What type of roofing is best for a flat roof?

Questions answered in this blog:

Click the link to jump to the answer:

• What are the different types of flat roofing systems?
• What is the cheapest flat roof system?
• What is the longest-lasting flat roof?

A guide to flat roof options

When it comes to choosing the right flat roofing material or covering for your property, there are a number of considerations you will need to take into account.

For example, what do you want to achieve? What’s the vision? How big is your roof? What kind of weather will the roof have to face? What labour will be involved?

Flat roofs can definitely have several benefits, but choosing the best material that suits your property and keeps it safe should be your top priority.

Don’t know where to start? As expert flat roofers here at ELC, we thought we would put together a little guide that answers all our customer questions in one easy spot.

Different types of roofing systems

Explore details, advantages and limitations…

Which roof material is the longest lasting?

Arguably, the best material for a flat roof is PVC Single-Ply Membrane (which you can see in the image above).

It is specifically designed to last 15-30 years, which in fact, makes it the longest-lasting flat roof material on the market today.

Many roofing contractors, especially us here at ELC mostly install PVC flat roofs, because they are considered the best, and we always recommend quality.

Lowest costing flat roof system

We understand that roofs can be expensive, and homeowners tend to often ask us what’s the cheapest flat roof covering?

In all honesty, it completely depends on the size of your roof – however, generally speaking, flat roof materials are generally cheaper than sloped roofing coverings.

EPDM, for example, can be around £1.20/£1.50 per square foot, which makes it the cheapest single-ply membrane.

Asphalt roofs and modified bitumen can tend to be more expensive, but again this depends on the number of plies.

For an accurate quote, get in touch.

Identifying the best flat roofing material:

Whether you wish to replace an existing flat roof covering, or wish to construct a new build project, it makes perfect sense to review your flat roof options.

Certain flat roofing methods like BUR have been around for over 100 years, whereas over the last decade, membranes and roofing technologies have advanced a lot, which provides homeowners and installers with more energy-efficient and inexpensive choices.

In order to identify which will be the best roof covering for your home, a few considerations will need to be made:

• Budget: Is this an investment or a cheap roof replacement? Do you want a roof with the longest lifespan or one that is likely to need more repairs through its lifetime?
• Climate: Where do you live? What will your roof be subject to? Heavy rains? Cold weather? Lots of sunlight?
• Timeline: How quickly do you want your new roof installed?
• Installer: Will you attempt to install the flat roof membrane yourself or hire a professional contractor with the right training?