Rubber Roofing · Chelmsford & Essex
EPDM Rubber Roofingin Chelmsford & Essex,Laid in One Piece
One sheet of rubber over the whole roof means no field seams to split, no torch on your timbers and a manufacturer-backed membrane guarantee, with a free inspection and a fixed written price before anyone starts.
Manufacturer-backed membrane guarantee · 3-year workmanship guarantee on new roofs · £1m insured
7 years
Hands-on roofing experience
£1m
Public liability insurance
3 years
Workmanship guarantee on new roofs
Free
Quotes and roof inspections
Fixed
Written prices, never a day rate
The service
Why Rubber BeatsPatched-Up Felt
EPDM is a synthetic rubber membrane supplied in large sheets, which means most domestic flat roofs, garages, porches, extensions, dormers, can be covered with a single piece of material and no joints anywhere in the open field of the roof. That is the whole argument for it. Traditional felt roofs leak at seams and laps; a roof with no seams in the middle removes that failure mode entirely and leaves only the perimeter and upstand details, which are formed with purpose-made trims and bonded corners.
It is also a cold-applied system. Nothing is torched, so there is no naked flame near your rafters, fascias or neighbouring timber, worth knowing on a garage attached to the house or a dormer surrounded by joinery. The membrane is bonded to the prepared deck with adhesive, dressed into the trims and left with a finish that flexes with temperature rather than going brittle.
Rubber suits simple shapes best: rectangles, roofs with few penetrations, roofs where the whole area can be covered in one go. Where a roof is heavily cut up with pipes, rooflights and multiple abutments, we will say so and talk you through a reinforced bitumen or GRP alternative instead of forcing the product onto a roof it does not suit.
Who this is for
- Garage, porch and outbuilding roofs with old blistered or split felt
- Single-storey extensions where the flat roof has reached the end of its life
- Dormer roofs on loft conversions that need a long-life, low-maintenance covering
- Anyone who wants a flat roof with no field seams and a manufacturer-backed guarantee
- Properties where a torch-applied system is not appropriate near timber or joinery
The cost of waiting
What Old Felt CostsEvery Winter You Keep It
The typical Essex garage or extension roof we replace has been patched three or four times. Each patch is a new edge, each edge is a new place for water to get under, and every winter the freeze-thaw cycle prises those edges open a little further. Meanwhile the deck beneath quietly takes on moisture.
Split seams opening up
Old felt laps shrink and separate with age and UV. Once a lap has opened, water runs between layers and travels along the roof, so the wet patch inside is nowhere near the split.
Blistering and trapped moisture
Blisters mean moisture is already trapped in the build-up. Coating over them seals the water in, and the deck below carries on rotting under a surface that looks freshly done.
Deck replacement costs
Renewing a covering is straightforward. Renewing a covering plus a full sheet of soft decking, and dealing with whatever the water reached inside, is a much bigger bill.
Damage to what is stored below
Garage and outbuilding roofs sit over tools, bikes, boxes and often a car. Damp in an unheated space also means condensation, corrosion and mould on everything kept there.
Common mistakes we get called in to undo
- Rolling a liquid coating over a wet, blistered felt roof and calling it a new roof.
- Choosing rubber for a heavily cut-up roof where a jointed system would actually perform better.
- Laying membrane over a deck that has soft spots, so the finish dips and holds water.
- Skipping the perimeter trims and dressing the membrane over a bare edge.
- Leaving the upstand at the house wall too low, so driving rain gets behind it.
Our process
Five Steps From First Call
to Guaranteed Finish
01
Free inspection
We measure the roof, check the deck condition and falls, and look at every abutment and outlet to confirm rubber is genuinely the right system for it.
02
Specification and fixed quote
We set out the membrane, trims, deck repairs and insulation where relevant, with one written price including strip-out and disposal. No day rates.
03
Strip-out and deck preparation
Old covering removed, deck inspected and renewed where soft, falls corrected with firrings where the structure allows, and the surface cleaned and prepared for bonding.
04
Single-sheet installation
The membrane is laid, relaxed, bonded to the prepared deck and dressed into drip and edge trims, with corners and upstands formed and any outlet detail bonded in.
05
Check, clear and guarantee
We check drainage and every detail, clear the site, and hand over the manufacturer-backed membrane guarantee plus our 3-year workmanship guarantee on the new roof.
What you get
The Difference It Makes
to Your Property
No field seams
Most domestic roofs are covered by one sheet, so the joints that cause the majority of flat roof leaks simply are not there.
Cold-applied, no flame
Nothing is torched on site, which matters on garages attached to the house and dormers surrounded by timber and joinery.
Flexes instead of cracking
EPDM stays flexible through temperature swings and building movement, rather than going brittle and splitting the way aged felt does.
Manufacturer-backed cover
Rubber installations come with a manufacturer-backed membrane guarantee on top of our own 3-year workmanship guarantee on new roofs.
Very little maintenance
Beyond keeping the outlet clear and the surface free of debris, a correctly installed rubber roof asks almost nothing of you year to year.
Fast to install
Small roofs are typically stripped and re-covered quickly, which keeps disruption short and the property secure sooner.
In detail
Materials, Detailingand Where EPDM Fits
A rubber roof is only as good as the deck under it and the trims around it. Here is what actually goes into the installation and how we decide whether it is the right call for your building.
The membrane and adhesives
EPDM is a single-ply synthetic rubber, UV stable and unaffected by ozone, supplied in sheets large enough to cover typical domestic flat roofs in one piece. It is bonded with a deck adhesive across the field and a contact adhesive at the perimeter and upstands, where wind uplift is highest and a full bond is essential.
Because the field of the roof has no joints, the quality of an installation lives entirely in the preparation and the edges: a clean, dry, well-fixed deck, an evenly applied adhesive and corners formed with purpose-made pieces rather than folded and hoped for.
Decks and insulation
The membrane needs a sound, smooth substrate. On a re-cover we typically renew the deck in exterior-grade board where the existing one is soft, dished or badly fixed, since any dip in the deck becomes a puddle in the finished roof. Fixings are set flush so nothing telegraphs through the rubber.
Where heights allow, an insulated warm-roof build-up can be installed under the membrane, which improves comfort in the room below and moves the deck onto the warm side of the insulation. On unheated garages and outbuildings that is usually unnecessary, and we will tell you rather than selling insulation into a space nobody heats.
Trims, upstands and outlets
The perimeter is finished with purpose-made drip trims at the eaves and edge trims at the verge, so water is thrown clear of the fascia rather than running back under the roof edge. At wall abutments the membrane is carried up as a full upstand and finished under a chased flashing or a proper termination bar, never left on sealant alone.
Outlets and rainwater connections are bonded in as part of the system, positioned at the low point of the fall, so the roof actually empties. Where an old roof drained to a corner that no longer sits low, we correct the fall rather than reinstate the fault.
Residential, commercial and where rubber is the wrong answer
Domestically, EPDM is an excellent fit for garages, porches, single-storey extensions, dormers and outbuildings across Chelmsford, Braintree, Maldon and the wider Essex area. On light commercial roofs it works well where the area is simple and traffic is limited to maintenance access.
It is not the right answer everywhere. Roofs with heavy foot traffic, complicated geometry, many penetrations or balcony use are usually better served by GRP or a reinforced bitumen system, and we would rather specify one of those and say why than sell rubber onto a roof that does not suit it. See our flat roofing page for the alternatives.
Common questions
Rubber Roofing Questions
People Ask First
How much does a rubber roof cost?
It depends on the roof area, whether the deck needs replacing and how much perimeter and upstand detailing there is. Inspections and quotes are free, and the written fixed price covers strip-out, deck work, membrane, trims and disposal.
How long does an EPDM roof last?
EPDM is a long-life membrane and installations come with a manufacturer-backed membrane guarantee. Provided the deck is sound and the falls are right, it is one of the lowest-maintenance flat roof options available.
How long does installation take?
A typical garage or small extension roof is usually a job of a day or two, weather permitting. Larger or more detailed roofs take longer, and we give you the expected duration with the quote.
Can rubber be laid over my existing felt roof?
No, and we would not do it. The old covering comes off so the deck can be inspected and the membrane can bond to a clean, sound substrate. Covering over old felt hides moisture and guarantees an early failure.
Is a rubber roof guaranteed?
Yes, new rubber roof installations carry a manufacturer-backed membrane guarantee plus our 3-year workmanship guarantee, both provided in writing. Repairs are not sold with a workmanship guarantee.
Can you walk on an EPDM roof?
It tolerates occasional maintenance access, but it is not designed as a trafficked surface. If you need a roof that gets regular foot traffic or balcony use, we will specify a system built for it.
Does rubber roofing work on a dormer?
Yes, provided the shape is straightforward and the cheek and window abutments can be detailed properly. We assess that at the free inspection before recommending it.
What happens if it gets damaged later?
EPDM is repairable, damage can be patched with the same material and adhesive system, which is another advantage over aged felt where a patch rarely bonds well to a weathered surface.
Which areas do you cover?
Chelmsford, Witham, Southend-on-Sea, Braintree, Maldon, Billericay, Basildon, Brentwood, Wickford, Rayleigh, South Woodham Ferrers and the surrounding Essex villages.
How do I pay?
Card, cash or bank transfer, against a fixed price agreed in writing beforehand.
Request your free quote
Tell us what is happening. We will arrange a free inspection and come back with a fixed written price, £1m public liability insured, no day rates.
Related work
Other Services That Often Go With This
Flat Roofs
Warm and cold flat roof systems built with proper falls, so water leaves the roof.
View serviceRoofing
Full roof installations and replacements, stripped, felted, battened and finished to last.
View serviceGuttering
Gutter repairs, replacements and clearance to stop water tracking down your walls.
View serviceRubber Roofing Across Essex
- Rubber Roofing in Chelmsford
- Rubber Roofing in Witham
- Rubber Roofing in Southend-on-Sea
- Rubber Roofing in Braintree
- Rubber Roofing in Maldon
- Rubber Roofing in Billericay
- Rubber Roofing in Basildon
- Rubber Roofing in Brentwood
- Rubber Roofing in Wickford
- Rubber Roofing in Rayleigh
- Rubber Roofing in South Woodham Ferrers
More: roofers in Chelmsford & Essex · all roofing services · areas we cover · about the team · contact us
Replace That Felt RoofWith One Sheet of Rubber
Free inspection, fixed written price, manufacturer-backed membrane guarantee and a 3-year workmanship guarantee on the new roof.
Free inspections · Fixed written prices, never a day rate · £1m public liability insurance · 3-year workmanship guarantee on new roofs