EPDM rubber roofing across Kent

Price per m²

£72–£127

Typical life

25–50 years

Manufacturer guarantees

20-year material warranties are common

Typical garage roof

£1,750–£3,100

How much does an EPDM rubber roof cost in Kent?

Guide prices including VAT at South East rates. The fixed price comes after a free survey for new and replacement roofs.

Which flat roofs are common in Kent?

Flat roofs in Kent sit on terraced streets with flat-roofed rear kitchens and bathrooms, low-rise post-war blocks of flats and shops with flat-roofed rear stores below flats. Much of the South East sits in the drier Thames catchment at roughly 730 mm of rain a year, so the usual failures are at joints, upstands and outlets rather than from sheer volume of rain. Approximate 1991–2020 regional averages based on Met Office data.

Building regulations in England

Replacing more than half of a roof over a heated room usually counts as renovating a thermal element, so it is insulated to current standards and notified to building control. Renovated roofs over heated rooms are insulated to around 0.16 W/m²K where that's feasible, and new extension roofs are built to 0.15 W/m²K. In Kent the application goes to Maidstone Borough Council, Medway Council, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and 10 other councils. More on the rules.

How are the joins, edges and upstands made watertight on an EPDM roof?

They are bonded with contact adhesive and sealed with purpose-made EPDM tapes and pre-formed pieces, because the edges and details are where most rubber roof leaks start.

• Wall upstands: the rubber is turned up the wall, usually to about 150 mm above the finished roof, fully bonded, then finished with a termination bar or a cover flashing chased into the masonry.
• Corners: folded rather than cut where possible, or finished with pre-formed pieces.
• Joins: on roofs wider than one sheet, the laps are cleaned, primed and joined with splice tape, then rolled firmly.
• Pipes and vents: sealed with pre-formed pipe boots rather than relying on mastic.
• Edges and outlets: drip and kerb trims are fixed and the junction with the membrane is sealed with cover tape; outlets are bonded into the membrane at the lowest point.

We also check the falls before laying, because standing water around an outlet shortens the life of any detail. There is more on this in our pages on edges and drainage and rooflight upstands.

How long does an EPDM roof last, and what guarantees come with it?

A well-specified EPDM roof typically lasts 25 to 50 years, and one BBA assessment of an EPDM membrane puts its expected life at 35 years or more. Problems usually come from poorly bonded upstands, damaged trims or ponding, rather than the rubber itself.

Three separate documents can sit behind an EPDM roof:

• Manufacturer material guarantee: covers the membrane and, on some systems, the wider build-up. Many need registration and a specified build-up, so we register it for you where the system allows.
• Our written workmanship guarantee: given on every re-roof, with the length set out in your quote.
• Insurance-backed guarantee: an option worth asking about if you want cover that does not depend on the contractor still trading.

A BBA certificate is an assessment of the product, not a guarantee. Our guide to flat roof guarantees explains the differences, and the lifespan guide compares EPDM with the other systems.

Which towns in Kent do we cover?

• Maidstone
• Gillingham
• Royal Tunbridge Wells
• Folkestone
• Margate
• Ashford
• Canterbury
• Sittingbourne
• Gravesend
• Dartford
• Ramsgate
• Dover
• Tonbridge
• Strood
• Whitstable
• Deal
• Sevenoaks
• Herne Bay
• Broadstairs
• Faversham
• Swanley
• Longfield
• Swanscombe

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