hi, can you help me? i need to replace my flat roof on the bay. it is felt. can you suggest materials to use? someone suggested torch on felt? any good sites to recommend for products or how to repalce? regards Vincenzo
Hi. Changing the angle slightly, I did one in lead once.
Not as difficult as you would imagine - just need a lot of mental preparation. If you can get it right it should last a very long time.
You would need a large roll of Code 4 lead, some patination oil, metal shears and a couple of soft mallets plus hammer and clout nails.
The hard part is getting the joins and edges right - it's all in the folds. But very satisfying when done.
If you are interested I can elaborate - but it's probably better to read a book.
Took me a day solid to do a bay flat roof.
Timbo
If it's not a large area, anything other than felt. Lead, zinc or maybe fibreglass.
When an area of flat roof felt was replaced on my house I made sure that the roofer used a high performance felt. These have a longer life span. I don't remember the brand name.
Michael Chare
I've got a ground floor only bay, with a recessed flat roof as it were. It was originally zinc, and I made a replacement zinc tray - using just the metalwork 'skills' I could remember from school. And it's still fine many years down the line. Zinc is possibly easier to work for a beginner - assuming no fancy curves etc, as it's easy to solder.
In message , Vincenzo writes
Torch on felt isn't really something to try DIYing, if you want to use felt you can get self adhesive systems- Wickes used to sell something.
Lead or Zinc as others is said is the best, if you don't feel up to that a more durable alternative to felt is Butyl rubber.
Personally I'd avoid zinc, we had endless trouble with the large valley on my parents semi. Stripped out the zinc fitted lead not a problem since in, oo, 30 years... I like lead, only material for small areas and flashings. He could go posh though and have copper. B-)
Well, I had zinc in the aforementioned bay window roof and on top of the rear dormer. My next door neighbour has the entire rear addition roof in zinc. It would seem to have a pretty long life - perhaps 100 years or so. Of course, like everything, it will depend on the construction and workmanship.
Copper might not be out of the question for DIY if it's not too large.
In my last house had a 2 foot width flat roof across front of house in poor state when I moved in in 1990 (20years old). Took off all the stones, washed off moss etc so I could reuse. Removed old felt, the wood underneath was OK but there were many signs of slight water leakage. Got more felt from B&Q, went for thickest and supposedly longest lasting + galvanised nails.
Inserted one edge under lead flashing on house side, held in place with felt adhesive (Aquaseal or Febflex, long time ago can't remember). Might have done two layers glued together. Other side folded round and nailed glued to woodwork. Also glued a thin trip of along 90% of front edge of roof (under the felt) to produce a slight lip to contain the stones and allow the water to run off where it would not cause trouble, roof had slight slope to one end. When felted I glued some stones to edge to stop rest of stones being washed off, put stones + 1 bag more from B&Q back, job done.
Was still fine when I sold in 2000.
Hi Vincenzo
I recently had a flat roof problem and decided to put a fibreglass roof on myself a DIY project. I came across an ebook book priced =A32 advertised in google sponserd links on the web at;
It proved very beneficial it is in two sections one concerning hiring a flat roofer, i.e. questions to ask, how much you should pay, what materials should be used, how to avoid the "cowboys", what the isurance and guarantees mean etc; and another section concerned with DIY which included easy to understand graphic illustration. It was full of useful information concerning all aspects of flat roofing, how to fit the decking, different types of material, how to fit a warm roof, where to source fibreglass supplies and how to apply it etc; Best of luck with your roof;
and hope this is of help
Regards=20
Fred
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