Buildings we work on
Commercial roofing covers a wide range of buildings across Somerset, from high-street shops with flats above to industrial units on the edge of town and working farm buildings out on the Levels. Typical clients include:
- shop and café owners in market-town centres;
- small business units, workshops and warehouses;
- landlords and letting agents with portfolios of rented homes or flats;
- offices, surgeries and community buildings;
- farms and rural businesses with barns, sheds and stores.
Many older town-centre buildings have a pitched slate or tile front with flat roofs, valleys and parapet gutters behind. Business units usually have profiled metal or fibre cement sheeting. Each needs a different approach, and many buildings combine several roof types under one ownership.
Farm buildings bring their own issues. Barns and sheds on open ground take the full force of the wind, roosting birds block gutters, and livestock housing creates a lot of moisture. Working roofs over animals or stored feed have to be planned around the farm calendar, so we agree timings with you before anything is booked.
Roof types and common problems
Profiled metal sheet roofs
On steel-sheeted units the usual trouble spots are corroding sheet edges and laps, failed fixings and washers, and rooflight panels that have gone brittle. Uninsulated sheet roofs can also drip with condensation on the underside. Options range from replacing individual sheets and fixings to over-cladding or full replacement. Our page on metal sheet and standing seam roofs covers the materials in more detail.
Large flat roofs
Flat roofs over shops, extensions and offices often fail at outlets, upstands and plant. We repair or replace them with systems suited to the size, use and access, and pay close attention to drainage. Smaller domestic-scale flat roofs are covered on our repairing a leaking flat roof page.
Parapet and valley gutters
Town buildings often have hidden gutters behind parapets or between roof slopes. When these block or split, water goes straight into the building. Lead-lined gutters need correctly sized bays and joints, and we can repair them or, where appropriate, line them with an alternative membrane.
Safety comes first on commercial roofs
The Health and Safety Executive says falls through fragile materials, such as rooflights and asbestos cement sheets, cause more deaths in roof work than any other single cause. We treat any sheet roof as fragile until it is confirmed otherwise, and plan safe access with edge protection, crawling boards or other measures before anyone goes up.
Asbestos
According to HSE, buildings put up before the year 2000 may contain asbestos, and older sheds, garages and units often have asbestos cement roof sheets. If you control a non-domestic building, HSE guidance says you have a duty to find out whether asbestos is present and to manage it, which normally means having an asbestos survey and register. Before roof work that could disturb those materials, the right survey needs to be in place. We will ask to see it, and where asbestos sheets need removing, that work is planned in line with HSE guidance.
Working around your business
- We agree access, working hours and any areas that must stay open before work starts.
- Noisy or disruptive stages can often be scheduled outside your busiest times.
- Scaffolding that stands on or over a pavement or road needs a licence from the highway authority first, which we allow for in the programme.
- We keep the site tidy each day and remove waste as we go.
Landlords and letting agents
For rented property, quick clear information matters. We send photos of the problem, a written quote you can pass to the owner, and confirmation when the work is done. If storm damage may be covered by a buildings policy, our insurance repair reports can support the claim, although the insurer makes the decision.
Planned maintenance
A roof that is checked regularly costs less over its life than one that is only looked at when it leaks. We can inspect, clear gutters and outlets, and send a photo report listing anything that needs attention now and what can wait, so you can budget ahead.
Talk to us about your building
For a commercial survey, contact us on 07933 861 087 or at hello@somersetroofing.co.uk, giving the address, the type of roof and what you have noticed. Surveys carry no call-out fee and are followed by a written quote. Alternatively, arrange a commercial roof survey online.
Commercial Roofing: common questions
Can you work while my shop or office stays open?
In most cases, yes. We plan access so customers and staff can use the building safely, keep work areas fenced off, and schedule noisy or messy stages outside your busiest hours where possible. If a section of the building must close briefly, for example while a rooflight is replaced, we agree that with you in advance so there are no surprises.
My unit has an asbestos cement roof. Can it be repaired?
Sometimes, but it needs careful planning. Asbestos cement sheets are fragile and shouldn't be walked on, and any work that could disturb them must follow HSE guidance. If you control the building, you should have an asbestos survey and register. We'll look at what the survey says and advise whether repair, over-cladding or removal and replacement is the sensible route.
Why does my metal roof drip inside when it isn't raining?
That's usually condensation. Warm, moist air inside the building meets the cold underside of uninsulated metal sheets and turns to water, which then drips. It is common in workshops, farm buildings and stores. Solutions include better ventilation, anti-condensation linings on new sheets, or an insulated roof system, depending on the building and how it's used.
Do you provide reports for landlords and managing agents?
Yes. After an inspection you get photographs of the defects and a written quote describing the work, which you can forward to the property owner or freeholder. When the work is finished we confirm what was done. If the damage may be covered by insurance, we can provide the photos and report the insurer asks for.
Do commercial roof repairs need permission?
Small like-for-like repairs usually don't. Replacing a large part of a roof can need Building Regulations approval, especially if insulation must be upgraded or the structure changes. Listed buildings and conservation areas, common in Somerset town centres, may need consent for visible changes. Scaffolding on a pavement needs a licence from the highway authority. We'll flag what applies.
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