# Flat roof - yea or nay?



## tyred (7 Apr 2021)

Having saved a decent deposit and got mortgage approval a few months ago, I have been looking at houses (and flats). It's awkward as I can't do physical viewing due to the Covid restrictions but it seems people are buying houses without viewing them first.

There is a house that would suit me as it's in the right area, has outdoor space and what the estate agent describes as a garage (it might hold an original Fiat 500 or an original Mini. Would hold a few bikes though!). 

It's been on the market for quite a while really, I'm tempted to make enquiries. My concern is that it has a flat roof (I assume felt). It just makes me wary of it as they don't have a great reputation.

Is a flat roof really something to be concerned about? Walking around the outside, it looks like the fascia board is newish so maybe it was replaced or worked on in the not to distant past.


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## Slick (7 Apr 2021)

Nay.

Nightmare, don't do it to yourself.


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## Darius_Jedburgh (7 Apr 2021)

No. Awful things.


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## fossyant (7 Apr 2021)

My folks have never had issues with a dorma extension, but depending upon age etc, god knows. My folks was done 35 or more years ago, and is still fine (wood facias replaced).


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## Chris S (7 Apr 2021)

I lived in a flat for 9 years and the flat roof above it needed constant attention. I'd avoid them.

By the way, insurers ask if any part of your property has a flat roof on proposal forms. Presumably they have a higher risk of leaking and increase your premium.


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## tyred (7 Apr 2021)

My only experience of a flat roof would have been an extension to my grandparent's house. I helped my uncle replace it c1996. I believe it was built in the late 1960s and that was the first time it it had given problems which doesn't seem too bad.


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## HMS_Dave (7 Apr 2021)

My sister and BIL lived with a flat roof for a number of years. They had it tended to multiple times through leaks. I personally wouldn't...


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## tyred (7 Apr 2021)

If they're so bad, why would anyone build a house with one?

I can understand a small extension or whatever as it would probably be a lot cheaper but what reason would there be to build an entire house with one? In this case, the house I'm thinking about is mid terrace with a house on either side, all with a flat roof.


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## bikingdad90 (7 Apr 2021)

Probably planning height restrictions or to cut costs as felt is a lot cheaper than tiles.

Normal pitch roofs are not maintenance free either. Our house is 20years old and the ridge work needed renewing with the gable ends strapped/covered over/repointing.
The slightly newer kitchen extension needs a full new breathable felt underlay as it has perished with age. Both are massive jobs!


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## Darius_Jedburgh (7 Apr 2021)

For many years now our local council has refused to give planning permission if a flat roof is in the plans. Pitched roofs only.


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## MichaelW2 (7 Apr 2021)

I had both of my flat roofs renewed by a local professional. He did moderm insulation, correct slope and synthetic rubber surface.


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## ebikeerwidnes (7 Apr 2021)

If they have a proper slope and are well made they are not a problem for many years

and by many years I mean a low less than normal roofs.

so - get a survey - actually get a survey anyway

and of you buy it and there are ANY doubts then get a proper specialist to replace it - and preferably when doing so increase the slope
modern materials are much better than those use 20 years ago

just factor this into your offer


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## Drago (7 Apr 2021)

Depends what materials are used and the level of workmanship. One piece membranes, properly fitted, are lifetime products, but even the hest felt has a finite service life. A top drawer survey will tell you if its sound or not.


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## Profpointy (7 Apr 2021)

My experience of so called surveys is the will never tell you it's OK but say things like "may cause trouble" "unable to check for <x>", so doubt you'd be any the wiser. One thought is that even if the roof is fine, when you come to sell, potential buyers will be being told not to touch it with a barge pole. It all comes down to price in the end - if a house with a proper roof is £100k more maybe it is worth the downside, if it's £10k more then it probably isn't

Regarding surveys: On my flat I had gems like "a random sample of windows were sticking" FFS there are only 5 windows in the flat - and it turned out none were sticking when I checked for myself. "crack in ceiling maybe be expensive to fix, unable to examine as I couldn't be arsed bringing my ladder" (it was peeling paint). And so on. My solicitor told me more about thr construction of my flat than the surveyor, and to my knowledge he'd never been in it - that said, I'm not wholly convinced the surveyor had either. £500 I paid for half a page of drivel. I was very cross to say the least, but had to suck it up as we needed it for the mortgage. Just went for a valuation when we bought the house we're in now.


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## slowmotion (7 Apr 2021)

We have a very small rear extension with a flat roof, about 1600 by 2400 mm on plan. It was built in the mid 70's. We have been here for the last 30 years and we have had to have it re-covered three times. The workmanship and material specification to do a good flat roof is way, way beyond the ability (and will) of the average builder.


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## Pale Rider (7 Apr 2021)

Historically, houses in areas with a high rainfall were built with sharper pitches because they were thought to better able to resist water.

So if the house is in Ireland, and if the area has high rainfall, a flat roof seems a particularly bad idea.

I've had a better experience than @Profpointy with a structural survey.

The one I got was comprehensive and well written.

Such a survey might put your mind at ease, or it might make you walk away.

Which is fine, but the survey money is then 'lost', so it's not something to do very many times without proceeding.


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## cougie uk (7 Apr 2021)

tyred said:


> Having saved a decent deposit and got mortgage approval a few months ago, I have been looking at houses (and flats). It's awkward as I can't do physical viewing due to the Covid restrictions but it seems people are buying houses without viewing them first



Friend of mine is selling her house. She's definitely having people viewing so I'm sure you would be able to ?


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## Ridgeway (7 Apr 2021)

The chances of having a poorly installed flat roof is higher than a poorly installed pitched roof. Nothing wrong with flat roofs if they are correctly installed, decent materials used etc it's just that there are more people having knowledge of pitched roof construction than that of flat roof versions. 

Those people that refer to having endless problems with a flat roof are usually the ones that paid to have it cheaply repaired or installed...


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## Dave7 (8 Apr 2021)

Flat roofs can be more difficult to sell for obvious reasons.
However, good materials and a good contractor will give you a problem free roof.


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## Blue Hills (8 Apr 2021)

I would avoid tyred.
Have the impression that they were used a lot post-war, particularly during the 60s - basically because they were cheaper to install - in materials and labour. Has anyone ever suggested any positive functional advantage of a flat roof over a pitched one?
Used a fair bit in some foreign parts of course, but places with less rain and more heat I think.
Not my impression of Ireland or much of the UK.


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## vickster (8 Apr 2021)

cougie uk said:


> Friend of mine is selling her house. She's definitely having people viewing so I'm sure you would be able to ?


Maybe the rules are different in Ireland?


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## dave r (8 Apr 2021)

Mixed experiences with flat roofs, our first house had a flat roof on the extension for the kitchen and bathroom, the sellers had to replace it before we brought it and we replaced it twice in the 15 years we were there. This house has a flat roof over the kitchen, we've been here 13 years now and haven't had to touch it yet.


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## Phaeton (8 Apr 2021)

Get a quote to change it from a flat roof to a tiled pitched roof, assuming that it's detached & not a semi, then use that as a bargaining tool. Again assuming it's the whole house & not just the garage we're talking about. If it's just the garage that has a flat roof, then factor in replacing it with galvanised sheets.


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## T4tomo (8 Apr 2021)

Flat roof - fine on a shed / garage as not a huge job to fix / replace, and not a disaster when it springs a leak. Not something I'd entertain on house...


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## Drago (8 Apr 2021)

Profpointy said:


> My experience of so called surveys is the will never tell you it's OK but say things like "may cause trouble" "unable to check for <x>", so doubt you'd be any the wiser. One thought is that even if the roof is fine, when you come to sell, potential buyers will be being told not to touch it with a barge pole. It all comes down to price in the end - if a house with a proper roof is £100k more maybe it is worth the downside, if it's £10k more then it probably isn't
> 
> Regarding surveys: On my flat I had gems like "a random sample of windows were sticking" FFS there are only 5 windows in the flat - and it turned out none were sticking when I checked for myself. "crack in ceiling maybe be expensive to fix, unable to examine as I couldn't be arsed bringing my ladder" (it was peeling paint). And so on. My solicitor told me more about thr construction of my flat than the surveyor, and to my knowledge he'd never been in it - that said, I'm not wholly convinced the surveyor had either. £500 I paid for half a page of drivel. I was very cross to say the least, but had to suck it up as we needed it for the mortgage. Just went for a valuation when we bought the house we're in now.


Oh aye, you either want the simple valuation survey, or the top bollards with nobs on survey.

The standard middle survey is a waste of cash, being essentially a valuation survey but padded out with lots of excuses why they didn't check something in more detail, or recommendations to seek the advise of a specialist.

Going back to the OP, my flat felt garage roof is a P.O.S. and had failed soon after we moved in. We had 2 garages and I never really needed the second so left it to seripusly degrade, but now im redoing it in 0.7mm galv box section steel with a 5 decade guarantee. If its not a habitable space then its an ideal and relatively inexpensive, long lasting solution. It's also available in varipus powder coated colours if you think passing aircraft might dislike looking down on galv.


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## tyred (8 Apr 2021)

cougie uk said:


> Friend of mine is selling her house. She's definitely having people viewing so I'm sure you would be able to ?



I'm in the Republic of Ireland and estate agents are not allowed to do in person viewings at the moment due to Covid. Early in January I had appointments made to view too different houses and both were cancelled by the (different) estate agents due to a new ruling brought in by the government at the time. 

One of those houses has been taken of the market by the owner and one has since been sold.

There is a problem at the moment as people are not putting houses up for sale at the moment and the people desperate to buy are putting in offers without seeing the house in person and they tend to sell really quickly and prices are going up as a result. I just would not feel comfortable making offers on a house without having seen it first.


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## tyred (8 Apr 2021)

Pale Rider said:


> Historically, houses in areas with a high rainfall were built with sharper pitches because they were thought to better able to resist water.
> 
> So if the house is in Ireland, and if the area has high rainfall, a flat roof seems a particularly bad idea.
> 
> ...



Yes my cousin is looking to buy a house and the bank had insisted on a survey and it did genuinely pick up on a major structural issue which would cost a fortune to repair. The survey was cheap compared to the alternative but it was still a good few hundred so you wouldn't want that happening too often as it would eat into the savings.


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## tyred (8 Apr 2021)

Dave7 said:


> Flat roofs can be more difficult to sell for obvious reasons.
> However, good materials and a good contractor will give you a problem free roof.



This is the thing. It's been on the market since at least November last year and all similar sized and priced houses in town have sold pretty quickly which probably tells it's own story.

It just might be possible to pick up a bargain as in other ways it seems a lovely house with large windows and a spacious bright interior, reasonable sized garden to the front, big concrete yard to the rear with tiny garage for a BMW Isetta driver but it does come with the potential for a lot of aggro and should I want to move, it could prove difficult to sell again.


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## tyred (8 Apr 2021)

Blue Hills said:


> I would avoid tyred.
> Have the impression that they were used a lot post-war, particularly during the 60s - basically because they were cheaper to install - in materials and labour. Has anyone ever suggested any positive functional advantage of a flat roof over a pitched one?
> Used a fair bit in some foreign parts of course, but places with less rain and more heat I think.
> Not my impression of Ireland or much of the UK.



It's funny you should say that as ever since I first saw it, it has the appearance of some sort of prefabricated concrete structure with that look of being built out of Lego like seemed to be a common theme in the '60s.

It's part of three houses together in a sort of terrace, all with a flat roof.


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## Hicky (16 Apr 2021)

It wouldn't put me off, my last house has a flat roof I had redone in felt(cold roof construction) its lasted, if need be I'll redo myself with bitumen paint/pour to last a few years more. My current house has two flat roof's, one is the kitchen which has a 20yr guarantee and my loft extension done my a builder again with guarantee(GRP, ie easy to repair even by a novice diyer by watching youtube). These are warm construction.


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## rockyroller (16 Apr 2021)

tyred said:


> There is a house that would suit me as it's in the right area, has outdoor space and what the estate agent describes as a garage (it might hold an original Fiat 500 or an original Mini).


according to "wiki" those were made 1957 to 1975. here's hoping the roof isn't that old


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