Flat roof · Everywhere
The flat roof over the rear extension
Almost every Belgian house has one. Almost nobody ever goes up onto it.
The situation
Kitchen, bathroom, garage or conservatory: the single-storey extension almost always carries a flat roof, often still in 1980s bitumen felt. The bitumen goes hard, shrinks and cracks at the upstands. The roof is not visible from the garden, so the problem only shows up as water in the kitchen unit.
What we find
- Blisters and creases in the bitumen, a sign of moisture trapped under the layer
- An upstand peeling away from the wall, usually on the party wall side
- An outlet set too high, leaving a permanent puddle
- Gravel or paving slabs hiding the real surface and preventing inspection
What we do
- Strip the old layers back to the deck and check the fall towards the outlet
- Insulate in the right order: vapour barrier at the bottom, insulation, membrane on top
- EPDM in a single piece where possible — fewer seams, fewer leaks later
- Upstands of at least 15 cm, mechanically clamped, with a termination bar chased into the joint
Nine flat roof leaks out of ten are not in the open field but at the edges: upstand, penetration, chimney stack, dome. The open field is almost always still sound. Redoing the field without dealing with the edges means paying twice.
The matching serviceThe other situations
- Zinc workThe concealed box gutter of a terraced houseInvisible from the street, and for that very reason the leak that takes longest to be seen.Read more
- Roof renovationThe 1970s concrete tile at the end of its runThe roof is not broken. It is finished. That is not the same conversation — nor the same quotation.Read more
- CleaningThe north slope going greenMoss is not a cosmetic problem. It is a sponge that holds water against the tile.Read more
Free quote
Recognise your own roof?
Describe what you can see. We come and look, we go up, and within 24 working hours you know where you stand.
Not sure about your roof?
The visit costs nothing and the quotation follows within 24 hours. One call is enough to know where you stand.