Garage felt roof Hove

Garage Felt Roof Problems in Hove: When Repair Is Enough and When Replacement Makes More Sense

If you own a garage in Hove and the felt roof has started leaking, cracking, sagging, or showing signs of age, the first question is not always “how much does a new roof cost?” The better question is: what exactly has failed? A small split in the mineral felt is a very different problem from a soft timber deck, rotten chipboard, failed drip edge, or long-term water trapped underneath the membrane.

Many garage roof problems look simple from the outside. You may only see a stain on the ceiling, a damp patch near the wall, or water dripping after heavy rain. But with felt roofs, the visible leak is often not where the water first entered. Water can travel under old laps, along the edge trim, or through tiny cracks before it finally appears inside the garage.

Why Old Garage Felt Roofs Fail in Hove

A lot of older garage roofs still have ageing pour-and-roll felt or a basic mineral felt layer installed over chipboard or older timber boards. This type of roof can last for years when it is dry, flat, and undisturbed, but once the surface becomes brittle, the problems usually spread quickly.

The most common weak points are the edges, lap joints, corners, and areas where water sits after rain. If the roof has poor fall, water pooling can slowly weaken the felt. If the drip edge is damaged, water can run back underneath the membrane instead of falling cleanly into the gutter. Once moisture reaches the timber deck, chipboard can swell and lose strength. At that stage, a simple patch on top may hide the problem for a short time, but it will not restore the structure underneath.

When a Felt Roof Repair May Be Enough

Not every garage felt roof needs full replacement. If the timber deck is still dry and firm, and the problem is limited to one small area, a local repair may be reasonable. This can include sealing a split, repairing a failed lap, improving an edge detail, or replacing a damaged section of felt.

However, a repair only makes sense when the roof structure is still sound. If the boards feel soft underfoot, if the roof is sagging, or if water has been entering for a long time, then patching the surface is usually a false economy. The felt may look repaired from above, but moisture can remain trapped below and continue damaging the deck.

When Replacement Is the Better Option

A full garage felt roof replacement becomes the sensible option when the existing roof has widespread cracking, repeated leaks, rotten decking, poor drainage, or several previous patch repairs. In these cases, the correct approach is usually to strip the roof back, inspect the joists, remove damaged boards, and install new structural decking where needed.

For a long-term result, I normally use 18mm OSB3 structural decking where the old boards are no longer reliable, followed by a proper SBS-modified bitumen torch-on felt system. SBS felt is more flexible than older basic felt systems, so it copes better with expansion, contraction, and weather movement. This is especially important on exposed garage roofs where the surface heats up, cools down, and takes heavy rain directly.

The Main Difference Between a Cheap Patch and a Proper Repair

The cheapest quote is often based on doing the least visible work. That usually means applying another layer over the existing felt without checking what is happening underneath. This can make the roof look better for a short time, but if the deck is already wet or rotten, the problem has not been solved.

A proper repair or replacement starts with diagnosis. The important question is not only whether the top layer has failed, but whether the roof still has a solid base. Felt is only as good as the surface it is bonded to. If the boards move, sag, or hold moisture, even a good felt system will struggle.

Checking the Roof Before Deciding

Before choosing between repair and replacement, check a few simple signs. Look for standing water after rain, soft areas underfoot, cracks near the edges, lifting felt, bubbling, dark damp marks inside the garage, or repeated leaks in the same area. These signs usually tell you whether the issue is only on the surface or whether the roof structure has started to fail.

If the roof is still solid, a targeted felt repair may be enough. If the roof has become soft, uneven, or repeatedly wet, then a full garage roof replacement is usually the cleaner and more reliable option.

Getting a Clear Price for a Hove Garage Roof

Once you know whether the job is likely to be a repair, overlay, or full replacement, pricing becomes much easier to understand. A standard garage felt roof is usually more predictable than a complicated house roof because there are fewer details, fewer access issues, and fewer structural variables.

That is why I use an online calculator for this type of work. If your garage is in Hove, you can enter the roof dimensions and get a clear price based on the size and expected scope of the job. The final inspection is still important, because the condition of the decking can only be confirmed properly on site, but the calculator gives you a realistic starting point before any work is booked.