North Walsham Roofers carries out commercial roofing repairs, replacements and new installations for businesses in Honing and across North Norfolk.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
Whether you run a farm with outbuildings, a small industrial unit or a retail premises, the roof is the one part of the building you cannot afford to ignore. A failing commercial roof can halt work, damage stock and leave you with a much larger repair bill than if the problem had been caught early. We carry out roofing work on commercial and agricultural buildings throughout the Honing area and the wider North Norfolk region, covering repairs, full replacements and new-build installations.
This page walks you through exactly what happens from the moment you call us to the day we pack up and leave your site clean. Knowing the process helps you ask the right questions of any roofer, and it helps you plan around the work so disruption to your business is kept to a minimum.
Every commercial job starts with a proper look at the roof. That means getting up on it, not just glancing from the ground. On a flat roof, a ground-level inspection will miss ponding areas, blistered felt, failed lap joints and any sections where the deck beneath has begun to soften. On a pitched roof, you cannot assess the condition of the flashings, the ridge, the valleys or the mortar bedding without being up there.
During an inspection we check the roof covering itself, the drainage channels and outlets, the upstands and abutments where the roof meets a wall, and the condition of any penetrations such as pipe boots, rooflights or extraction units. We also check the internal spaces below where we can, because damp patches on ceilings or insulation that feels wet tells you as much as the roof surface does.
We note down everything and explain what we find in plain language. You should expect any roofer to do the same before quoting.
Once the inspection is done, a good roofer explains not just what is wrong but why it went wrong, because the cause matters as much as the symptom. A flat roof that keeps pooling water may have failed felt, but it may also have an outlet that is undersized or blocked, or a deck that has sagged slightly. Patching the felt without addressing the drainage will only buy you another year or two.
Common problems on commercial flat roofs include:
On pitched commercial roofs, common issues include missing or slipped tiles and slates, failed ridge mortar, corroded or displaced metal flashings at chimney stacks and abutments, and on agricultural buildings, corroded or broken profiled metal sheeting.
We set out your options clearly. Sometimes a targeted repair extends the roof's useful life significantly. Other times, particularly where the deck is compromised or a flat roof has been patched repeatedly, a full replacement is more cost-effective in the long run. We do not push one option over the other; we explain the trade-offs and let you decide.
For any job beyond a small repair, you should receive a written scope of works before a price is agreed. This sets out exactly what is being replaced or repaired, what materials will be used, how the site will be managed and what the access method is. Vague verbal quotes make it impossible to compare one roofer against another and leave you exposed if the job overruns or a dispute arises.
Typical commercial roofing costs in the UK vary considerably depending on the system and the scale of the job. As a broad guide:
These are current typical UK ranges, not fixed prices for any individual job. Actual costs depend on access requirements, the condition of the existing deck or structure, the specification of materials chosen and whether any remedial carpentry or steelwork is needed first.
Access is a significant cost driver on commercial buildings. A two-storey flat-roofed retail unit may need a scissor lift or access tower, which adds to the daily hire cost. A large agricultural barn may be straightforward to access at eaves level but require scaffolding or edge protection for safe working. Any quote should make the access method explicit.
Before any roofing work begins, the site needs to be made safe and practical. On an occupied commercial or agricultural premises, that means agreeing with you which areas need to be kept clear, where materials will be stored, and whether any parts of the building need to be protected from debris or dust.
On flat roofs, the existing covering usually needs to be stripped back to the deck before the new system goes down. The condition of the deck is often not fully known until the old covering is off, which is why any honest quote should flag the possibility of additional deck repair once the roof is opened up. A deck that sounds solid when you walk it can still have isolated soft areas around old penetrations or drainage outlets.
We also check that drainage outlets are clear and properly sized before the new covering goes down. Fitting a new membrane over an outlet that cannot drain the roof adequately is a waste of everyone's time and money.
The installation method depends on the system being used. Torch-on felt systems are applied in layers using a gas torch to bond each sheet. EPDM rubber membranes are either fully adhered with bonding adhesive or mechanically fixed, then sealed at all laps, upstands and penetrations. Both systems require careful detailing at every edge, corner and outlet, because that is where failures almost always start.
On pitched roofs, new battens are fixed to the rafters, a breathable felt underlay is laid, and then tiles or slates are fixed in accordance with the manufacturer's fixing specification and British Standard BS 5534. Ridge tiles are bedded or dry-fixed depending on the specification. Flashings are dressed in lead or an appropriate lead-substitute product and stepped or soaker-detailed at abutments.
On profiled metal roofs, sheets are fixed with sealed fasteners at the correct centres for the wind load zone. Laps are sealed and ridge, eaves and gable details are formed to prevent water ingress and vermin entry. Rooflights, where fitted, are sealed and secured to the same standard as the surrounding sheeting.
Throughout the installation, the work should be progressed in a sequence that means the building is never left open overnight if rain is forecast. On a large job this requires planning, not just reacting to the weather forecast the morning of the job.
The difference between a competent installation and a poor one often shows up in the finishing details rather than the main field of the roof. Upstands that are not taken high enough, flashings that are not fully dressed into the mortar joint, outlets that are not properly collared into the membrane - these are the details that cause callbacks within a year or two.
Before we leave a job, we check all upstands and abutment details, confirm all outlets are clear and properly integrated, check any rooflights or penetrations, and walk the complete perimeter. On a flat roof, if conditions allow, we will check the drainage under a real or simulated rain load to confirm water is moving to the outlets rather than sitting on the surface.
You should also expect the roofer to check internally where accessible, to confirm no moisture has entered during the works and that existing damp patches are no longer active.
At the end of the job, all stripped-off material should be removed from site and disposed of correctly. Old felt, insulation and fixings are not materials that should be left on the premises for you to deal with. Any skips or waste bags used during the work should be removed as part of the job price, not presented as an unexpected extra.
At handover, ask the roofer for a summary of exactly what was installed, the make and specification of the membrane or tiles used, and any relevant product data sheets. This information is useful if you ever need to extend or repair the roof in future, and it is something a professional roofer should be able to provide without being pressed.
Flat roofs are common on commercial and light industrial buildings because they are cost-effective to construct and allow plant and equipment to be roof-mounted. They require more frequent inspection than pitched roofs because water cannot shed as freely, and any failure in the membrane allows water to track sideways before it drops through the deck. An annual inspection is good practice on any commercial flat roof.
Pitched roofs on agricultural or retail buildings are generally lower maintenance once in good order, but flashing failures and mortar deterioration on ridges and verges can allow water in without any obvious visible damage from the ground. If a pitched commercial roof has not been inspected in five or more years, an inspection is worthwhile.
Regardless of which roofer you use for commercial work in the Honing area or elsewhere in North Norfolk, there are some straightforward questions worth asking before you sign anything:
A roofer who is confident in their work will not hesitate to answer any of these. One who becomes evasive or vague at the quoting stage is telling you something important.
We work on commercial, agricultural and light industrial buildings across the area, from individual repair visits to full roof replacement projects. If you have a commercial property in Honing that needs a roofing inspection or you are planning a replacement, call us to arrange a visit and we will give you a clear, written assessment of what the roof needs.
No obligation · We'll call you to arrange a free visit
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
