can be sure more will follow shortly thereafter and getting a re roofing repair expert out to take a look as soon as possible, is the only reliable advice which can be offered.