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A specialist flat roofing service
from a contractor that's been doing this since 1949
Clarke Roofing has been carrying out flat roofing in Surrey for decades. We're a family business, now in our third generation, based in Eastbourne with a registered office in Hailsham. Our teams work across Surrey on everything from a single garage roof through to large commercial schemes, and we hold accreditations with most of the major manufacturers, which means the systems we install come with proper manufacturer-backed guarantees on top of our own minimum 10-year workmanship guarantee.
There's no deposit to pay before we start.
We install and replace flat roofs. That covers extensions, garages, dormers, porches, outbuildings, commercial buildings and parts of new builds. We also repair flat roofs where a repair makes sense, failed seams, storm damage, ponding, isolated leaks. Where a roof is past saving, we'll tell you, and we'll strip it back to the deck and start again rather than patch over problems that will come back within a year.
For clients who want a planted finish, we install green roof systems with the drainage and substrate build-ups designed to actually work, not just a layer of moss on top of standard felt.
What we won't do is quote you for a cheap patch when the roof needs replacing, or quote you for a replacement when a repair is all you need. We've been doing this long enough that the short-term sale isn't worth the long-term reputation.
Most domestic flat roofing in Surrey falls into one of four systems. Each has a place, the right one depends on the building.
Single-ply membrane is the modern default for a lot of installations. It's lightweight, fast to install, and the better grades come with 20-year-plus manufacturer guarantees. Works well on extensions, garages and commercial flat roofs.
Built-up felt is the traditional layered system, properly specified with three layers and a mineral cap sheet. Installed correctly, it's hard to beat for longevity on domestic flat roofs. We follow the NFRC's safe2Torch guidelines on every felt installation.
Liquid waterproofing is the answer when a roof has too many penetrations, upstands or awkward shapes for sheet materials to sit cleanly. We see this a lot on older Surrey properties where extensions have been built into corners around chimneys, bay windows and party walls. The liquid cures into a seamless coating with no joints to fail.
EPDM rubber is a single-sheet rubber membrane. It's popular on smaller domestic flat roofs, garages, sheds, garden offices, because it can often be laid in one piece with no seams at all.
We're accredited installers for Bauder, Sika, IKO, Langley, BMI Icopal, Garland and Carlisle. Manufacturer accreditation isn't a marketing badge, it's what allows us to issue their warranties alongside our own.
Surrey's housing stock throws up a particular mix of flat roof work. The Victorian and Edwardian terraces around Guildford, Farnham and Reigate almost always had something added at the back, a kitchen extension, a downstairs bathroom, a side return, and the flat roofs on those additions are now 30, 40, sometimes 50 years old. A lot of them were finished in two-layer felt that wasn't really fit for the job when it went on.
The inter-war semis spread through Epsom, Woking, Surbiton and the rest of the commuter belt usually have a flat-roofed garage attached or detached, plus a porch and sometimes a bay window roof. Bay roofs in particular are a common source of leaks, they're small, often forgotten, and badly detailed where they meet the brickwork above.
In the larger detached houses around Weybridge, Esher, Cobham and Oxshott, we see more substantial flat roofs over orangeries, link extensions and double garages. These are usually larger spans, often with rooflights, and the detailing at the upstands is where most of them fail.
On the newer estates around Guildford, Woking and Horley, we're often called in when a fairly recent flat roof has started to leak, usually because the original installer used the wrong system for the situation, or didn't detail it properly at the abutments.
Finally, the contemporary architect-designed homes across the Surrey Hills and the North Downs tend to use flat roofs as a deliberate design feature, often with very large spans and minimal upstands. These need experienced specification, not a generic two-layer felt approach.
Two things shape how flat roofing in Surrey performs over time.
Elevation and exposure. Properties on the North Downs and across the Surrey Hills sit higher than the surrounding land and take more weather, particularly driving rain from the south-west. A flat roof on a Dorking hillside is a different specification job to one in a sheltered town centre street.
Trees and outlets. Surrey has more mature trees than most counties, oak, lime, beech, sweet chestnut. They drop leaves in autumn, blossom in spring, and small branches all year. If your flat roof has a single outlet and it blocks, the water has nowhere to go. We design new installations with this in mind: bigger outlets, secondary overflows where the geometry allows.
Ground movement. The chalk and greensand under towns like Dorking, Guildford and Godalming means some older properties have moved over time. That can leave extensions sitting at slightly different angles to the main house, which changes the fall on the flat roof and creates ponding where there shouldn't be any.
Before we quote a replacement, we'll often take a core sample of the existing roof. That tells us what's underneath – the deck condition, the insulation, the vapour control, and lets us specify a build-up that's right for the building rather than a generic one.
Free site visit. We come and look. No charge, no obligation.
Written quote within a few days of the visit, with the system specified, the build-up explained, and the price broken down properly.
Start date confirmed in writing. We don't take deposits, so there's nothing for you to lose by waiting if your timing isn't urgent.
Work carried out by our own teams, not subcontracted. The person who quoted the job is the person who's on site when it's being done.
Minimum 10-year workmanship guarantee on completion. Manufacturer guarantee on top of that, where the system supports it.
Building Regulations Completion Certificate issued through the Competent Roofer scheme – no separate visit from Building Control required.
Will my flat roof need Building Regulations approval?
For a replacement, almost always yes. The good news is we're part of the Competent Roofer scheme, so we self-certify and issue you the completion certificate directly.
How long does a flat roof actually last?
A properly specified and installed single-ply or built-up felt roof should give you 20-30 years. EPDM can go longer. Cheap two-layer felt installed badly often fails inside 10. The system matters, but so does the installer.
Can you work to an architect's specification?
Yes. We work on architect-designed projects regularly. If you have a spec already, we'll quote against it.
Is my roof a repair or a replacement?
Depends on its condition. We'll inspect it and give you a straight answer. There's no commercial reason for us to push you toward replacement if a repair will do the job, an honest opinion is what keeps clients coming back.
Do you work on listed buildings?
Yes. Our heritage team handles listed and period properties regularly, including in conservation areas. We can advise on what's likely to get approved and what won't.
Flat roofing is one part of the business. We also handle pitched roofing, slating and tiling in natural and clay materials, plus leadwork, zinc, copper, and full heritage restoration on listed and period buildings. We're VELUX certified installers for rooflights.
Where a project needs more than just roofing, we can step in as main contractor and coordinate brickwork, carpentry, decoration and the other trades. That's particularly useful on larger renovation and extension projects.
Our teams cover the county, working regularly in Guildford, Woking, Farnham, Godalming, Haslemere, Dorking, Reigate, Redhill, Epsom, Leatherhead, Weybridge, Esher, Cobham, Walton-on-Thames, Oxshott, Cranleigh and the villages in between.
We also work across East Sussex, West Sussex, Brighton, Kent, Tunbridge Wells and Hampshire.
If you've got a flat roof that needs looking at, whether it's leaking now, due for replacement, or going on a new build or extension, get in touch. We'll come and look, give you a straight assessment, and quote in writing. No deposit, no pressure, and a minimum 10-year guarantee when the work's done.