Problems with flat roof

warriorsq

Hi I'm asking this on behalf of my girlfriend and would appreciate any advice that could help.

In 2011 or 2012 (can't speak to gf at the moment to confirm year) she had a garage converted into a bedroom with permission from the council. The council made the builder raise the room for ventilation, now the builder wasn't a roofer so he arranged for a roofer to do that job. About a year ago a neighbour told my girlfriend that she had a large swimming pool of water on the roof. I went up and cleared it but it was obvious that the roof doesn't drain as the middle is lower than the edges. I've been up a few times and cleared the water and It's taken the builder nearly a year or asking before he finally came round and said he'll do nothing nor will the roofer and told her to not contact him again. She wasn't given and didn't ask about any kind of guarantee so has none, she does have pics and videos of the water. If anyone does have any advice on if there's anything she can do I'd appreciate it

timmy963

I'd probably say good luck chasing up a remedy for a service provided 8 years ago since the time limit for claims is 6 years for faulty goods/services.

greyteam1959

What is the flat roof made of ??

Petriix

I guess it was done before the latest revision to the building regs. All new 'flat' roofs require a slope of 1:80. This is typically achieved by sloping the timber under the deck but can also be done by sloping the insulation above the deck.

If they didn't slope it then they probably didn't insulate properly either so I'd suggest adding a sensible amount of insulation above the existing roof (and in between the external ends of the joists) and incorporating the slope into that. Then it will need a new waterproof layer and redoing the flashings and possibly adding cavity trays and weep bricks depending on the construction of the adjoining wall of the main house. The problem is that, if you alter more than 25% of the area of an existing roof, you need to bring the whole thing up to current standards so there may be other requirements too.

Mutton_Geoff

And make sure your home insurers are aware of the total % of the property that has a flat roof as this can affect premiums. As the original job was almost a decade ago, it's probably time to redo it, as others say, to current spec. Also budget to use rubber membrane, not felt.