If you have a flat roof leaking in Burwell, knowing what to do - and what to leave alone - before a roofer arrives can save you from making a bad situation worse.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Water coming through a flat roof feels urgent, and it is. But the temptation to get up there and do something about it immediately can cause more damage than the leak itself. Before a qualified roofer gets to you, there are sensible steps to take inside the house, and clear limits on what should be attempted on the roof.
We carry out flat roofing work across Burwell and the surrounding area, including Newmarket, Fordham, Soham, and nearby villages. This page explains how to manage the situation while you wait for professional help.
Your priority inside the house is to limit water damage to ceilings, walls, insulation, and belongings. If you can see a ceiling bulging with trapped water - a common sign that water has pooled on top of the plasterboard - keep everyone out of the room and do not poke, prod or pierce it. A heavily waterlogged ceiling can collapse under its own weight.
Move any furniture, electronics, or belongings out from under the affected area. Lay down towels or plastic sheeting to protect flooring. If the leak is near any electrical fittings - ceiling lights, junction boxes, sockets on the wall below - turn off the electricity to that circuit at the consumer unit. Water and live wiring is a serious risk.
Before you clean up, take photographs or video of the leak point, the water staining, and any damage inside. This is useful if you later make an insurance claim, and it also helps the roofer understand what happened and where the water entered. A photo of the ceiling at the peak of the leak tells a story that a dried-out stain two days later does not.
This is where the most common mistakes happen. The instinct to go up and fix it is understandable but is often the wrong move.
What is reasonable to do from ground level or from a ladder at the eaves:
What should be left to a professional:
If there is an obvious large area of open or failed membrane and rain is forecast, covering the roof with a heavy-duty tarpaulin can limit further water ingress while you wait for a roofer. This is a reasonable temporary measure, but it needs to be done carefully. A tarpaulin that is not weighted or fixed properly becomes a sail in wind, and if it catches and pulls at an already-damaged membrane edge, it can extend the area of damage significantly.
If you do use a tarp, weight the edges on the roof with sandbags or heavy objects placed on the membrane - not on the edge trim or gutters. Do not attempt to fix it with nails or screws into the membrane. Let the roofer know you have covered it so they can remove it safely when they arrive.
Understanding what a proper inspection involves helps you ask the right questions and know whether the work being proposed is thorough. A roofer attending a leaking flat roof should:
A roofer who goes straight to the area above the stain, applies sealant, and leaves without checking the rest of the roof has done an incomplete job. Flat roof leaks are frequently not directly below the visible entry point inside.
A localised repair on a flat roof - re-bonding a lifted edge, re-bedding a flashing, or patching a split in the membrane - typically costs between £200 and £600 depending on the extent of the work and the access required. If the deck has been saturated and boards need replacing before the membrane can be repaired, costs increase. If the assessment finds that the roof is beyond economic repair, replacement of a typical garage or single-storey extension roof of 15-20 square metres costs approximately £1,500 to £3,500 depending on the system used and the deck condition.
These are general ranges. The actual cost depends on what the inspection finds, so any figure given before a proper look at the roof should be treated as provisional.
Once the roofer has carried out the repair, the internal damage still needs addressing. Wet plaster and wet insulation do not dry quickly. Leave windows open in the affected room to ventilate the space, and check the ceiling again after the next significant rainfall to confirm the repair is holding before you redecorate. Painting over a damp ceiling without letting it dry fully leads to further staining and potential mould growth behind the new paint.
If the leak has been present for some time before it was noticed, the insulation above the ceiling may be saturated. Wet insulation loses most of its thermal value and can become a source of damp problems. If you are having the ceiling replastered, it is worth asking the roofer whether they saw any signs of wet insulation above the deck level.
If you have a leaking or failing flat roof in Burwell, call us at Newmarket Roofers to arrange a proper inspection. We will tell you honestly what the roof needs, set out your options clearly, and give you written costs before any work begins.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
