🏠 Melton Mowbray Felt Roof Repair Specialists
Felt Roof Repair in Melton Mowbray — Stop a Small Split Becoming a Full Leak
- Free Drone Survey
- Directly Employed Roofers
- Written Fixed Price
📞 Call 01664 490955 — free drone survey & a written price
Book Your Free Drone Survey
No scaffold. No pressure. No obligation.
Straight answers from local Melton Mowbray roofers.
🔒 Your details are safe with us. No spam, ever.
A felt roof rarely fails all at once. It starts as a blister by the chimney or a split along an upstand, then grows a little more every time frost gets into the crack. Felt roof repair in Melton Mowbray catches that damage early, before a small tear turns into a stained ceiling or a soaked loft. Tate & Sons Roofing repairs and recovers felt roofs across Melton Mowbray and the surrounding villages, from a single garage roof in Asfordby to a flat extension roof near the town centre.
This page walks through the warning signs, when a patch is enough, what a proper repair costs, and when a full re-cover is the smarter long-term move. As a roofing contractor across Melton Mowbray working on pitched and flat roofs alike, we often spot problems on the rest of your roof while we are up there fixing the felt, and we will always tell you if that is the case.
Know the Warning Signs Before a Small Split Becomes a Leak
Most felt roof problems show themselves long before water gets inside. The trouble is that a flat roof is hard to see properly from ground level, so early signs get missed.
Look out for these:
- Blisters or bubbles that feel soft or spongy underfoot
- Splits or cracks, especially around chimneys and upstands
- Lifted or curling edges where the felt meets a fascia or wall
- Ponding water that sits for more than 48 hours after rain
- Bald patches where the mineral granules have worn away
- Moss or algae building up in shaded, low-lying corners
- Ceiling stains or a musty smell in the room or garage below
A well-fitted felt roof usually lasts 15 to 20 years, though cheaper, older
tar-based felt can start failing after 10. We see this often on Asfordby's mid-century terraces, where the house roof is sound but the felt garage roof behind it is well past its best. A garage roof takes the same weather as the house with a fraction of the fixings, so it tends to fail first.
Patch, Overlay or Full Recover — Get the Right Call for Your Roof
A single blister or a short split on an otherwise sound roof is almost always a patch job. Cut back the damaged area, dry the deck out properly, and bond in a new piece of felt with sealed edges. That fix can hold for years if the rest of the covering is still in good condition.
Once a roof has several weak spots, or the felt is uniformly thin and brittle across its whole area, a single patch just moves the problem somewhere else. A single-layer overlay bonds a fresh cap sheet over the existing felt once it has been checked, dried and cleaned, giving you a fresh weatherproof surface without stripping everything back. The Liquid Roofing and
Waterproofing Association's technical guidance on overlaying a flat roof sets out exactly when an overlay is appropriate and when it is not, and it is worth a read if you are weighing up the two options.
If the deck underneath is soft, wet, or rotten, no amount of patching or overlaying will hold. At that point you need the roof stripped back and fully recovered, which moves the job closer to a new felt system than a repair. Our felt roofing service covers that full recover work when a repair genuinely will not do the job.
Exposure matters too. Roofs out toward the Vale of Belvoir Scarp take a harder battering from wind-driven rain than a sheltered garden in the town centre, and that wind gets under lifted edges and works them loose faster. Down in Thorpe Arnold, where flat roofs are a common, cost-effective choice on extensions and garages, we see edge lifting more than blistering, simply because the wind has more to grab onto out there.
What a Felt Roof Repair Really Costs in Melton Mowbray
A small patch repair, covering a single blister or a short split, typically costs £80 to £400 depending on access and how much of the deck needs drying out first. Resealing a weak joint or a lifted edge usually sits toward the lower end of that range.
A larger repair covering several patches, or an overlay across a garage roof, usually runs from £800 up to £2,500, depending on size. A full strip-and-recover, where the old felt comes off and a new system goes down, typically costs £50 to £80 per square metre, which works out at roughly £1,500 for an average garage roof and up to £7,300 or more for a larger flat roof area.
What pushes the price up or down:
- Size and number of repair areas — one small patch costs far less than several spread across the roof
- Access — a garage roof reached by ladder costs less to work on than a roof needing scaffold
- Deck condition — rotten boards under the felt typically add £200 to £600 before new felt goes down
- Upstands and detailing — chimneys, skylights and abutments all add time and materials
- Felt grade — a premium, high-performance felt system costs more upfront but lasts longer
Commercial flat roofs around the Stockyard and Cattle Market area tend to cost more per square metre to repair than a domestic garage roof, purely because of scale, access and the number of upstands and vents involved. These are general market ranges, not a quote for your roof. A fixed price needs a survey.
Compare Your Repair Options at a Glance
Here is how the three main options compare, so you know roughly what you are looking at before a surveyor comes out.
| Option | Typical Cost | What It Involves | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Patch Repair | £80 – £400 | Cutting back the damaged area, drying the deck, bonding in new felt and sealing the edges | A single blister, short split or lifted edge on an otherwise sound roof |
| Single-Layer Overlay | £800 – £2,500 (roughly £50 – £70 per m²) | Bonding a fresh cap sheet over the existing felt once it is checked, dried and cleaned | Several weak spots on a roof with a dry, sound deck underneath |
| Full Strip-and-Recover | £1,500 – £7,300+ (roughly £50 – £80 per m²) | Stripping the old felt to the deck, replacing rotten boards, fitting a full new felt system | Widespread blistering, soft decking, or a roof over 15–20 years old with repeated repairs |
What Happens on Repair Day, Start to Finish
A felt repair follows the same order on every job, whether it is a garage roof in Burton Lazars or a commercial unit in town:
- Roof checked and the damaged area marked out
- Old, damaged felt cut back and lifted clear
- Deck checked for rot and dried out if needed
- New felt bonded in, torched or cold-applied depending on the system
- Edges and joints sealed to shed water cleanly
- Site cleared and the repair checked before we leave
Most single-patch repairs are finished within a day. A larger overlay across a garage or extension roof usually takes one to two days, and a full strip-and-recover on an average domestic flat roof typically runs two to four days. Weather
has the final say, since felt cannot be bonded properly onto a wet or frozen deck, and we would rather push a date back than fit a repair that will not hold.
How We Check the Repair's Done Right
Before we leave any job, we check every edge, seam and upstand by hand to make sure nothing has been missed. Water does not always show itself straight away, so a rushed finish can look fine for weeks before it fails.
Daniel Oakland, our project manager, oversees the finish on every felt repair, checking that seals are fully bonded and edges are dressed down properly before the job is signed off. Every repair carries our 10-Year Workmanship Guarantee, so if a seam ever lifts or a seal fails within that period, we come back and put it right at no extra cost. If you want the wider roof checked at the same time, a free drone survey gives you footage of the whole roof, not just the patched section.
Keep Your Felt Roof Going Longer After the Repair
A repair only holds as long as the roof around it is looked after. A little regular attention adds real years to a felt roof's life.
- Clear leaves and debris from the surface and outlets each autumn
- Check for ponding water after heavy rain and report it early
- Keep an eye on flashings and upstands around chimneys and vents
- Book a free drone survey every couple of years, or after a storm
Garages and outbuildings near Melton Country Park catch a heavy drop of leaves every autumn, and blocked outlets are one of the most common causes of ponding water we find on a callout. Out toward Scalford and the higher ground, wind-driven debris tends to collect against
upstands rather than washing clear, so those roofs need a slightly closer eye. None of this needs a specialist visit, just a regular look and a call to us if anything seems off.
Why Melton Mowbray Homeowners Trust Tate & Sons With Felt Roof Repairs
A felt repair is only as good as the person doing it. Daniel Oakland, our project manager, has more than twenty years in the trade and specialises in flat roof systems including felt, EPDM and GRP, so he has seen how a poor repair fails and how a proper one does not.
Founder James Tate started the business after fifteen years working roofs across Melton Mowbray and the surrounding villages, and still prices most jobs himself. He built Tate & Sons around a simple idea: find out what is genuinely wrong, use the right materials, and stand behind the result. That is why every felt repair carries our 10-Year Workmanship Guarantee, not just a verbal promise. Between us
we hold NVQ Level 2 and 3 qualifications in Roofing Occupations and carry CSCS cards, and Janice Whitmore, our office manager, keeps you posted from your first call through to the finished job. Read more about the people behind the work on our About Tate & Sons Roofing page.
Areas We Serve Across Melton Mowbray and the Vale of Belvoir
We repair felt roofs across Melton Mowbray and the surrounding villages and borough. If your area isn't on the list below, call us anyway — there's a strong chance we already cover you.
- Melton Mowbray (LE13)
- Asfordby (LE14 3)
- Old Dalby (LE14 3)
- Nether Broughton (LE14 3)
- Frisby on the Wreake (LE14 2)
- Wymondham (LE14 2)
- Long Clawson (LE14 4)
- Harby (LE14 4)
- Stathern (LE14 4)
- Waltham on the Wolds (LE14 4)
- Bottesford (NG13)
Got Questions?
Your Felt Roof Repair Questions, Answered Properly
How much does felt roof repair cost in Melton Mowbray?
A small patch repair typically costs £80 to £400, while a larger repair or overlay across a garage roof usually runs £800 to £2,500. A full strip-and-recover typically costs £50 to £80 per square metre, working out at roughly £1,500 to £7,300 or more depending on size. Access, deck condition and the number of upstands all affect the final figure. A fixed price always needs a survey first.
How long does a felt roof usually last before it needs repairing?
A well-fitted felt roof typically lasts 15 to 20 years, though older tar-based felt can start failing closer to 10 years. Sun, frost and standing water gradually break down the bitumen, making it brittle and prone to splitting. Regular checks catch small problems while they are still a cheap patch rather than a full recover. A roof past 15 years with repeated repairs is usually closer to the end of its life than the start of a new problem.
What causes blisters and bubbles on a felt roof?
Blisters form when moisture or air gets trapped beneath the felt and expands as the sun warms the roof. Over time the trapped pocket grows, and the felt around it thins and weakens until it splits. A blister should be slit, dried out properly and pressed flat before being resealed, since covering an active blister without drying it first just traps the same moisture under a new layer. Left alone, a blister almost always turns into a leak eventually.
Can a split or torn felt roof be patched, or do I need a new covering?
A single split or tear on an otherwise sound roof can almost always be patched rather than replaced. We cut back the damaged area, dry the deck, and bond in new felt with properly sealed edges. If splits keep appearing in different spots, or the felt is thin and brittle across the whole roof, patching becomes a short-term fix rather than a real solution. At that point an overlay or full recover is the better long-term value.
Can I repair a felt roof myself?
Small, straightforward repairs like sealing a minor split can be done by a confident DIYer with the right materials. Working with a torch or heat gun takes practice, and getting the deck properly dry before resealing matters more than it looks like it does. Larger areas of damage, soft decking, or anything involving working safely on a pitched or high roof are best left to a professional. A poorly bonded DIY patch often fails again within a season, which usually costs more in the end.
Does felt roof repair fix a leak straight away?
Yes, in most cases a properly bonded patch stops a leak as soon as it is finished and fully sealed. The deck needs to be genuinely dry before new felt goes down, so if there has been standing water for a while, we may need to let it dry out first. Rushing a repair onto a wet deck is one of the main reasons patches fail early. A repair done properly, in the right conditions, should hold for years rather than weeks.
Can felt roofs be repaired in winter or wet weather?
Felt needs a dry, reasonably mild deck to bond properly, so genuinely wet or frozen conditions can delay a repair. We monitor the forecast and plan around dry windows rather than rushing a repair that will not hold. Small emergency patches to stop an active leak can often still go ahead in poorer weather using cold-applied materials suited to the conditions. A repair fitted in the wrong conditions tends to fail faster than the original problem.
Will home insurance cover felt roof repair after a storm?
It often does, if the damage was sudden and caused by a specific event like a storm rather than gradual wear. General deterioration from age, such as blistering or brittle felt, is usually treated as a maintenance issue and is not typically covered. Photos of the damage and a written report from us help support a claim if you need to make one. Always check your policy's specific terms, since cover varies between insurers.
Why do felt garage roofs on Asfordby's older terraces fail faster than the house roof?
A garage roof usually carries the same weather as the house roof but with a flatter pitch, fewer fixings and often an older, cheaper felt specification. Water sits longer on a near-flat surface, which speeds up wear at seams and upstands. Many of Asfordby's mid-century terraces still have their original felt garage roofs, well past the covering's working life even where the house roof looks fine. A patch or overlay on a garage roof is usually a quick, affordable fix rather than a major job.
Book Your Free Drone Roof Survey Before That Split Gets Worse
See exactly what your felt roof needs before any work starts. No ladders, no pressure — just a clear picture from a local Melton Mowbray team.
Every month a split or blister is left alone, water works its way further into the deck beneath it, and a repair that could have cost a few hundred pounds turns into a full recover. A quick, free survey today tells you exactly where you stand, and often the right answer is smaller and more affordable than you feared. Book now, get an honest quote, and get your felt roof sorted properly, first time.
Get in Touch
Tate & Sons Roofing, Melton Mowbray
13 Cromwell Road, Melton Mowbray, LE13 0AD
📞 01664 490955
✉️ [email protected]