North Walsham Roofers carries out commercial roofing repairs, replacements, and new installations for businesses in Spixworth and across North Norfolk.
Commercial roofs take a harder beating than domestic ones. Larger surface areas collect more water, drainage points are more numerous and more likely to block, and any failure tends to affect a wide area of usable space inside. Whether you have a flat-roofed retail unit, a workshop, an agricultural building, or a mixed-use premises, the principles of a sound commercial roof are the same: the right membrane or covering for the pitch, correctly detailed edges and upstands, and drainage that actually works.
We carry out commercial roofing work across Spixworth and the surrounding Broadland area, covering everything from emergency leak repairs through to full roof replacements and new-build installations. Every job is approached the same way: assess the structure and the existing covering properly before deciding what the right course of action is.
The term covers a wide range of work. On flat roofs, the most common systems are built-up felt (sometimes called torch-on felt) and EPDM rubber membrane. Both have their place. Built-up felt has been used on commercial buildings for decades and, when installed correctly with a proper bond and adequate fall, it performs well. EPDM is increasingly popular because a single-ply rubber sheet has very few seams and seams are where flat roofs fail most often.
Metal roofing is common on larger agricultural spans because it can cover a wide area without the weight of traditional materials. The fixings, ridges, and flashings on a metal roof are where problems develop over time and those details need to be done properly from the start.
Flashings are worth mentioning separately because they cause a disproportionate share of commercial roof leaks. A flashing is the metal strip, usually lead or Code 3 to Code 5 depending on the situation, that seals the junction between a roof surface and a wall, parapet, roof light, vent, or any other upstanding element. When a flashing lifts, cracks, or was never properly dressed in the first place, water finds its way behind it and into the building. Repointing or replacing a flashing is often all that is needed to stop a persistent leak.
Commercial roofing costs vary considerably depending on the system, the roof area, access requirements, and the condition of the existing structure. As a general guide, torch-on felt on a flat commercial roof typically runs from around £40 to £70 per square metre for a straightforward replacement. EPDM rubber membrane tends to cost slightly more for the material but can work out similar overall because installation is faster on larger areas.
Metal sheet roofing on agricultural or industrial buildings varies widely with the profile and gauge of sheet chosen, but budget figures of £25 to £55 per square metre are broadly realistic for a standard re-roof. Access is a significant cost factor: if scaffolding or a mobile elevated work platform is needed, that will add to the total. Any structural repairs to underlying timbers or purlins are priced separately once the covering is removed and the condition of the structure is known.
For repairs rather than replacements, a single flashing repair or localised felt patch might cost from around £150 to £400 depending on access and the extent of the work. These figures are indicative; an accurate price requires a proper inspection of your roof.
This is the angle that matters most in the hours or days between discovering a commercial roof problem and getting a roofer on site. Done right, the actions you take while you wait can prevent a minor roof failure from becoming a serious interior damage claim. Done wrong, they can make things worse, create safety hazards, or cause damage that is then difficult to attribute correctly.
If water is coming in, your first job is to catch and redirect it before it damages stock, equipment, electrics, or flooring. Place buckets or other containers under drips. If the water is spreading across a ceiling or running along a beam, a small piece of string or rope attached at the drip point and hanging down into a bucket will channel the flow rather than letting it spread. Change containers regularly and do not let them overflow.
Mark the area on the floor so that your staff know not to walk through it. Wet floors in commercial premises are a slip hazard and a liability. Put up cones or tape off the area.
Water and electricity are a serious combination. If water is dripping near light fittings, sockets, distribution boards, or any electrical equipment, do not simply leave it. Switch off the circuit at the consumer unit if you are confident about which circuit is affected. If you are not certain, call a qualified electrician or switch off the supply to the affected area entirely until the situation is assessed. Do not attempt to dry out electrical fittings yourself or assume they are safe once they appear dry. Water can track a long distance through a ceiling void before it drips, so the source of a drip is rarely directly above it.
Before you move anything, put down covers, or take any remedial action, photograph the affected area from multiple angles and distances. Photograph the ceiling, the walls, any damaged stock or equipment, and the roof surface if you can see it safely from ground level or an existing window. Time-stamp your photos if your phone does not do so automatically. These images are important if you need to make an insurance claim, and they also help the roofer understand what they are coming to look at before they arrive on site.
A blocked outlet or gutter is one of the most common causes of water appearing inside a commercial building, and it is worth checking before assuming the roof covering itself has failed. If your flat roof has visible outlets and you can see them from a safe position (a window, a fire escape landing, or a parapet walkway), check whether they are blocked with leaf debris or moss. Do not climb onto the roof yourself. If the outlets are accessible from a safe fixed position and you can clear them with a long-handled tool, that may be all that is needed. But if accessing the drainage requires you to step onto the roof surface, wait for the roofer.
Similarly, if your building has external gutters, check whether they are overflowing. An overflowing gutter can push water back under eaves, behind fascias, and into the building. Clearing a blockage from a ladder is a reasonable task for most people if the height is modest and they have a secure ladder and someone to foot it. A commercial building with gutters at significant height is a different matter.
Move anything that could be damaged by water out of the affected area if it is safe and practical to do so. Cover items that cannot be moved with polythene sheeting. Keep a record of what was affected and when. If you have a business interruption insurance policy, notify your insurer promptly as most policies have requirements about timely notification of damage.
Make sure anyone working in the building knows about the problem. If an area is unsafe because of water ingress, electrical risk, or structural uncertainty, close it off. Do not leave staff working beneath a ceiling that may be waterlogged. A saturated ceiling tile or plasterboard ceiling can collapse suddenly and without much warning, particularly if water has been accumulating for some time before the drip became visible.
This section is just as important as what to do. Well-meaning attempts to fix or temporarily patch a commercial roof without the right equipment, materials, or experience can cause extra damage, create safety hazards, and in some cases void an existing covering's remaining service life.
This is the most important point. Flat commercial roofs are not designed to be walked on routinely and many are not safe to walk on at all without edge protection, a fall-arrest system, and a risk assessment. Even a roof that looks solid can have areas of weakness, especially around outlets, upstands, and previously repaired sections. Falls from commercial roofs cause serious injuries and fatalities every year. The legal responsibility for working at height on a commercial property sits with the person who organises the work, not just the person carrying it out. Wait for a qualified roofer with the correct access equipment.
Roof repair sealants sold in builders' merchants are sometimes useful for minor domestic repairs, but on a commercial covering they create real problems. Most bitumen-based or rubberised sealant products are incompatible with modern single-ply membranes and can prevent a proper bond when the area is eventually repaired professionally. They also make it much harder to identify the true source of a leak because the sealant can mask the entry point while water continues to track elsewhere. A roofer who arrives to find a leak obscured by layers of DIY sealant has a more difficult and therefore more expensive job.
Water travels. On a flat roof, water that enters through a failure in one section can travel along the falls, through the insulation layer, or along structural elements before it appears as a drip inside. The drip you see in your office may have entered the building several metres away. This is why a proper inspection is necessary before any repair work begins. Patching the wrong area is a waste of money and the leak will continue.
A leak that appears during heavy rain and then stops does not mean the problem has resolved itself. It means the water has either stopped entering because rain stopped, or it has found somewhere else to go, perhaps pooling in a ceiling void or saturating insulation. Saturated insulation loses its thermal performance immediately and can take a very long time to dry out naturally. If left, it adds significant weight to the roof structure and creates conditions for rot and mould. A roof that leaked once will leak again at the same point.
The longer a roof failure is left, the more the damage compounds. Water that enters in one week can have caused widespread damage to insulation, deck, and interior finishes by the following month. The cost of a repair carried out promptly is almost always less than the cost of a repair delayed while the problem worsens.
Commercial roofing is different from domestic work in several important ways. The scale is larger, access is more complex, and the consequences of poor workmanship are greater because a larger area of your business premises is at risk. When you are choosing a roofer for commercial work, ask specific questions rather than relying on general reassurances.
Ask how they intend to access the roof and what the access arrangement will involve for your business operations during the work. Ask what system they propose to use and why they are recommending it over alternatives. Ask what happens if they open up the roof and find the underlying deck or structure is in worse condition than expected. A clear answer to that last question tells you a lot about how the job will be managed.
Ask to see examples of similar work on comparable buildings, and ask for a written scope of work before you commit. The scope should describe the area being covered, the system being installed or repaired, how drainage is being handled, and what the specification is for flashings and edge details. Vague quotations are a warning sign on commercial jobs.
Based in North Walsham, we work across Spixworth and the surrounding villages and towns of North Norfolk. If you have a commercial roof that needs inspecting, repairing, or replacing, call us to arrange a site visit and we will give you a clear assessment of the work required and what it will involve.
For urgent situations where water is getting in, call us directly and describe what you are seeing. We will advise you on what steps to take while we get to you.
No obligation · We usually respond within 2 hours
Storm damage, active leak, damaged ridge - we aim to be on-site within 24 hours.
