Roofing service
Flat roofs and flat roof repairs
Flat roofs have a bad reputation, and most of it was earned by cheap felt laid badly in the 1970s and 80s. A flat roof built properly with modern materials isn't the liability people assume.
We work on extensions, dormers, garages, porches and bay roofs across East Lancashire and Craven.
- Covering
- East Lancashire & Craven
- Quotes
- Free, no pressure
- Ring or text
- 07840 031508
What we do
- Repairs to splits, blisters, and failed seams and upstands
- Full replacement in torch-on felt or EPDM rubber
- New firrings to correct the fall where water is ponding
- New timber decking where the old has gone soft
- Lead and flashing detailing where the flat roof meets a wall
- Conversion to a pitched roof where that makes more sense
Felt or rubber?
- Torch-on felt.
- Modern high-performance felt is a long way from the old stuff. It's the cheaper of the two, quick to lay, and a properly laid three-layer system gives you a good couple of decades. The joins are the weak point, so it suits simple rectangular roofs better than complicated ones.
- EPDM rubber.
- A single sheet, often with no joins at all on a domestic roof. Very good in cold weather and very good with movement, which matters on a timber deck that expands and contracts through the year. It costs more than felt and it lasts longer.
On a plain garage roof, felt properly laid is sound value. On anything with upstands, changes of level or pipes coming through, rubber usually earns the difference.
Why flat roofs fail
- No fall.
- A flat roof should never actually be flat. Without a fall of at least 1 in 80 the water sits, and standing water finds any weakness eventually. Ponding after rain is the sign.
- Movement.
- Timber decking moves. A covering that can't move with it splits, usually at the joins.
- Upstands and edges.
- Almost every flat roof leak we find is at an edge, an upstand against a wall, or around a pipe. Very few are in the middle.
- Blocked outlets.
- A blocked gutter or outlet turns a flat roof into a paddling pool, and the weight alone becomes a problem.
- Age.
- Old felt goes brittle, cracks and lets go.
Repair or replace?
A split or a failed seam on an otherwise sound roof is a repair, and a reasonable one.
Once you're patching the same roof every year, or the decking underneath has gone soft underfoot, you're paying repeatedly for something that wants doing once. We check the deck by walking it, and by lifting a section if there's any doubt. A soft deck means the covering has been leaking longer than you realised.
Common questions
The things people ask us
Shallow ponding that clears within a day or two is common. Water still sitting there in dry weather means the fall is wrong, and no covering fixes that on its own. It needs new firrings underneath.
Sometimes, and it's cheaper. But it hides whatever the old one was doing and it adds weight. We'd rather strip it and see the deck, and we'll tell you if overlaying is genuinely sensible on your roof.
Properly laid felt gives you a good couple of decades and rubber more, both assuming the fall is right and the outlets stay clear. The fall matters more than the material.
Usually a blocked outlet or an upstand that's fine in light rain and overwhelmed in heavy rain. It's normally a small fix if it's caught before the deck gets wet.
Reviews
What people said about the work
Read the reviews, then ring us and see if we match up.
Alex has just repaired chimney (putting right someone else’s bad work mainly) and ridge Used Alex before after storm in 2022 brought guttering down on my 300 yr old cottage. Measured, made and fitted within about a week thankfully after months of others roofers either not showing or making out how difficult the job was
First class conscientious and speedy roof repairs and re-roofs, worked all daylight hours to complete my new roof in late November. Went out of their way to get everything right. Highly recommended.
Prompt service and tidy workmanship when we had gutters cleaned and also some minor repairs including repairing continuous dripping when raining. Would use again.
Very happy with the quality of the repair work carried out on our roof. Reliable, and competitively priced. Professional and friendly service. Thanks.
Prompt service overall a good job and price ! Many Thanks would recommend.
Alex replaced our leaking guttering. The guttering was measured, ordered and all replaced within a week! The job was done very professionally and at a great price! Great guys, who left the area spotless, when finished. Fantastic job! Great, honest, genuine tradesman. We would highly recommend to all!!!!!
Alex did our roof when it needed some repair. Was great, advised what was needed once he was up there (and could see the state of things) and fixed everything up. The roof looks good as new and also spruced up the guttering whilst he was up there. Will definitely use him again if needed in the future.
Alec did an excellent job on my roof I would recommend him to anyone wanting a good workman at a competive price
Alex replaced my guttering, did an excellent job, no mess, reasonable price, would highly recommend.
Alex did a brilliant job, explained everything, very reliable, left no mess, would definitely use him again and would recommend to anyone.
Alex did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. Honest and trustworthy from the first minute he came to look at my roof, was the only roofer who took the time out to actually go up on the roof before talking me through what was needed.
Quality work completed at competitive price, turned up and completed work time
We met Alex by chance one rainy afternoon on the local canal towpath. We were both sheltering from the rain under the same bridge. My husband and I had, earlier, been discussing our garage roof which was new a few years ago, but which had been leaking for some time. We think our chance meeting with Alex was meant to happen as, for some reason, I mentioned our leaky roof to him. We have always had difficultly finding reliable…
Excellent job, lovely people, very good roofers and sensible prices
Absolutely brilliant service from start to finish. The work was completed to a really high standard they were reliable, professional and tidy throughout. It’s clear they take pride in their work, and the finished roof looks fantastic. Would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a trustworthy, hardworking roofer. Thank you to Alex, Jeff, Ryan & Junior Kath & Eric at Number 6
Great job done by Alex, Jason and Alfie on our chimney stack and roof. They provide a very professional friendly, service and are a pleasure to work with. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend their services. Thank you so much.
Professional job from start to finish. Polite, tidy and cleaned up after themselves. Would highly recommend.
Alex replaced our guttering, reset all the ridge tiles on the roof and capped the chimney properly. Alex and Luke were a breathe of fresh air to deal with. Alex was very friendly, he kept us informed of progress and what they were doing. He attended at the specified time and always kept everything clean and tidy. Quotes were accurate and were stuck to. Quality work throughout so if you want half a job doing don't call him. Personally…
Can’t recommend Alex highly enough , we got in contact on Saturday explaining we had some issues with lead flashing around chimney , leaking gutter etc and he responded straight away and then called Sunday to discuss . Made an appointment for Monday after work where he explained the issue and the cost . Today he came round and sorted all the problems as discussed , Alex is a great guy who you can tell cares about his work and his…
Excellent work done by a superb team. Alex, Geoff and Luke have done an incredible job on my roof and front of house. The roof no longer leaks (when living in Preston that's an important thing!) and the front of the house appearance has been transformed from an old tired look to a clean and more modern feel. They provide great advice, give you a quote detailing what they are going to do and then crack on and do a brilliant job…
Alex and Geoff took great care inspecting the roof and deciding on a plan of action. Geoff and Luke worked seamlessly together to repair the numerous faults they discovered. They were cheerful and courteous at all times and were always ready to explain how the work was progressing and the issues they were dealing with as they arose. Jason and Alfie did a good job with the rendering. Photographs were provided, documenting their…
Alex came to our rescue and quickly repaired my elderly mother's damaged roof. The work was completed within 2 days and we are very happy with the quality of the work provided. Thank you Alex and your team for a fast and friendly service at a reasonable price. What a brilliant job! I can highly recommend Alex and his hard-working team.
We had a leak in the living room, which we didn’t know where it was coming from, but we thought it was the gutter. We called Alex after he was recommended to us, the same week on the Saturday he came and had a look diagnosing where the leak was coming from and giving everywhere a good look, letting us know we also had 3 tiles slipped on the kitchen roof which he’d sort for us too. Two days later the work started and we couldn’t be…
Very pleased indeed. Alex was responsive, helpful and, as chance would have it, was able to do the repair to the guttering at our daughter's bungalow, promptly. The charge was minimal for two tradesmen. Would certainly use again and have no hesitation in recommending him to others.
Alex and Luke have pointed our chimney and replaced pots. All the ridge tiles have been removed and replaced. Nothing has been too much trouble for these guys. We are more than happy with the end result. Totally reliable and trustworthy. Very friendly lads. I would 100% recommend their services.
Alex and his team did a first class repair job on my roof. Excellent value for my money. Kept me informed at all stages of the job, clean and tidy on completion.
Related work
Other things we do
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Welsh blue slate and Yorkshire stone slate. Individual slates, patch areas, and full re-slates on the stone terraces round here.
Read moreRoof tiling
Concrete and clay tiles. Re-bedding ridges, replacing cracked tiles, and full re-tiles on the post-war housing.
Read moreFlat to pitched roof conversions
If you're tired of patching the same flat roof every couple of years, this ends it.
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