Flat Roof Repairs · Selsdon CR2
Flat Roof Repairs In Selsdon
Is a blocked outlet leaving water on your Selsdon flat roof?
Repairs to Forestdale's flat and shallow roofs, and to the garages and extensions behind Selsdon's semis
Selsdon has two kinds of flat roof. Behind the 1920s and 1930s semis on Selsdon Park Road, Farley Road and the rest of the old garden-village streets, it's usually the extension or the garage that is flat. Over in Forestdale, built from the late sixties through the seventies, flat roofs and shallow pitches were part of the plan from the start. Both have the same neighbours: the oaks and beeches of Selsdon Wood and the big garden trees all around them. Leaves blow onto a flat roof, drift to the outlet and stop it draining. Then water sits on felt that was never meant to hold it for long.
Flat Roof Repairs quote in Selsdon
Four details and somebody will come and look at it. There is no charge for the visit, no obligation afterwards, and if the answer is that your roof is fine, that is what you will be told.
The people behind it
A family firm for flat and low roofs
Whether it's a Forestdale garage or an extension behind a semi on Selsdon Park Road, the people behind the quote don't change: John and Mark, the brothers whose family business this is.
Jobs are often run by both of them, and they share the running of the team. You get two contacts who each know where your roof is up to, so a missed call to one usually means a quick answer from the other.
1,000+
Roofs put right
10 year
Written workmanship guarantee
£0
To have somebody come and look
Repair first
Replacement is the last resort
What your flat roof is trying to tell you
Most of these you can spot from an upstairs window. Look after it has rained, not before, because a flat roof only shows its faults when it's wet.
A puddle that grows with each shower
The outlet or gutter edge is clogged with leaf and silt, or the deck has dipped so the water can't reach the outlet at all.
Green or black growth across the surface
Shade from trees keeps the roof damp, so moss and algae settle in. They open fine cracks in older felt and hold water against it.
Felt that feels soft or springy underfoot
Water has reached the boards underneath. A timber deck softens once it's wet, and a new covering laid on top of it won't last.
Patches laid over older patches
The roof has been repaired, and maybe re-covered, more than once. Several layers make the actual leak hard to find, and they add weight to an old deck.
Flat roof work that suits a roof under trees
Outlets opened up
We clear the outlet and the pipe below it. Where it is too small for the roof, we can fit a bigger one or add a second.
Leaf guards fitted
A domed guard over the outlet stops one autumn's worth of leaves from sealing it shut. It costs very little and saves a lot.
Old layers counted
If a Forestdale roof has been overlaid before, we find out how many coverings are already up there before deciding whether another can safely go on.
Falls put right
Water should run towards the outlet, not away from it. Where it doesn't, firrings or tapered boards can give the roof a proper fall.
Low pitches handled properly
A shallow pitch is not quite a flat roof and not quite a tiled one. We check what it is covered with and match the repair to that angle.
Ten year guarantee
Ten years' guarantee on our workmanship, set out in writing.
Selsdon's trees, and Forestdale's low roofs
Between Selsdon Wood, Littleheath Woods and garden trees that have been growing for decades, a lot of roofs in Selsdon sit under or right beside a canopy. Every autumn it comes down. On a pitched roof the leaves end up in the gutter. On a flat roof they could land anywhere, but they gather where the water runs, which is at the outlet. A small flat roof with one outlet can go from draining nicely to holding a pond after one wet weekend in November.
Forestdale is a different job from the older streets. It was laid out as one estate on land between Selsdon, Addington and New Addington. The garages and extensions there tend to be flat, while the main roofs are often pitched quite shallow. Some of those have been re-covered once or twice already. That history matters. Before we price a repair there we want to know what is actually on the roof and how many layers sit on the deck, because it changes what can be done safely.
"Leaves are behind a good share of the Selsdon flat roof calls we get: an outlet blocks, water backs up, and an old felt joint that coped fine when it was dry starts to let go."
From flat roof repairs enquiries in Selsdon handled by Roof Repairs Croydon
What happens when we repair a flat roof in Selsdon
Clear it before judging it
Leaves, moss and silt come off first. Debris hides splits, and it can make a sound roof look worse than it really is.
Follow the water
We look at where water pools, test the outlet and make sure it drains freely all the way to the ground.
Check the layers
A small test cut at the edge shows how many coverings there are and whether the boards beneath are dry.
Quote with reasons
You get a written price saying whether we think the roof wants repairing, overlaying or stripping back, and why.
Carry out the work
Wet boards are replaced, falls corrected where needed and the new covering or repair laid and turned up the walls and round the outlet.
Guard, test, hand over
We fit an outlet guard where trees overhang, run water across to check it drains and give you photos and the guarantee.
The 10 year guarantee, and why it is safe to offer
Promising a roof will stay dry is easy. What counts is what happens if it does not. Work booked through Roof Repairs Croydon carries a 10 year workmanship guarantee, on paper, handed to you on the day and written in language you can actually read. The slates, tiles, lead, mortar, membranes and rainwater goods carry their own manufacturer cover on top of that. It varies by product, so you get told which cover applies to your job rather than one headline number that would be wrong on most of them.
Here is the reason a guarantee like that is not a risk. Repairs come back for one reason above all others: the fault was never found in the first place. Somebody went up, saw a stain on the ceiling below, mended whatever looked worst directly above it, and left. Water does not cooperate with that approach. It lands on a slate, runs under it, drops onto a rafter and travels along the rafter before it finds anywhere to fall. On a wide hipped roof in Sanderstead or Shirley that can be five metres from where it came in.
Find the entry point and the repair holds for years. Miss it and no amount of guarantee wording helps anybody. That is why the survey happens before the price, and it is why, if the same water finds its way back into your house inside the guarantee period, putting it right costs you nothing.
10 year
Workmanship guarantee
1,000+
Roofs put right
Covered
Public liability insurance
Per product
Maker's own warranty
What a good flat roof quote in Selsdon should cover
Was the roof cleared before it was priced?
A roofer who quotes for a flat roof without clearing the leaves off it has guessed at what is underneath them.
What happens at the outlet?
Ask how water will leave the roof once the work is done. A new covering draining into the same blocked or undersized outlet will pond again.
How many layers will be left on?
Every overlay adds weight and hides the one below it. On a roof that has been covered before, ask whether the quote strips back or builds up.
Clear and patch, or strip and start again?
Under trees, a lot of flat roof trouble is drainage rather than a worn-out covering. When the covering itself has had it, though, no amount of clearing will save it.
| Comparison point | Clear, patch and guard | Strip and re-cover in GRP or EPDM |
|---|---|---|
| When it fits | Sound covering, blocked outlet, one or two small splits. | Soft deck, several old layers or splits all over. |
| Old layers | Left where they are. | All taken off so the deck can be checked. |
| The outlet | Cleared and guarded. | Can be replaced or moved to the lowest point. |
| Leaf litter | Still needs clearing every autumn. | Still needs clearing, but a smooth new surface is quicker to sweep. |
| Time | Often less than a day. | A couple of days on most garages and extensions. |
| What you get | More time from a roof that still has some left. | A new roof with a long life, provided the falls are right. |
Chimneys on the same houses
Selsdon's older semis also have chimney stacks, and leaves piling up behind a stack can cause damp that looks just like a roof leak. If that sounds like your house, we've written a separate page on chimney repairs in Selsdon.
Why one Selsdon flat roof costs more to fix than another
The price depends less on the size of the roof than on what has gone wrong underneath it.
Forestdale's earlier re-covers
On Forestdale garages and extensions that have been re-covered once or twice, stripping the old layers back to the deck takes time and means more waste to take away. We price it as its own item.
Trees and access
Close to Selsdon Wood, and under the big garden trees along Farley Road and Selsdon Park Road, branches over a roof can make it awkward to reach. Sometimes they need cutting back by a tree surgeon before we can start.
The deck
If water has been ponding for a long time, the boards under it may be soft. Replacing a section of deck adds to the bill, but leaving it in place wastes the new covering.
Flat Roof Repairs in Selsdon: questions
Does Croydon Council need to approve a flat roof re-cover in Selsdon or Forestdale?
Selsdon and Forestdale both sit within the London Borough of Croydon, whose council handles planning and building control. Forestdale was planned as an estate in the late 1960s and 1970s and is not a conservation area, so a like-for-like flat roof repair there doesn't need an application. The same generally goes for re-covering in a similar material on the older Selsdon streets. A change in appearance is different, so check with the council before switching to something that looks noticeably unlike the old roof. On bigger jobs, building regulations come in: replacing over a quarter of the roof can bring in Approved Document L, which may mean adding insulation.
How do trees affect a flat roof?
Leaves block the outlet, so water ponds. Shade keeps the surface damp, which feeds moss and algae. Branches that brush the roof in the wind can scuff through felt over time. Clearing the roof each autumn and keeping branches trimmed back deals with most of it.
Why does my Forestdale roof leak when it has already been re-covered?
Often because the new layer went over the old one without fixing what was wrong underneath. If the deck was wet or the fall was poor, those problems are still there. Water can also travel between layers, so the drip inside may be some way from the hole outside.
What is the difference between a flat roof and a shallow pitch?
A flat roof has a very slight fall, just enough to drain. A shallow pitch is steeper than that but lower than most tiled roofs, and it might be covered in tiles, felt or a membrane depending on how it was built. Tiles laid on a pitch too low for them can let wind-driven rain through, so we always check the covering against the angle.
Can I clear the leaves off my flat roof myself?
If you can reach it safely from a ladder and the roof is sound, yes. Don't walk on a roof that feels soft or springy, and never use a pressure washer on old felt. If you can't see the outlet clearly from the ladder, leave it to someone with proper access.
What Croydon homeowners say
From roads across the borough, once the ladders had gone.
"Damp patch on our landing ceiling for about three years. Two roofers had been out and both mended the tiles directly above it, and neither made the slightest difference. This chap spent twenty minutes in the loft with a torch before he even went outside, then showed me a photo of a split in the lead in the valley about four metres away from the stain. Fixed it in a morning. Three winters on and nothing."
"Water was coming down the front bedroom wall every time it rained hard and I had convinced myself the roof was finished. It was the gutter. Half of it had dropped so the water was sitting in the middle and going over the front rather than down the pipe. He reset the brackets and cleared the gully, charged me a fraction of what I had budgeted for, and told me the roof itself had years left. Could easily have sold me a new one."
"Ours is in the Chatsworth Road conservation area and I had no idea the rules on roof work here are stricter than the rest of Croydon. He knew straight away, explained what I could and could not do without an application, and did the repair in matching slate. That saved me a very awkward conversation with the council later on."
"Lost most of the ridge tiles along the back in a February gale. Rang in the morning, sheeted the same afternoon so the weather could not get in, came back the following week when it was dry and rebedded the whole ridge properly. Sent me photos of everything for the insurance without me even asking. The bill was exactly what the quote said it would be."
"Gutters had been overflowing under the trees for years and the fascia behind them had gone soft. What I appreciated was that he explained why the timber had rotted rather than just quoting to replace it, and pointed out the new soffits needed vents or I would end up with condensation in the loft instead. Nobody had ever mentioned that to me before."
Had us out to your roof?
Two minutes writing a review does more for a small local firm than any amount of advertising, and it helps the next person in Croydon work out who to ring.
Things to do in Selsdon
Selsdon's woods are the reason so many of its roofs fill with leaves. They are also very good for a walk.
Selsdon Wood
Campaigners stopped houses going up here, and the wood opened in 1936. Its 200 or so acres of sweet chestnut, ash, beech and oak belong to the National Trust, with Croydon Council doing the day-to-day care.
View on Google Maps - Selsdon Wood
Littleheath Woods
Some 64 acres of woodland and open grass running from Littleheath Road over to Croham Valley Road. Local people saved it from developers, and the public have had access since 1932.
View on Google Maps - Littleheath Woods
Bramley Bank
Bramley Bank is a compact London Wildlife Trust site towards Shirley, with its way in on Riesco Drive. Under the trees and across the acid grassland sits a pond that all five native amphibian species use for breeding.
View on Google Maps - Bramley BankSelsdon on the map
Planning and building control in Selsdon sit with Croydon Council. By road we're about 7 minutes away, from Penwortham Road in South Croydon.
Areas we cover
Beyond Selsdon and Forestdale, our patch takes in all of Croydon, with Sanderstead, Shirley and New Addington the nearest.
Flat Roof Repairs by town
Get your Selsdon flat roof cleared and checked
If water is sitting on the garage or there's a stain on the extension ceiling, give us a ring on 020 4538 1998 or send us a picture. Our hours are 8am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and the visit and quote are free.