Mastic asphalt roofing across West Sussex

Price per m²

£94–£165

Typical life

30–60 years

Manufacturer guarantees

15-year material, up to 25-year system guarantees

30 m² roof

£3,800–£6,850

How much does mastic asphalt roofing cost in West Sussex?

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 West Sussex?

Flat roofs in West Sussex sit on 1960s and 1970s link-detached houses with flat-roofed garages and porches, bungalows with flat-roofed side extensions and dormers and terraced streets with flat-roofed rear kitchens and bathrooms. 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 West Sussex the application goes to Crawley Borough Council, Worthing Borough Council, Arun District Council and 4 other councils. More on the rules.

Should an old asphalt roof be repaired, overlaid or replaced, especially on a heritage building?

If the asphalt is sound apart from local cracks or blisters, repair it; if it is crazed and tired but dry and well bonded, consider an overlay; if it is leaking widely, sitting on a wet or failing deck, or full of trapped moisture, replace it. A survey, sometimes with a leak trace, tells you which applies.

• Repairs: blisters are cut out, cracks opened up and fresh asphalt worked in by a specialist, so the repair fuses with the existing roof.
• Overlay: a compatible system, often a reinforced liquid membrane, is bonded over the old asphalt after cleaning and priming. This keeps the old asphalt as a solid base and avoids heavy strip-out.
• Replacement: the old asphalt is broken out and the roof rebuilt, either in new asphalt or in another system the structure can carry, with insulation where required.

On heritage and older buildings, matching the original material and detailing often matters as much as waterproofing. New asphalt skirtings and aprons can follow the existing lines, and any change of material on a listed building should be agreed with the conservation officer before work starts.

Asphalt work is a specialist trade. It needs mixers or boilers on site, trained asphalters and strict hot-works control, so we plan these jobs around access, the building's occupants and the weather.

How long does mastic asphalt last, and what guarantees are available?

Mastic asphalt is one of the longest-lasting flat roof systems, typically giving 30 to 60 years with good specification and maintenance. Many older asphalt roofs are still watertight decades after they were laid.

Age does show eventually. Common signs include crazing and cracking from sun exposure, blisters where moisture has been trapped beneath, splits at skirtings where the building has moved, and ponding where the deck has settled. Regular maintenance, such as renewing solar reflective paint, keeping outlets clear and repairing cracks early, makes a real difference to life.

Material and system guarantees are available on some specified asphalt systems, and we register them for you where the system allows. Every re-roof carries our written workmanship guarantee, with the length set out in the quote, and insurance-backed options can be discussed. Our lifespan guide compares asphalt with the other systems.

Which towns in West Sussex do we cover?

• Crawley
• Worthing
• Bognor Regis
• Littlehampton
• Horsham
• Haywards Heath
• Chichester
• Burgess Hill
• East Grinstead
• Shoreham-by-Sea
• Lancing

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