Flat Roofs in Birmingham

Flat Roof Installation and Replacement in Birmingham

Flat roofs cover a huge share of Birmingham homes: rear kitchen extensions, dormers, bay-window tops, garages and porches. The old mineral felt that came as standard on most of them was only ever good for ten to fifteen years, so by now a great many are blistered, cracked at the joints and quietly letting water in. J Dowd & Sons replace failing flat roofs with modern systems that are built to last decades, not seasons, right across Erdington, Perry Barr, Sutton Coldfield and the wider North Birmingham area.

The two systems we fit

For most jobs we recommend EPDM rubber. It goes down as a single sheet with no seams across the main field of the roof, so there are simply fewer places for water to get in. It handles UV, frost and the temperature swings of a Midlands year without going brittle, and it is rated for 30 to 40 years.

The alternative is three-layer SBS torch-on felt. Modern felt is a world away from the old single layer that failed so often. Built up in three bonded layers with a mineral cap sheet, it is tough, cost-effective and well suited to roofs with awkward shapes, upstands and lots of detail. It gives 50+ years or more when looked after.

Getting the falls and drainage right

Most leaking flat roofs do not fail because of the membrane, they fail because water sits in ponds that never drain. The fix is in the build-up underneath. We set firrings to create proper falls towards the outlet, fit the right drip trims and form a clean upstand against any abutting wall so rain is always shown the way off the roof. On a re-roof we will tell you honestly whether the existing deck and falls can be reused or need rebuilding.

A warm roof while we are up there

A flat roof replacement is the ideal moment to add insulation. We build warm-roof systems that meet current Part L requirements, which cuts heat loss through what is often the coldest part of an extension and helps stop the condensation that plagues older cold-deck designs. It is a far cheaper upgrade done now than retrofitted later.

Signs your flat roof is on the way out

• Pools of water that are still sitting on the roof days after rain has stopped
• Blistering, bubbling or cracking across an old felt surface
• Splits or open seams, especially where the roof meets a wall or upstand
• Damp patches or staining on the ceiling of the room below
• The roof simply being older than fifteen years on its original felt

If you are seeing any of these, it is worth getting it looked at before the next wet spell rather than after, when the water has already reached the ceiling.

Quick, tidy and guaranteed

Our family team surveys, installs and signs the job off in-house, with photo evidence at each stage. Most domestic garage, porch or single extension roofs are watertight within a single working day, so there is no living for weeks under a sheet of tarpaulin. Every flat roof is covered by our written workmanship guarantee alongside the manufacturer warranty on the membrane, and we are Guild of Master Craftsmen, NFRC and TrustMark accredited.