Larke's Roofs — East Anglia roofing experts
Cambridge City Council · CB1

Flat roof replacement across Cambridge

Dense streets in Cambridge mean shared valleys, party walls and restricted scaffold positions. If you are looking at flat roofing & epdm in Cambridge, the practical questions are usually the same: what is actually failing, how much of the roof it affects, and whether it can be repaired or needs replacing. We answer those on site, free of charge.

County
Cambridgeshire
Postcode
CB1, CB2, CB3
Access
M11
From Ely
~16 miles
work in progress: larke's Roofs roofers on site in Cambridge (CB1) off the M11 — flat roofing & epdm by Larke's Roofs
site photograph of re-tiled pitched roof on a Victorian terrace in Cambridge (CB1) off the M11 — flat roofing & epdm by Larke's Roofs

Specification and scope in Cambridge

EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass and felt flat roofs for extensions, garages, dormers and outbuildings, with proper falls, trims and outlets.

  • EPDM rubber roofs
  • GRP fibreglass roofs
  • Torch-on felt systems
  • Extensions, garages and dormers
Full flat roofing & epdm details

Why Cambridgeshire roofs fail

Victorian terraces, college-era period roofs and commercial premises.

  • Failed upstands and trims

    Most flat-roof leaks start at the edges — upstands, drip trims and the junction with the main wall — not in the middle of the roof.

  • Split and blistered felt

    Old bitumen felt splits at movement joints and blisters where trapped moisture expands. Overlaying rarely fixes either.

  • Restricted access and scaffold

    Narrow frontages and parking pressure across CB1 mean scaffold design and permits are planned in advance, not on the morning.

  • Domestic and commercial in one visit

    We quote homes and small commercial premises on the same terms — inspection first, written specification second.

Materials and systems we use

GRP fibreglass
Laid in situ over a ply deck for balconies and anything walked on, finished with a hard topcoat.
EPDM rubber membrane
One-piece rubber for extensions, dormers and garages — no field seams, and it copes well with movement.
Trims, upstands and outlets
Edge trims, correctly formed upstands and adequate outlets — where nearly all flat roof failures actually begin.
Falls and firrings
Firring pieces set the fall so water leaves the roof rather than sitting on it.

Where else we work from Cambridge

The CB1, CB2 and CB3 postcode districts plus Ely, Newmarket, St Ives and Royston are all inside our normal Cambridgeshire working area. Flat Roofing & EPDM enquiries here are handled the same way. Postcodes covered locally: CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, CB5.

Frequently working in and around Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge Business Park.

Standards, insurance and guarantees

  • Domestic and commercial

    From a single slipped tile to Cambridge Science Park, quoted on the same basis.

  • Independent, Costessey based

    We're an independent firm at 41 The Street, Costessey, working out to Cambridge ourselves rather than passing you to a national call centre.

  • No overlaying failed decks

    If the boards are wet, we replace them. Laying new membrane over a soft deck is the cheap answer that fails twice.

Leak now? Call 07437 005301

We advertise a 24/7 emergency call-out across Cambridgeshire for active leaks and storm damage.

Serving Cambridge and nearby areas

Questions we get asked in Cambridge

Can you overlay the existing felt?
Only if the deck below is dry and sound, and we'll lift a section to check. Overlaying a soft deck buys a year or two and costs the whole job again.
How long should a new flat roof last?
A well-installed EPDM or GRP roof on a sound, correctly falling deck should give decades of service. What kills flat roofs early is ponding water, poor upstands and being laid over a wet deck — all avoidable.
Why does water sit on our flat roof after rain?
Insufficient fall, a sagging deck or a blocked outlet. On Cambridge extensions it's usually falls that were never set properly. We reset falls with firrings rather than lay new membrane over the same puddle.
Do you actually cover Cambridge, or just the Norwich area?
We cover it. We're based at Costessey, Norwich and Cambridge is about 16 miles from Ely, reached on the M11. It's a normal working area for us, not an outlier.
Our roof is Victorian terraces — is that a problem?
No, it's typical for the area. Victorian terraces is one of the most common types we work on locally, and we'll match materials where any of the existing covering is being retained.

Where to go from here

EPDM for most extensions and garages, GRP where the surface gets walked on, felt where the roof is large or awkward — set out with the trade-offs at the free inspection. Neighbours in Ely and Newmarket get the same service, and the written quote is yours to keep and compare.

Leak now? Call 07437 005301

We advertise a 24/7 emergency call-out across Cambridgeshire for active leaks and storm damage.

Serving Cambridge and nearby areas