Refelt or other cover my 8 x 16 shed roof?

[Oldman]

In 2009 my first ever thread in this forum was my from scratch 8 x 16ft pent roof shed which cost me £750 in materials total waterproof.

Now 15yrs later my felt has gained a few minor leaks and its time for a re-roof either in felt again or epdm?
I know a local roofer who does lots of felt work and as I am getting closer to my 80's I thought I may not be able to manage rolls of roofing felt any more, so asked him for a price to refelt it if I did all the stripping off and prep work.
He asked for £750 which was my original total build cost and in my opinion too much although I have yet to ask others to quote. Materials for me to fit felt would be 3 x rolls premium felt £150+£26 felt adhesive, So £201 plus a man to lift it up there!

As an alternative I am considering epdm, it comes in 1 roll roof size so if I get someone to lift it onto the roof I just need to be able to roll it out over the rollered on tub of glue I need to seal it down. I can get the materials for this delivered for £250 which makes it my sort of pricing

Anyone got any idea on Kent pricing for a re felt or would edpm be a better bet? Both are likely to outlive me but it would still be nice to think it was done correctly for the fully grown "kids" to fight over

 

[John Brown]

I'd try to get a couple of alternative quotes.
I just did our 12 x 5 shed, took a couple of hours.
I am a bit younger at 71.

Having said that, I frequently hear good things about EPDM. The shed we just erected was a kit, and came with the felt supplied.

 

[Fitzroy]

I'm an EPDM convert. Once the roof is cleared of old material it's no more than 1/2 a day to glue the deck, roll out the EPDM and brush down, and nail on the edge profiles. The brushing it flat to get the air bubbles out is the hardest bit and difficult to do without standing on the roof. The EDPM roll can also be pretty heavy. If you can find a general laborer/handyman for a day then with some research you easily be able to direct them to complete the works.

 

[niall Y]

Have you thought of corrugated iron sheets. I live in a coastal area and got fed up with the felt ripping and blowing away, so replaced it with metal sheeting . You might need some additional timber under the roof boarding to get a good fix for the screws

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Epdm. Jfdi.

 

[Oldman]

I'm an EPDM convert. Once the roof is cleared of old material it's no more than 1/2 a day to glue the deck, roll out the EPDM and brush down, and nail on the edge profiles. The brushing it flat to get the air bubbles out is the hardest bit and difficult to do without standing on the roof. The EDPM roll can also be pretty heavy. If you can find a general laborer/handyman for a day then with some research you easily be able to direct them to complete the works.

I am considering epdm but I would like to not have to purchase all the plastic profiles, can the edges be done as per felt with roofing battens to fix the rubber against the sides? Its a shed not a garden office so doesnt have to be pretty.

 

[John Brown]

I am considering epdm but I would like to not have to purchase all the plastic profiles, can the edges be done as per felt with roofing battens to fix the rubber against the sides? Its a shed not a garden office so doesnt have to be pretty.

I'm no expert, but I believe you can get away with battens and avoid buying plastic trim.

 

[Oldman]

Have you thought of corrugated iron sheets. I live in a coastal area and got fed up with the felt ripping and blowing away, so replaced it with metal sheeting . You might need some additional timber under the roof boarding to get a good fix for the screws

No, I hadn't thought of corrugated iron, green coloured metal sheet had crossed my mind though but the cost with fixings and delivery put me off and that was last year when I looked so even pricier now.

 

[Oldman]

As to lifting stuff up there my daughter has a 6ft strapping boyfriend who would assist if asked to get stuff up on the roof so that shouldn't be a problem. The rest I can manage still. I feel 40 in my mind, just the body cant keep up these days

 

[MarkAW]

There's also corrugated bitumen sheets. I used those recently. Possibly cheaper than metal. I don't know.
Longer lasting than felt. Certainly less noisy in the rain than metal, and less likely to form condensation.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I'm no expert, but I believe you can get away with battens and avoid buying plastic trim.

The trims are xpensive but worthwhile. They stop the rain dripping of the sides and create a drop into guttering at the back.

 

[deema]

A day rate where I am in Cheshire is now c£200 / day / man…..and a day for the youngsters is starting late and disappearing by 3pm to pick up the kids whilst being in the phone in-between

 

[Fitzroy]

I am considering epdm but I would like to not have to purchase all the plastic profiles, can the edges be done as per felt with roofing battens to fix the rubber against the sides? Its a shed not a garden office so doesnt have to be pretty.

yes you can use battens

 

[kinverkid]

There's also corrugated bitumen sheets. I used those recently. Possibly cheaper than metal. I don't know.
Longer lasting than felt. Certainly less noisy in the rain than metal, and less likely to form condensation.

My green bitumen corrugated roof has been on my shed for 18 years and looks like it will last another 18. Plus, I suppose, you won't need to remove the old felt to fit it.

 

[niall Y]

No, I hadn't thought of corrugated iron, green coloured metal sheet had crossed my mind though but the cost with fixings and delivery put me off and that was last year when I looked so even pricier now.

I suppose it depends on what you are paying for the sheets. 7 x 9ft sheets at roughly £26. a sheet will be £182 .You shouldn't need any flashing. and the existing felt, with bitumen over the leaks will do for an underlay
If you do end up using felt, you don't have to lift the whole roll up there. It is a lot easier at times to cut to size on the ground, so you will only be lifting a strip at a time.

 

[--Tom--]

I’m a convert to rubber roofing too- 8x16 will be weighty though- and being able to walk on the roof to roll it out will be pretty unavoidable
Once done will be much better than felt

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Mine, done a few weeks ago was £414 (materials only). 11'6" x 8". That was all adhesives, trims etc. I did pay about £50 more for heavier rubber. Better to regret something you have done than something you haven't. Rubber4roofs. I'm 70, I don't do jobs that are likely to need redoing in my lifetime.

 

[Cabinetman]

Mine done this year in flame torch top quality bitumen rolls, the last one lasted 30+ years, I wouldn’t have anything else! 45’ x 15’ £1800 fitted inc material cost of £500, all praise to you at 80 wanting to do it yourself !! I’m only! 69 and quite happy to hand it on to a younger roofer, though I did help get the felt rolls up to the 3rd floor!
Ian

 

[Phil Pascoe]

In epdm you probably wouldn't have needed to do it again.

 

[Si465]

I have a 3x6m shed where the felt was replaced for EPDM. No trims and it wasn't stuck down, just nailed every ~3 inches around the edge, it's been fine for about 5 years so far.