Surveys and Reports
Concerned about the condition of your flat roof?
Whether you’re a residential, industrial or commercial property owner – or an insurance company or surveyor, Strandek® are able to provide full, unbiased surveys and reports.
Surveys & reports
Our detailed surveys and reports provide you with:
- an assessment of the overall condition of your flat roof and any adjacent structures.
- an approximate cost of replacing or repairing your flat roof
- the expected lifetime of the flat roof
From there, we can recommend and if necessary, provide a range of bespoke solutions.
If you’d like to arrange a survey, give us a call on 029 2190 0011 or fill out a request form and one of our team will be happy to help.
Why do I need a flat roof survey?
Whether you’re a commercial or domestic customer, independent survey reports provide you and your insurer with comprehensive information about your flat roof. Standard reasons include:
- Insurance purposes: do you need to claim on your insurance to pay for repairs? Insurance companies require detailed evidence.
- Poor quality installation: is a recent installation already leaking? Do you need a third-party survey to outline the faults in a prior contractor’s work?
- Buying a new property: to provide full cover, insurance companies may request a roofing survey on any property you purchase.
- Peace of mind: your flat roof will protect your building and its contents – but if the roof is in poor condition, an upgrade is required. A survey will help you make this decision.
How much is a flat roof survey?
Factors that affect the price of a flat roof survey centre on:
- Size: larger roofing areas require a more extensive evaluation
- Accessibility: some roofs are in poor condition and are potentially dangerous and so scaffolding might be required
- Location: more distant locations may require a slight increase to cover transport costs
Generally our flat roofing surveys are in line with industry standard, starting at £300.
How do we survey your flat roof?
We have a range of tools and techniques to evaluate the condition of your roof. With every project, whether it’s a commercial, domestic or industrial roof and associated, we aim to perform an unbiased, fair and well-rounded investigation – something we’ve been doing since 1976.
Many features we look for centre on poor installation (incorrect design, inadequate technique/procedures), premature membrane degradation, evidence of water ingress and dampness, leak identification and issues with adjacent roofing structures.
Core samples may be taken to evaluate the precise condition of any water ingress and extent of spread within your roof. These provide a highly accurate assessment on a small area and the roof is fully sealed immediately after.
Why choose us?
Since 1976, we’ve installed 5,000 flat roofs and counting. Here are some of the key benefits we offer:
- Experience: we’ve been operating since 1976
- 5-star reviews: TrustPilot & Google
- Accredited: CHAS, Construction Line & CSCS
- Customer service: excellent communication, fast turnaround times
- Insurance: full public & employee liability insurance
Accreditations
Our proven track record in providing fair, honest advice tailored to your requirements. We’re able to use a range of techniques, we’re able to quickly detect any underlying problems and provide you with a detailed report full of recommendations.
What’s in my survey report?
Some of these signs are obvious: you have a leak – but where’s it coming from? And why is it leaking?
There are several reasons why your flat roof might be leaking. Some of the signs we will look for will be recorded as part of an assessment:
- Flat roof membrane
- Adjacent tiling
- Guttering system – blockages and defects
- Soffit, fascia & bargeboard
- Chimney stack and pots
- Parapet walls & gutter linings
- Skylights & roof windows
- Leadwork and flashing
Following a roof survey, we’ll provide you a comprehensive written report detailing the condition of your roof, its expected lifetime and recommended actions. Where appropriate, corrective actions will be recommended.
Do I need a new flat roof?
One of the questions on everyone’s mind is: do I need a new flat roof?
A new flat roof is a significant investment, encompassing a range of products, materials and workmanship. As well as an existing new roofing membrane, work on older flat roofs, according to Part L of Building Requirements in England1 & Wales2, also require new insulation. Higher budgets are required for new insulation, but budget-conscious customers can avoid this by opting for an overlay system.
If work is required, we’re usually asked: can you repair my existing roof?
Ultimately, this depends on the extent of internal water ingress, the condition of the underlying roofing structure, the condition of the membrane and the length of time any ingress has occurred.
There are, however, several ways we can significantly reduce the time and money spent on any actions taken to rectify your roof. This is why we recommend roofing surveys – they can help prevent leaks and prevent more extensive work in the future.
Indeed, a common way to protect your roof without requiring a full replacement centres on flat roof overlays and overdecks.
Understanding Flat Roofing Overlays & Overdecks
Careful consideration is required for any flat roofing work to remain regulatory compliant. However, provided your insulation is intact, we recommend an overlay – this is a cheaper system whose lifetime equals that of a new flat roof and is also accompanied by a full range of guarantees. Below, we’ve outlined two scenarios to help you understand what activates Part L of Building Requirements in England1 & Wales2 regulations and necessitates a new flat roof.
Activating Part L of Building Requirements in England1 & Wales2
If you remove just the existing flat roofing membrane and replace it with a new covering, this is also a new flat roof. For example, if your old felt flat roof is degraded and you strip this layer off to the underlying decking and apply a new glass fibre system then you will activate Part L of Building Regulations, since this would classify the roof repair as a “new” flat roof. In this instance, an upgrade to the insulation is required and work would necessitate additional work. Admittedly, if your insulation is old and defective – typically if it’s a “cold roof”, you can expect a notable reduction in your heating bills if you upgrade to new insulation.
Bypassing Part L of Building Requirements in England1 & Wales2
However, if you have an old building and you overlay or cap the outer membrane, then this is not classed as a new flat roof. Here, a new membrane is overlaid on top of the existing one, either by scaling back the defective membrane (removing gravel, weak, highly porous sections) or installing new decking on top and then, in both cases, applying a new flat roofing system. This will not activate Part L of Building Requirements in England1 & Wales2, and in this case new insulation is not necessary. This is one of the more popular systems that we install and is applicable to all roofing types – the end result is identical to a new roof. When dealing with defective workmanship on recently installed flat roofing systems that have failed prematurely, this is a system we recommend.
Partial repairs
If you are undertaking repair work to your flat roof and a surface area equivalent to – or exceeding 25% of the flat roofing area is to be replaced, you also need to upgrade the entire insulation. Unlike an overlay, this is likely to be in the event that rainwater, damp and ultimately water ingress has contaminated and caused damage to the structural decking, supports and insulation. In such cases, this is often beyond repair and does require a new flat roof.
1 England: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/conservation-of-fuel-and-power-approved-document-l
2 Wales: https://gov.wales/topics/planning/buildingregs/approved-documents/part-l-energy/?lang=en
Frequently asked questions
Q. Is a flat roof survey recommended before replacing my old roof?
- Generally yes. Though in a lot of situations such as a straightforward garage roof replacement your appointed roofing contractor should be able to quite easily assess the cause of the problem and provide a specification and cost – Strandek offers both.
More complex roofs incorporating flashings, skylights, parapet wall detailing, drainage, roof sub-deck condition to name but a few constitute a good reason to receive a condition report.
Q. Would I expect to have to pay for a survey?
- This depends on location, access, size and nature of the reported problem. In some cases it is possible that you are reimbursed for a substantial percentage of the fee if you instruct the contractor to proceed.
Q. Who can survey my flat roof?
- If your requirement is associated with the condition of the roof membrane and sub-deck above joist level and you would like an advisory observation of the remedial procedure and specification then Strandek can provide this in a report with an estimate. This type of inspection and report is something we frequently do for insurance company claims on leaking or poorly installed roofs caused by low-quality workmanship.
Q. What is the best flat roofing system?
- This depends on the type of roofing membrane in place, whether it can be repaired or whether a new replacement is required. A fibreglass flat roofing membrane is one option, although other membranes like single-ply also exist.
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