Flat Roof Replacement in Reading
Roof repairs, re-roofing and flat roofs across Reading and the Thames valley. Free surveys, fixed written quotes, tidy workmanship.
Reading Roofing Company replaces failed flat roofs on extensions, garages, dormers and porches across Reading. Most of what we are asked to look at is mineral felt from the estate-building years — Whitley, Southcote, Calcot and the Tilehurst edges are full of it — now blistered at the middle and cracked at every upstand.
Felt of that age cannot be patched into another decade. The useful conversation is which modern system replaces it, and what has to happen to the deck underneath first.
The 1960s to 1980s flat roof problem
Flat roofs built in that period were nearly all cold roofs: a chipboard deck on joists, felt on top, insulation between the joists below, and a void that was supposed to ventilate through the eaves but usually did not. Warm damp air rises into that void, hits the cold underside of the deck and condenses. The roof then rots from the inside while the felt is still, technically, keeping rain out.
That is why a like-for-like re-felt so often disappoints. Replacing the covering without dealing with the build-up gives you a new surface over the same slow failure. BS 6229 has moved the trade to warm roof construction for good reason, and Part L means a full replacement is upgraded rather than copied.
EPDM, GRP and felt, line by line
| Compared on | EPDM rubber | GRP fibreglass | Torch-on felt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per m² fitted | £85 – £125 | £95 – £145 | £65 – £100 |
| Life you should expect | 30–50 years | 25–30 years | 15–20 years |
| Joints | None on most domestic roofs — one sheet | None — laid wet and cured into a single skin | Lapped and torched at every joint |
| Foot traffic | Occasional access only | Fine, with a non-slip topcoat | Occasional access only |
| Hot works on site | None — bonded cold | None — resin cures cold | Naked flame against timber and brick |
| Where it suits Reading houses | Estate garages and plain rectangular extensions | Dormers, balconies and cut-up shapes | Small tie-ins to existing felt details |
2026 installed rates including trims and outlets. Deck repairs found on strip-up are priced per board and agreed before they are fixed, never added afterwards.
What happens before the membrane goes down
Everything comes off
Old felt is stripped rather than overlaid. Overlaying seals moisture into a deck that is already damp, which is how a roof rots quietly for another ten years.
The deck is judged, not assumed
Chipboard from the 1970s rarely survives a leaking roof. Soft boards are swapped for 18mm OSB3, priced per sheet at a rate stated on the quote.
Falls put back in
Standing water two days after rain means the falls were wrong from the start. Firrings or tapered insulation restore a genuine fall to the outlet.
Warm roof build-up
PIR insulation above the deck with a vapour control layer below it takes the condensation risk out and brings the roof up to current Part L.
Picking the system for the roof
A plain rectangular garage or extension roof is hard to argue away from EPDM — one sheet, no seams, decades of service, and nothing hot near the timber. Where the roof is cut up with upstands, has a rooflight kerb or doubles as a balcony, GRP earns its extra cost through the seamless laminate and a topcoat you can walk on. Felt still has a place on small tie-ins and on budget-led jobs where the rest of the building will change soon anyway.
We fit all three, so the recommendation follows the roof rather than what happens to be on the van.
EPDM in detail
Membrane, trims and how the single-sheet job actually runs.
Garages and extensions
Concrete sectional garages and estate garage blocks.
Frequently asked questions
Ready for a free, no-obligation quote?
Call 0118 230 9278