Flat Roof Replacement in Newbury
Roofers for West Berkshire — repairs, re-roofs, flat roofs and leadwork. Free surveys, fixed written quotes, tidy workmanship.
Newbury Roofing Company replaces flat roofs across Newbury, Thatcham, Hungerford and the villages around them — extensions, garages, dormers, porches and the flat-roofed link between a cottage and its outbuilding. EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass and modern torch-on felt, laid on a deck that has been checked rather than covered over.
Most flat roofs we are called to have not failed at the membrane. They have failed at a detail — an upstand that was never high enough, a gutter outlet that has ponded for years, or a lap that was stuck down on a damp day in November. That is why we lift a corner before quoting.
The three systems, compared straight
There is no single best flat roof. There is a best one for your deck, your falls, your budget and whether anyone will walk on it. These are the honest differences.
| System | Cost per m² fitted | Realistic life | Where it earns its place |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPDM rubber (e.g. Firestone RubberCover) | £75 – £120 | 30–50 years | One-piece sheet, no seams on most domestic roofs. Best all-round value for extensions and garages. |
| GRP fibreglass | £95 – £145 | 25–30 years | Rigid, seamless and takes foot traffic. Suits balconies, complex shapes and roofs with a lot of detail. |
| Torch-on felt, 3-layer | £65 – £100 | 15–25 years | Cheapest per m² and easy to patch. Fine on a low-value outbuilding, poor value on a roof you want to forget about. |
| Single-ply membrane | £85 – £130 | 25–40 years | Larger roofs and long outbuilding runs where sheets can be welded rather than jointed by hand. |
2026 fitted rates including strip, new deck where needed, trims and outlets. Small roofs cost more per m² than large ones because setting up is a fixed cost.
What we do before the membrane goes anywhere near it
Strip to the deck and look
Wet chipboard and delaminated ply are why the last roof failed early. New OSB3 or ply deck where it is soft, screwed down properly rather than nailed.
Get the falls right
BS 6229 wants a finished fall that actually sheds water. Firrings are cut and set to give a minimum 1:80 design fall, which allows for deflection and still drains after the timber has settled.
Detail the edges and upstands
Upstands taken to a proper height and dressed into a chased and pointed reglet, with code 4 lead where it meets brickwork. This is where flat roofs actually leak.
Insulate while it is open
A warm deck with PIR board above the boards is the sensible upgrade over any habitable room, and it stops the interstitial condensation a cold deck gives you.
Rural extras worth knowing about
Out in the villages the flat roofs are rarely tidy rectangles. They link buildings together, run behind parapets, sit under overhanging trees on a lane, and drain into gutters that were sized for a different roof forty years ago. Leaf load is the quiet killer — a blocked outlet on a flat roof does not overflow harmlessly the way a pitched gutter does, it ponds until the water finds a lap. We fit leaf guards to outlets and, where a roof genuinely cannot be kept clear, an overflow so a blockage announces itself down the wall rather than through the ceiling.
Tree cover cuts the other way too. Shaded EPDM stays cooler and lasts longer than the same sheet baking on a south-facing extension. It also grows algae, which is cosmetic. Nobody should be selling you a new roof over green staining.
Adding light while the roof is off
Flat rooflights and roof windows fitted into the new deck.
Outbuilding or barn instead?
Profile sheet and fibre cement roofs on farm buildings.
Frequently asked questions
Ready for a free, no-obligation quote?
Call 01635 927069