Diss Roofers carries out commercial roofing on warehouses, office buildings, industrial units and retail premises in Bungay and the surrounding area.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Commercial roofing covers a different range of materials and roof types than domestic work. On business premises you are most likely dealing with large-span flat roofs, profiled steel sheet systems on industrial units, or low-pitch felt systems on extensions and outbuildings. Each type has its own failure modes, and getting the right diagnosis matters before any money is spent.
We carry out flat roof replacement, single-ply membrane systems, profiled steel sheet roofing, and repairs on all of these. Work runs from the initial survey right through to sign-off, and we plan access and programme around your business hours where possible to keep disruption to a minimum.
Most commercial roof problems build up gradually. By the time you notice a stain on a ceiling tile or water pooling on a floor, the roof covering has usually been failing for months. Catching the signs earlier saves money and avoids damage to stock, equipment and interior finishes.
Flat roofs are not truly flat - they should have a fall of at least 1:80 to drain properly. When water sits on the surface for more than 48 hours after rain, the roof is either not draining or has deflected. Ponding accelerates the breakdown of felt membranes and causes premature failure around seams and upstands. The cause is often a blocked outlet, a failed drainage channel, or structural movement that has altered the fall over time.
Blisters form when moisture is trapped beneath a felt or single-ply layer and expands in warm weather. On older built-up felt roofs this is a sign that the bonding between layers has broken down. On single-ply systems it usually points to a poorly prepared substrate or condensation working up from inside the building. A blister that is left will eventually split, and a split is where water gets in.
The junction between a flat roof covering and a wall, parapet or kerb is the most vulnerable point on any commercial flat roof. Thermal movement pulls the membrane away from the upstand over years. Once a gap opens, water tracks behind the flashing and into the wall or soffit below. On profiled steel sheet roofs, the same problem appears at ridge cappings and side laps when sealant tape breaks down.
Profiled steel sheet roofing on industrial units and agricultural buildings is prone to corrosion at the fixings before the sheets themselves fail. Self-drilling fasteners can work loose over time or corrode through their neoprene washers, leaving a hole around each fixing point. Rust-coloured streaks running down the face of a wall are a clear sign to investigate the fixing line above.
On a profiled steel or fibre cement sheet roof, pinholes and split laps allow daylight in - and water in on wet days. This is easy to check from inside during daylight hours. If you can see specks of light through the roof covering, the laps have failed or sheets have corroded through.
Water entering a roof rarely drops straight down to the point of entry. On flat roofs with insulation above the deck, water can travel laterally for several metres before breaking through at a ceiling joint. A damp patch that shifts location after different rainfall events suggests the entry point is some distance from where the stain appears. Tracing it properly requires a thorough inspection of the whole roof rather than just patching where the ceiling is marked.
A repair is the right answer when the problem is genuinely localised - a split upstand, a blocked outlet, a failed lap - and the rest of the roof covering is in sound condition. Patching a roof that has widespread membrane breakdown is expensive short-term thinking. As a rough guide, if more than 20-25% of a felt roof surface is blistered, delaminated or heavily cracked, a full replacement will cost less over the next ten years than repeated patch repairs.
Single-ply membranes such as EPDM rubber are worth considering when replacing an old built-up felt system. EPDM is a single-layer system vulcanised rubber sheet that is flexible in cold conditions, handles thermal movement well, and does not rely on hot-work to install. It suits large flat roof areas well and is typically priced at £60-£100 per square metre fully installed, depending on roof size, access requirements and the condition of the deck beneath.
Profiled steel sheet replacement on an industrial unit varies significantly with the size of the building and the access needed - expect a range of roughly £18-£35 per square metre for a straightforward re-sheet with new liner and rail system. These are indicative figures; a proper survey is always needed before a meaningful price can be given.
Any commercial building owner or facilities manager should have the roof inspected at least once a year - ideally before winter sets in. After severe weather, a visual inspection from ground level is worth doing immediately, but it will not find membrane failures or saturated insulation. A proper survey involves access to the roof surface and, where saturation is suspected, either infrared thermography or electronic leak detection to find where moisture has entered the system without stripping the whole covering back.
If you are buying a commercial property or taking a new lease, a roof survey before you sign is money well spent. A failing commercial roof on a 2,000-square-metre unit can easily represent £40,000-£80,000 of remedial work. Knowing the roof's condition lets you negotiate or budget before the liability becomes yours.
We work on commercial and industrial premises in Bungay and the surrounding area. If you have a commercial property needing a roof survey or are planning a replacement, call us to arrange a visit and we will give you a straight assessment of what the roof needs and what it is likely to cost.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
