Flat roofs and bituminous roofing.
Bituminous roofing has been Peter de Jong's trade for almost forty years. From a twenty-square-metre shed roof to the roof of an apartment block.
Four simple steps
Request a quoteMeasuring and inspecting
I come out, measure your roof and look at exactly what it needs.
A keen quote
You get a clear quote with no obligation. No surprises afterwards.
We build your roof
Once you agree, we schedule the work for a time that suits you.
Handed over watertight
The roof is handed over fully watertight, with a 10-year guarantee.
Flat roof due for replacement?
Calling is quickest. I come out, measure the roof and say honestly whether another layer can go on or whether the old covering has to come off.
What this work includes
- Bituminous roofing in two layers
- Extensions and dormers
- Garages, sheds and outbuildings
- Large flat roofs and apartment blocks
- Black or white cap sheet, your choice
- Gravel laid or reused
- 10-year guarantee on watertightness
Flat roofs and bitumen, and what you notice of it
Flat roofs and bitumen
A bitumen roof is built up in two layers: a base layer that closes the surface and a cap sheet that takes the sun and the weather. Roofing felt, torch-on membrane, bitumen roll: they are all names for the same material, and the difference lies in the quality of the sheet and in how it has been laid. I work with APP- and SBS-modified membranes. Seams are torched or bonded, upstands run up past the water line, and at the roof edges the covering wraps around the trim. Where gravel belongs, gravel is laid or reused. The cap sheet does not have to be black, incidentally: there are light and white finishes too, and they are chosen regularly. In the photograph above the two lie side by side.
The signs
On new build, on an extension or dormer, and anywhere the old flat-roof covering is worn out. Blisters in the cap sheet, seams standing open, gravel washed away in one spot, or a roof simply due for replacement after thirty years. On watertightness I give a 10-year guarantee.
How a roof is built up
The old roof comes off down to the decking, so it becomes clear what it is lying on. If the timber is sound, the base layer goes on: it closes the surface and absorbs the movement of the substrate. Over that comes the cap sheet, seams torched or bonded and with an overlap that is watertight in every direction. The upstands run up past the water line, the penetrations each get their own collar, and at the roof edge the covering wraps around the head. Only then does the gravel go back. What comes out from under the old layer decides how much work is added; you will know that before we start.
What people ask about this
Properly laid and neatly finished at the edges: typically twenty to thirty years. On watertightness I give a 10-year guarantee.
Both can work well. Bitumen is my trade, and has been for nearly forty years: it is strong, can be repaired in one spot, and it finishes better around upstands and penetrations than a single stretched sheet.
Yes, and it is sensible to prepare the roof for that in advance. When building it up I then allow for the fixing points and for where the cables will pass into the roof.
What kind of roof is it?
The most common flat roof: ten to twenty square metres behind the kitchen, with an upstand against the rear wall. The upstand against the wall decides whether it stays dry.
A free-standing area without many obstacles. Often still carrying the first layer of roofing felt from when it was built.
Small in area but full of edges. The junction with the cheeks and with the pitched roof decides whether it stays dry.
A larger surface, more penetrations and a roof edge running right around. New roof edge trim almost always comes with it.
Hundreds of square metres laid in strips, with gravel or a finished cap sheet. Working in phases keeps the premises in use.
Under the tiles or the decking lies ordinary bitumen. It has to be able to move and still stay watertight, and the upstand must run high enough.
Request a quote for flat roofs and bitumen, no obligation.
Fill in the form or give me a call. I come out, measure it up and tell you what is needed. A 10-year guarantee on watertightness, and you are tied to nothing.
Roof insulation
Insulate during the renovation. Doing it later means opening the whole roof again.
Roof edges and fascia
Where nearly all wind damage begins: aluminium roof trim and new upstands.
Timber and roof decking
Replacing rotten decking under the roofing, so the new roof lies on sound timber.