Flat Roofing in Bournemouth & Poole

Three systems, and they are not interchangeable. Which one is right depends on the size of the roof, what sits on it and how long you want it to last. Pick the one closest to your job and we will explain how it goes on.

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GRP Fibreglass Roofing
Laid wet and cured in place, so the finished roof has no joins at all. Hard wearing, and it takes foot traffic better than the others.
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EPDM Rubber Roofing
A single rubber sheet cut to the roof. Very little to fail, and it copes with movement better than a rigid system.
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Felt & Torch-On Roofing
Layers bonded down with heat. The system we use is manufacturer backed, which is why we follow their spec to the letter.
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What is included on every flat roof

Whichever system goes on, this part does not change.

The deck gets checked first

Old covering off, and we look at the boards underneath. Soft or delaminated deck is replaced before anything goes over it, because a new surface on a rotten deck fails from below.

Falls put right

A flat roof is not flat. It needs enough fall to move water to the outlet, and ponding is what kills flat roofs early. Where the falls are wrong we correct them with firrings rather than covering the problem.

Upstands and edges detailed

Where the roof meets a wall, a door threshold or a verge is where flat roofs leak. Those details get the time they need rather than the time that is left.

Insulation where it belongs

On a warm roof build-up the insulation sits above the deck, so the structure stays warm and condensation has nowhere to form. We will tell you whether yours is worth upgrading while the roof is open.

Outlets and rainwater sorted

New outlets where the old ones are undersized or blocked solid, and the downpipe checked so the water actually gets away from the building.

A guarantee on the finished roof

Every flat roof we lay is guaranteed. On the torch-on system that guarantee is manufacturer backed, which is why we follow their specification rather than our own habits.

Flat roofs we have laid

Our own work. No stock photography.

A large finished flat roof in mineral-surfaced felt

A felt flat roof with new lead cover flashing into the parapet

Captions name what was done.

How a flat roof job runs

Most garage and extension roofs are a one to two day job. Bigger roofs and warm roof build-ups take longer.

We look at it and find the actual leak

Water travels, so where it drips inside is rarely where it gets in. We find the entry point before we quote, because that decides whether you need a repair or a new roof.

Strip back to the deck

The old covering comes off and the boards underneath get checked. Anything soft is cut out and replaced.

Falls, insulation and deck

Falls corrected where they are wrong, insulation laid where the build-up calls for it, and new deck where the old one has gone.

The system goes on

GRP laid and cured, EPDM bonded as a single sheet, or torch-on bonded in layers. Then the upstands, edges and outlet details.

Clear up and guarantee

Waste away, the site swept, and your guarantee issued.

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What customers say

We are a new company and we are building this up honestly. These are the jobs people have been kind enough to comment on.

Sam Young

Southern Counties Roofing completed a full re roof for me. I was very pleased with outcome and there professionalism. Would deffo recommend.

Kris Pass

Great job, thanks guys. Would highly recommend.

Clive Curley

Nice guys to deal with and a good price a1

Which system suits your roof

All three are good systems laid properly. They fail in different ways and they suit different jobs, so here is the honest version.

	GRP fibreglass	EPDM rubber	Torch-on felt
Typical life	20 to 30 years	25 to 30 years	15 to 25 years depending on the build-up
Joins in the finish	None, it cures as one piece	None on a roof small enough for one sheet	Lapped and bonded seams
Foot traffic	The best of the three	Fine occasionally, not a walkway	Fine occasionally
Movement in the structure	Rigid, so it can crack if the deck flexes	The most forgiving, it stretches	Copes reasonably
Weather needed to lay it	Dry and above about five degrees	The least fussy	Dry, and it needs a naked flame on site
Where we would use it	Balconies, walkways and anywhere it gets walked on	Garages, extensions and anywhere with movement or an awkward shape	Larger roofs, and where a manufacturer backed guarantee matters most

Swipe to see every column

When a flat roof needs replacing, and when it does not

A flat roof needs replacing when the covering has failed across the whole roof or the deck underneath has gone soft. It does not need replacing because it has one split, one blister, or a wet patch on the ceiling below.

The signs that point at replacement are worth knowing. Water sitting on the roof days after rain means the falls are wrong, and no covering will survive standing water for long. A deck that gives underfoot has already taken water in and the boards are going. Felt that has crazed and cracked across the whole surface has reached the end of its life rather than been damaged.

The signs that point at a repair are just as clear. A single split, a lifted lap, a failed upstand where the roof meets a wall, or a blocked outlet that has backed water up. All of those are hours of work, not days, and none of them justify a new roof on their own.

The reason this matters is that flat roofs get oversold more than any other part of a roof. They are out of sight, the homeowner cannot inspect them, and a leak feels like an emergency. We will get up there, tell you which of the two you are actually dealing with, and quote accordingly. If it is a repair, we will say so.

Where a full replacement genuinely is the answer, it is worth doing the insulation at the same time. The covering is off and the deck is exposed, so a warm roof build-up costs far less done then than as a separate job later, and it makes a real difference to the room underneath.

Questions about flat roofing

How long does a flat roof last?

Laid properly on a sound deck with the right falls, expect 20 to 30 years from GRP or EPDM and 15 to 25 from torch-on felt. What shortens all of them is standing water. If a roof ponds, the covering is being asked to do something it was never designed to do.

Can you just patch it?

Often yes, and we will if that is the honest answer. A split, a lifted lap or a failed upstand is a repair. What we will not do is patch a roof that has failed across the whole surface, because you would be paying twice inside a year.

Why does my flat roof hold water?

Because the falls are not steep enough, or the deck has sagged between joists. A flat roof should be laid with enough fall to clear water within a day or so. Where the falls are wrong we correct them with firrings rather than laying a new covering over the same puddle.

Which system is best?

There is no single best. GRP is the toughest underfoot, EPDM handles movement best and has almost nothing to fail, and torch-on suits larger roofs. The right answer depends on the size, the shape and whether anyone walks on it, which is why we look before we recommend.

How long does the work take?

A garage or porch roof is usually one to two days. An extension roof or a warm roof build-up takes longer because there is more to strip and more to build up. We will give you the expected run before we start.

Will you insulate it at the same time?

We can, and on a full replacement it usually makes sense. A warm roof puts the insulation above the deck, which keeps the structure warm and stops condensation forming underneath. It is far cheaper done while the roof is already open.

Do you replace garage roofs?

Yes, and they are one of the most common jobs we do. Garages, porches, dormers and extension roofs are all flat roofing work and all three systems suit them, depending on the size and the shape.

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