EPDM roofing or bitumen felt for a Timber garage..?

sujsuj

As you can see in the pics one side of my timber garage is leaky. Initially I thought I will go for EPDM roofing, but knowing its going to be a one person doing this job, how practical it is to lay EPDM roofing..? I could get some ground support from my partner or kid but Only i will be on the roof to do the job. how heavy its going to pull EPDM sheets up etc. If going for EPDM roofing can i put that over current roofing bitumen felt..? Or I need to remove that first?

I am also thinking bitumen felt may be cheaper, but when I checked it in shops its very easily damaged. So not sure bitumen felt is the answer here...?
Couple of years ago I did small shed roofing, Thats the only experience i have I know its huge difference between a garden shed and timber garage.. I have seen some sites giving EPDM 50 years lasting where as felt may be 5 years!

Any tips..?

Section62

sujsuj said:

As you can see in the pics one side of my timber garage is leaky. Initially I thought I will go for EPDM roofing, but knowing its going to be a one person doing this job, how practical it is to lay EPDM roofing..? I could get some ground support from my partner or kid but Only i will be on the roof to do the job. how heavy its going to pull EPDM sheets up etc. If going for EPDM roofing can i put that over current roofing bitumen felt..? Or I need to remove that first?

I am also thinking bitumen felt may be cheaper, but when I checked it in shops its very easily damaged. So not sure bitumen felt is the answer here...?
Couple of years ago I did small shed roofing, Thats the only experience i have I know its huge difference between a garden shed and timber garage.. I have seen some sites giving EPDM 50 years lasting where as felt may be 5 years!

Any tips..?

It's a pitched roof on what looks like a reasonable quality building - so I would go for plastic coated galvanised steel sheeting - e.g. 'Plastisol steel sheet'.

If you buy the sheets cut to length then it is a fairly simple one-person job to fit them.

All you need to do is figure out what is underneath the existing felt and whether it is suitable for your chosen new roof covering.

Bendy_House

I'd second that choice - it also looks good, and comes in a range of colours; it'll make your garage look 'proper' and not like a shed. Fit and forget.

sujsuj

Section62 said:

sujsuj said:

As you can see in the pics one side of my timber garage is leaky. Initially I thought I will go for EPDM roofing, but knowing its going to be a one person doing this job, how practical it is to lay EPDM roofing..? I could get some ground support from my partner or kid but Only i will be on the roof to do the job. how heavy its going to pull EPDM sheets up etc. If going for EPDM roofing can i put that over current roofing bitumen felt..? Or I need to remove that first?

I am also thinking bitumen felt may be cheaper, but when I checked it in shops its very easily damaged. So not sure bitumen felt is the answer here...?
Couple of years ago I did small shed roofing, Thats the only experience i have I know its huge difference between a garden shed and timber garage.. I have seen some sites giving EPDM 50 years lasting where as felt may be 5 years!

Any tips..?

It's a pitched roof on what looks like a reasonable quality building - so I would go for plastic coated galvanised steel sheeting - e.g. 'Plastisol steel sheet'.

If you buy the sheets cut to length then it is a fairly simple one-person job to fit them.

All you need to do is figure out what is underneath the existing felt and whether it is suitable for your chosen new roof covering.

To me 'plastic coated galvanised steel sheeting' - looks to be too much of DIY work and cost.
I thought initially  roofing felt but moving closer to EPDM now.

One side under current felt is plywood!!! other side it is timber.

Bendy_House

Each to their own.

I personally think that felt on that roof will look simply hellish, EPDM only marginally better.

That could be a real nice looking she.., er, garage. I think it needs a bigger overhand at the sides (easy with metal sheet roof) and a more substantial bargeboard (ditto).

Fit and...ohforgetit.

Hudsonbutler

Lots of second hand tiles for sale on the net. Probably a lot cheaper than box profile sheets.

Martin_the_Unjust

Another vote here for a ‘proper’ roof, failing that how about https://www.wickes.co.uk/Onduline-Grey-Roof-Shingles-2m%C2%B2---Pack-of-14/p/137239

Section62

Hudsonbutler said:

Lots of second hand tiles for sale on the net. Probably a lot cheaper than box profile sheets.

Tiles are heavy - the roof structure would need strengthening if the roof is to be tiled, and the cost of the additional timber alone could easily exceed the cost of plastic coated steel sheeting.

Added to which, the OP thinks steel sheeting is 'too much of DIY work', and as tiling is much harder to do and requires more skills, it doesn't sound like it would be a suitable option for them even if the roof structure was adequate.

stuart45

Section62 said:

Hudsonbutler said:

Lots of second hand tiles for sale on the net. Probably a lot cheaper than box profile sheets.

Tiles are heavy - the roof structure would need strengthening if the roof is to be tiled, and the cost of the additional timber alone could easily exceed the cost of plastic coated steel sheeting.

Added to which, the OP thinks steel sheeting is 'too much of DIY work', and as tiling is much harder to do and requires more skills, it doesn't sound like it would be a suitable option for them even if the roof structure was adequate.

As the trussed rafters look like they're spaced at much more than 600mm I would agree that tiles would be an issue.

Bendy_House

Having done both, fitting box-profile metal sheets is a lot easier than felting, and the results are pretty much guaranteed

I'm guessing EPDM could be easier than felting, but I can also see it plagued with awkwardness, such as dragging it over a splintered corner causing it to tear. (At the local hall I help out at, we traced a ceiling leak to new damage to the EPDM roof. There was a series of small tears in a rough line coming away from the side closest to the local park. Our guess was that a football landed on the roof, and the damage was caused by the naughty children recovering it, perhaps by using a branch. After that, I have personally vowed to never, ever have an EPDM roof...)

What about the lightweight tile-profile panels you can get? I'll link to one as an example, but they certainly look good to my eyes.

Suj, that garage could look truly impressive, or it could look like a glorified shed. 

An example at random: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/232463275251?hash=item361fe414f3:g:DLoAAOSwCMtagbLn

Bendy_House

Martin_the_Unjust said:

Another vote here for a ‘proper’ roof, failing that how about https://www.wickes.co.uk/Onduline-Grey-Roof-Shingles-2m%C2%B2---Pack-of-14/p/137239

I fitted these to a small garden shed, when the pitiful felt supplied failed after a couple of years. It's been in place for ~15 years now, I guess, and it's still holding up. The storms last year whipped off a couple of strips, but they landed on the ground intact and I just Stixall'd them back into place...

They are surprisingly heavy, tho' and I can see a slight sag in the shed roof. But it was a cheapie...

It would also take quite a while to cover that garage roof area, and I personally think there are better options. Could be worth pricing up, tho', as a valid option. (I suspect it'll be surprisingly costly!)