UKH

Has anyone here got any experience installing a rubber roof? Looking at Resitrix.

We have a couple leaks in our metal roof, and it has been patched multiple times. We spoke to a roofer who reckoned it's not the right material for our roof (we have several Velux windows and a chimney, so too many upstands etc and a shallow pitch). He suggested a rubber roof. We said that would be fine, please give us an estimate and tell us roughly when you can start. And now he is MIA! We have had no success at all getting any other roofers to even come and look. 

So, we are now considering DIY, as the leaks are getting worse and ruining walls and ceilings. 

In theory, it doesn't look complicated, but the pros on the videos do tend to make something skillful look easy!!

Has anyone tried this themselves? Is it feasible for reasonably capable DIYers? For context, we have just finished fitting our underfloor heating system and 2 bathrooms (because no trades people ever turn up in our area!). My cousin is happy to help and he re-roofed his tiled roof. 

When looking to replace a flat roof on my house I settled on a fiberglass roof. It's very easy to work around odd shapes and easy to recover from small mistakes in the process.

Interesting. Did you do it yourself? What size of roof?

The other complication in the mix which I forgot to mention, was that we will be getting solar panels installed once the roof is done. Is this easier/ more successful on rubber or fibreglass?

+1 for fibreglass

Wins hands down over rubber for ease of install, durability, ease of repair, cost.  Did I miss something?

I used tekcryl fibreglass acrylic coating, easy to apply just paint on thickly.

It was a pretty small roof, 6 m2 iirc. We did it ourselves with materials bought online. 

Hmm, our roof is enormous! We are 14m X 9m. Does the fibreglass come in sheets? 

You buy the trim pieces to go around the edges in 3m lengths and if you want the upstands. The fiberglass itself comes as a roll in 450 to 600 g/m2 weights for the main area and as chopped strand mat for initial taping of the board joins and corners of trims or around any penetrations of the roof. If it's a big roof you'll have to consider adding expansion joints. 

If you are fitting solar panels I would definitely plan ahead and combine installing the brackets at same time you redo your roof... You'll need some solid timber to connect the brackets to.

Sadly over the years I have seen a lot of roofs damaged by solar contractors... nothing tricky but drilling straight through the roof covering and hoping a bit of sealant or plastic soakers will keep Scottish weather out is a tad short sighted...

I really like epdm as a roofing option.... done right I think it outlasts fibreglass...it is flexible so won't crack....really easy to patch should it get damaged ....quick to fit once everything is set up....a big fibreglass roof  needs a long dry weather window or can rapidly go pear shaped.

And maybe most importantly epdm is easy to recycle....fibreglass ain't

If you can fit a bathroom competently you'll have no trouble 

Have fun .. you'll get sticky fingers whichever system you go for

I've never heard of Resitrix before this thread but have specified tens of thousands of sqm of membrane roofing over the years, and it's always been Sarna. It's better then fibreglass as it's flexible and can better tolerate thermal movement. If I were you I'd definitely look into the certification / warranty side of Resitrix, from a cursory glance at their website I couldn't find any links to BBA certificates or similar. Judging by the instructional video on their site of how to lay the product, I wasn't that impressed - it looked pretty rough and on the 'budget end' IMO.

Edit: as suggested above, whichever solution you go for, I'd install the PV supports in whilst prepping for the membrane.

Thanks, are solar brackets generic, or will we need to speak to the solar installer and get them from them?

Hmm, the long dry weather window for fibreglass does seem to be a bit optimistic in Mid Argyll!! That definitely sways it towards the rubber!

Thanks, I will look into Sarna. 

The roofer who actually suggested rubber was talking Resitrix and talked about a guarantee, but I'm not sure if it was his company's guarantee or Resitrix themselves. Definitely worth checking. 

Speak to the installer...tell them what you plan to do and they should provide you with an intelligent answer!!