Warm roof insulation upgrades across West Midlands

Guide price

£2,800–£4,900

Survey

Free for new and replacement roofs

Quote

Fixed, in writing

Coverage

England, Wales, Scotland, NI

How much does a warm roof upgrade cost in West Midlands?

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

Which flat roofs are common in West Midlands?

Flat roofs in West Midlands sit on 1960s and 1970s link-detached houses with flat-roofed garages and porches, terraced streets with flat-roofed rear kitchens and bathrooms and lock-up garage blocks on estates. England averages roughly 870 mm of rain a year and the West Midlands sits close to that, so falls and outlets are the difference between a roof that drains and one that ponds. 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 Midlands the application goes to Birmingham City Council, Coventry City Council, City of Wolverhampton Council and 4 other councils. More on the rules.

Can a cold flat roof be converted to a warm roof?

Yes, and it is the usual approach when an older cold roof is re-covered. The old covering is stripped, the deck is checked and replaced where needed, and the vapour control layer, insulation and new waterproofing go on top.

The existing insulation between the joists is assessed at the same time. Leaving it in place can create a cold, unventilated gap that traps moisture, so it is often removed or the build-up is designed so that most of the insulation sits above the deck. We decide this case by case once we can see inside the roof. If the covering is still sound and you are only patching it, the upgrade isn't usually required, and our repair or replace guide explains how to decide between the two.

Will insulating the roof raise its height, and what about doors and upstands?

Yes. A warm roof makes the roof thicker, often by more than 100 mm depending on the insulation and the U-value target. That extra height is the main thing we plan around.

Waterproofing at a wall usually needs to rise about 150 mm above the finished roof surface, so if the roof gets higher, the upstand has to go higher too. That can be a problem where the roof meets a door threshold, a low window sill, a cavity tray or a rooflight kerb. At the edges, trims and fascias are reset to the new level, and gutters may need to move.

Where there isn't enough height, the options include using thinner, higher-performance insulation, lowering the deck where the structure allows, raising the sill or threshold, or, where it is genuinely not feasible to reach the full target, insulating as far as is reasonable and recording why with building control. We work this out at the survey so there are no surprises on the day.

Which towns in West Midlands do we cover?

• Birmingham
• Coventry
• Wolverhampton
• Dudley
• Walsall
• Solihull
• Sutton Coldfield
• West Bromwich
• Halesowen
• Stourbridge
• Smethwick
• Willenhall
• Tipton
• Bloxwich
• Washwood Heath
• Shirley
• Brierley Hill
• Aldridge
• Acocks Green
• Bartley Green
• Wednesbury
• Kingswinford

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