Any roofers?

[fundy]

Looking for some advice as confused.

Have a flat roof on the garage 30m2 that needs replacing. Have a 50m2 flat roof to part of the house which is coming to the end of its life.

We have had several quotes, some quote for Felt, some for Rubber and some for Fibreglass.

Which is the best option and why?

Do the old coverings need fully stripping off (one firm has offered to "install" GRP liquid fibreglass over the existing felt on the main roof).

Is there anything we need to consider/be aware of that we may not be?

TIA

 

[Lord Tyrion]

You will get better advice from a proper roofer shortly but having gone through this a few years ago I can tell you that the difference is longevity. Felt will last a certain period, say 10-15 yrs, the new rubber compounds are being talked about as good for 20-25yrs. GRP liquid is the same, perhaps longer at 20-30 yrs. If you can afford it, we couldn't at the time, then go for anything but felt as these new methods are much better it seems.

Looking forward to reading what someone who uses these products has to say to see if I am in the right area or if I am talking complete tosh.

 

[Blue in Munich]

Do it yourself. I did mine with a breather, underlay & cap sheet on new ply 21 years ago, had enough left to do the garage & shed too, for less than half of what the roofers wanted.

 

[gregers]

ask this question on,

www.diynot.com

 

[Fish]

I would never cover anything without exploration of the sheets and timbers underneath, just because it becomes externally sealed won't remove any future issues if the timbers are rotten and the roof sags, or worse!

With new advanced felts that need no hot bitumen pouring its still very cost effective with long lasting guarantees to use the more trafional methods of a cross layer breathable system with a torched mineral edging, we do unless the customer has insisted otherwise through their own research and can afford the rubber/fibreglass.

If you go with a felt then do not have chippings on the top, if anything, have a reflective paint applied, it offers far more protection and the roof can be accessed without worrying about causing unnecessary damage.

I'm not sure how any of the quotes you have can be final without knowing if the roof support timbers and sheets do not require replacing unless they included a caveat in their quote/s to address this should it transpire any timbers need addressing!

I'll get some flash quotes from my subby's for you to compare 👍

 

[la_lucha]

I have a dormer bungalow property and when we moved in the rear roof was leaking. We got a grp roof done for £2.5k. It looks good and is guaranteed for 30 years. The front one is starting to get old, so I've been looking at the options.

For £300 I can DIY the Rubber roof with a guarantee of 25-30 years. That includes replacing the ply beneath. If you're handy enough I'd look at the rubber as its really easy to put down.

 

[Fish]

For a dormer I would insulate and acrylic render onto a diffu board for a maintenance free finish. I'll post some pictures of what I've just done with 2 new dormers when I get to a PC.

 

[fundy]

I would never cover anything without exploration of the sheets and timbers underneath, just because it becomes externally sealed won't remove any future issues if the timbers are rotten and the roof sags, or worse!

With new advanced felts that need no hot bitumen pouring its still very cost effective with long lasting guarantees to use the more trafional methods of a cross layer breathable system with a torched mineral edging, we do unless the customer has insisted otherwise through their own research and can afford the rubber/fibreglass.

If you go with a felt then do not have chippings on the top, if anything, have a reflective paint applied, it offers far more protection and the roof can be accessed without worrying about causing unnecessary damage.

I'm not sure how any of the quotes you have can be final without knowing if the roof support timbers and sheets do not require replacing unless they included a caveat in their quote/s to address this should it transpire any timbers need addressing!

I'll get some flash quotes from my subby's for you to compare 👍

Thanks mate, much appreciated. If you can get me a ballpark quote for the 2 roofs that would be great