Frequently Asked Questions
There are several other products available the most obvious being mineral felt along with PVC and GRP fibreglass. Compare modern roof systems. Mineral felt has many shortcomings and these are described here. Although PVC and GRP compare well, Firestone’s EPDM has withstood rigorous independant testing and multiple studies have proven it to be extremely durable, superior quality, reliable and has exceeded all expectations regarding longevity. Take a look at the highly competitive commercial sector over the last 5 decades; if EPDM wasn’t any good then it wouldn’t have been specified by architects (the people that know) on over 1,000,000,000 (1 billion) square metres of roof worldwide!
Yes. EPDM is very durable and is unaffected by maintenance access. If you would like to use it as a balcony or roof garden then this is fine too as long as you overlay it with a suitable covering such as paving slabs, decking etc.
Yes. It has been recommended as the preferred choice of roofing product by Greenpeace and the Green Building Digest. The manufacturer, Firestone, has also received ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system.
Yes. We will visit your property at your convenience and carry out a site survey at no charge.
Absolutely not. Our quotes are entirely without obligation and no pressure will put upon you to agree to the quote. We don’t need to try hard to sell this service so you will find our surveys are thorough but friendly.
Generally 2 weeks but we can respond to emergency calls and make a temporary repair usually within 24 hours.
Possibly sooner than you may think. A felt roof has an expected lifetime of anything between 10-15 years after it was installed. Some felt roofs last longer if they have been well maintained or are protected from the elements somewhat. Look out for the signs of a dying felt roof here.
You won’t. In all likeliness the roof will outlast you.
Nothing. You may want to occasionally sweep leaves away but that’s it.
No. In our opinion we believe EPDM roofs offer real value for money especially when you factor in the expected life span, technical advantages and our LIFETIME guarantee.
Most likely yes. Our quotes are worked out to be very competitive. If you give us a price to beat we shall do our best to do just that.
We ask for a small deposit up front with the balance payable upon satisfactory completion so you have very little risk. This is basically to cover some of the costs towards the rubber which is cut to size and therefore non returnable to our suppliers. As with any made to measure service this is normal as most companies wouldn’t want to be left with custom size materials.
Yes and no. Like all outdoor building work we are at the mercy of the weather. If its raining, snowing, blowing a gale or temperatures are below freezing we can’t do the work. You don’t want your roof taken off if its raining and we don’t particularly want to get soaking wet either.
Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer.
Probably not. It is unlikely that you’ll need to apply for planning permission just to recover your roof.
If it is a new roof as part of a new extension then the roof will get inspected as part of the planning application/building regs approval for the whole structure and doesn’t need to be applied for separately.
More information on planning permission can be found here.
Yes. If you want to re-cover an existing roof then building regulations approval will need to be applied for. This is so that the local authority can check that the roof contains the correct amount of insulation according to Part L of the Building Regulations.
More information on building regulation approval can be found here.