Felt Roofing in Ipswich, Suffolk

Felt roofing installed, repaired and replaced across Ipswich and the wider Suffolk area. We work in modern high performance torch-on felt — a three layer system that has very little in common with the pour and roll felt that gave the material its old reputation. It is what we fit on garages, extensions, dormers and bay roofs, and it is what we recommend to most Ipswich homeowners with a flat roof to cover.

Modern felt is not the felt people remember

When homeowners hear felt they picture the black mineral sheet that blistered, cracked and lifted after eight or ten years. That material is largely gone. What replaced it is polyester reinforced SBS modified bitumen, torch applied in layers, and it behaves completely differently.

The reinforcement is the important part. Older felt used an organic or glass fibre carrier that went brittle with age and tore at the fixings. A polyester carrier stretches and recovers, which matters on a timber deck that moves seasonally. The SBS modifier keeps the bitumen flexible in cold weather instead of letting it crack.

Laid properly, a three layer torch-on system carries a manufacturer guarantee in the region of twenty years and routinely outlasts it. The failures people still see are almost always single layer felt, or a system laid over a deck that should have been replaced first.

Why we fit felt on Suffolk flat roofs

Ipswich and the surrounding coast get driven rain off the North Sea and a good deal of wind, and flat roofs here take a harder beating than they would inland. What matters in those conditions is the detailing at the edges and upstands, and the ability to repair a roof cheaply when something does go wrong.

Felt handles both well. Perimeter and upstand details are formed on site, so awkward junctions, pipe penetrations and abutments against a house wall are dressed properly rather than approximated. And when a felt roof takes damage, the repair is straightforward and inexpensive — you heat in a patch. There is no need to lift a large area or match a specialist product.

It also sits well on the housing stock. Most Ipswich flat roofs are garages, single storey rear extensions, dormer cheeks and bay window tops. These are small to medium areas on timber decks, which is exactly what torch-on felt is designed for.

What we do

New felt roofs. Full strip of the old covering, deck inspection and replacement where needed, vapour control layer, insulation where the roof warrants it, then the three layer torch-on system with all edges and upstands detailed.

Felt roof overlay. Where the existing deck and covering are sound, a new cap sheet over the top is a cheaper option that buys a good number of years. We only recommend it where the deck genuinely justifies it, and we will tell you if it does not.

Felt roof repairs. Splits, blisters, failed laps, lifted edges and storm damage, usually completed in a single visit. See our roof repairs page for the full range.

Stripping failed systems. A large share of our work is taking off rubber and fibreglass roofs that have failed and re-covering in felt. If yours has cracked, lifted or is leaking at the joints, we will look at it and give you an honest view on whether it can be saved.

Felt roofing costs in Ipswich

These are the ranges most Ipswich jobs fall into, including labour, materials and waste removal.

• Single garage, full strip and three layer felt — £1,400 to £2,400
• Double garage — £2,200 to £3,600
• Rear extension, 20 to 30 square metres — £2,600 to £4,500
• Dormer cheeks and top — £900 to £1,800
• Bay window roof — £450 to £900
• Overlay cap sheet where deck is sound, per square metre — £55 to £85
• Deck replacement where timbers have failed, per square metre — £45 to £75
• Patch repair — £180 to £400

Deck condition is the only figure that can move, and nobody knows it until the old covering is off. We photograph anything that needs replacing and agree it with you before carrying on.

Common questions

How long does a felt roof last? A three layer torch-on system laid on a sound deck should give twenty years and often considerably more. Single layer felt, or felt laid over a failing deck, will not, which is where most of the material’s poor reputation comes from.

Is felt cheaper than rubber or fibreglass? Usually yes, on both the initial install and any later repair. The repair difference is the larger one over the life of the roof.

Can you felt over my existing roof? Sometimes. If the deck is firm and the existing covering is flat and well adhered, an overlay works and saves money. If the deck is soft or the old covering has lifted, it needs stripping first. We will tell you which at survey.

Do you insulate at the same time? We can. Where a garage is being converted or an extension roof is over a heated room, upgrading insulation while the roof is off is far cheaper than doing it later.

How long does it take? A single garage is typically one day. An extension roof is two to three. Torch-on work needs a dry deck, so we do not lay in wet weather.

For independent guidance on flat roofing systems and standards of workmanship, the National Federation of Roofing Contractors publishes homeowner information covering specification and guarantees.

Areas we cover

We fit and repair felt roofs across Ipswich and the surrounding Suffolk towns and villages:

• Felixstowe — coastal wind and salt exposure make edge detailing critical
• Stowmarket — domestic garages and light commercial across mid-Suffolk
• Woodbridge — extensions and dormers around the Deben estuary
• Hadleigh — post-war housing with original garage roofs now due replacement

If your flat roof needs replacing rather than patching, our roof replacement page sets out what the work involves.

Get a price for your felt roof

Call 01473 974744 or request an estimate below. We will survey the roof free of charge, tell you honestly whether it needs stripping or whether an overlay will do, and put a written fixed price in front of you within 24 hours. No charge for the survey and no obligation to go ahead.