Firestone Approved Installers. EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass, single-ply PVC and felt systems for homes and commercial properties.
Flat roofing is one of the most misunderstood areas of Irish roofing — and one of the most consequential when it goes wrong. The failure rate on flat roofs installed with modified bitumen felt before 2010 is high: internal lap joints open under thermal movement, drainage falls are inadequate, and the membrane deteriorates faster than expected in Ireland's wet climate. At the same time, modern flat roofing systems — Firestone EPDM rubber, GRP fibreglass, Sika Sarnafil single-ply PVC — perform for 30 to 50+ years when correctly specified and installed. The difference between a flat roof that fails in 8 years and one that lasts 50 is specification and installation quality, not the concept of flat roofing itself.
We are Firestone Approved Installers, which qualifies us to install Firestone RubberGard EPDM and UltraPly TPO with the full 20-year manufacturer warranty. The Firestone approval is not a marketing badge — it is a condition of the warranty, and insurers and surveyors look for it. Our primary flat roofing system for domestic extensions, dormers and garages across Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dublin is Firestone EPDM, installed as a single sheet across the full roof area. A single-sheet system has no internal lap joints — the primary failure point of older felt systems — and is rated for 50+ years in Irish weather conditions.
Every flat roofing project starts with a substrate assessment. If the existing deck is wet or rotten, it is replaced before the new membrane goes down. Falls are checked and corrected where required (minimum 1:80 gradient to prevent ponding). Outlets are inspected and upgraded where necessary. Upstands at all abutments and parapet walls are formed correctly with the membrane turned up and secured. Drip edge trims are fitted at all perimeters. These details determine whether a flat roof lasts 10 years or 50 — and we treat each one with the same attention on a small domestic garage as on a large commercial project across Cork, Limerick and Galway.
Indicative 2026 ranges — your quote is confirmed free after an on-site survey. VAT at 13.5% applies to residential work.
| Service | Price Range (2026) | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Flat Roof Repair (leak / blister / split seam) | €350–€900 | Same day / 1 day |
| Torch-on Felt Replacement (up to 20m²) | €1,500–€4,000 | 1–2 days |
| EPDM Rubber — Domestic Extension (up to 20m²) | €2,500–€5,500 | 1–2 days |
| GRP Fibreglass (extension / garage / balcony) | €2,800–€6,000 | 1–2 days |
| Single-Ply PVC/TPO Membrane — Domestic | €3,000–€7,500 | 2–3 days |
| Flat Roof Overlay — New Membrane Over Existing | €1,800–€5,000 | 1–2 days |
| Commercial Flat Roofing — Full Replacement (100m²+) | €8,000–€25,000 | 3–7 days |
VAT at 13.5% included in residential prices. Commercial pricing from €35/m². Firestone EPDM carries a 20-year material warranty; Sika Sarnafil PVC carries 30 years.
We maintain and replace roofs for Bank of Ireland branch buildings throughout Munster — a contract that required pre-qualification on insurance, safety systems, quality management and financial standing. Clare County Council selected us through public procurement for public building maintenance roofing works. Midleton College engaged us for heritage campus re-roofing. These clients apply due diligence standards that validate our capability for any project.
Recommended Roofing is registered with the Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI) — the government-backed register that verifies competence, insurance and compliance. CIRI registration is the most reliable independent verification available in the Irish roofing market. We also maintain active membership of the Construction Industry Federation (CIF) and the Cork Chamber of Commerce.
Our Firestone Approved Installer status is verified annually through training audits and installation quality reviews — not a one-off accreditation. This is a condition of the 20-year Firestone manufacturer warranty on every EPDM and TPO installation we complete. We are also Tegral Certified for their Irish-manufactured slate and fibre-cement range. These accreditations are issued by manufacturers, not self-declared.
We carry €6.5 million combined public and employer's liability insurance through Zurich Insurance, meeting the minimum requirements of all major facility managers, local authorities and financial institutions. VAT registered (IE4415315DH), Company Registration 782157. Safe Pass, Manual Handling, Working at Heights and CSCS certified crews. Full PSCS capability on all commercial projects. Every credential is verifiable.
Firestone RubberGard EPDM is our primary flat roofing system for domestic and light commercial projects across Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dublin. Manufactured from ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber, it is supplied as a single sheet up to 15m × 60m — large enough to cover the majority of domestic flat roofs without any internal seams or lap joints. Internal lap joints are the source of 80% of flat roof failures; a single-sheet system eliminates that failure mode by design. EPDM is UV-stable, unaffected by ozone and atmospheric pollutants, and rated for 50+ years of service life in Irish weather conditions.
We are Firestone Approved Installers, a qualification that is a condition of the 20-year Firestone material warranty. The EPDM sheet is fully adhered or mechanically fixed to the insulation board, with all upstands, penetration flashings and perimeter details completed using Firestone-compatible adhesive tape and cover strips. No hot works, no torch, no open flame on-site — a significant safety advantage over felt systems. The finished surface is a uniform dark grey, fully maintenance-free in normal use, and requires no surface coating or retreatment over its service life. Combined with our 10-year workmanship guarantee, EPDM on a correctly prepared deck is the most reliable flat roofing option available across Ireland.
GRP (glass-reinforced polyester) fibreglass flat roofing is specified where a trafficable surface is required — balconies, roof terraces, bay window tops, walk-on rooflights and dormers with access requirements. Unlike EPDM, which is flexible and can be punctured under hard point load, GRP is a rigid laminated composite that is fully trafficable once cured and maintains that rigidity for its service life. GRP is seamless — laminated on-site across the full area in a single application — and provides a hard, glass-smooth surface that does not absorb water, resists UV degradation and is compatible with all standard deck constructions across Irish domestic projects.
GRP installation involves preparing the substrate, laying chopped strand mat glass fibre in catalysed polyester resin, allowing cure (typically 4–6 hours at 15°C+), and applying a UV-resistant coloured topcoat — typically grey or green, with anti-slip aggregate for trafficable surfaces. All upstands, drip edges, trims and outlet details are completed in GRP using compatible trim sections and top-coat. On domestic properties in Cork, Limerick and Dublin, GRP is an attractive flat roofing option where traffic is expected and EPDM flexibility is not appropriate. Expected lifespan: 25+ years. Not recommended where the existing deck is cold in winter — GRP requires temperatures above 10°C to cure correctly, so installation is scheduled for spring, summer and early autumn.
Sika Sarnafil single-ply PVC membrane is the commercial-grade flat roofing specification for buildings where budget allows for premium performance and a 30-year material warranty. Sarnafil is a reinforced thermoplastic membrane installed with hot-air welded seams — the welded seam creates a bond stronger than the membrane itself, eliminating the joint failure that causes problems with older bonded systems. The solar reflectivity option (Sika Sarnafil Energy Star) achieves 86% total solar reflectance, making it the specification of choice for commercial buildings in Dublin and Cork where cooling loads and green certification targets require thermal performance from the roof membrane.
Sika Sarnafil is specified on data centres, pharmaceutical facilities, healthcare buildings, cold-chain distribution centres and offices across Cork, Limerick and Dublin where a combination of high performance, 30-year material warranty and chemical resistance is required. It is mechanically fixed or fully adhered to the insulation, with a continuous profile that eliminates cold-bridging at fixings. Drainage design, eaves detailing and penetration flashings are all project-designed and submitted to Sika for warranty registration on commercial projects. Our 10-year workmanship guarantee operates in parallel with the 30-year Sika material warranty — providing a total of three decades of documented cover from the date of installation.
SBS-modified bitumen built-up felt systems remain a legitimate flat roofing specification for domestic and small commercial projects in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dublin where budget does not support single-ply EPDM and the expected tenancy horizon is 15–20 years rather than 50. A correctly specified two-layer torch-on system — modified bitumen base sheet plus mineral cap sheet — on a properly prepared and correctly graded deck achieves a reliable 15–20 year service life. A three-layer specification extends this to 20–25 years. The key words are "correctly specified" and "properly prepared" — modified bitumen felt installed on a poorly graded deck with lap joints exposed to standing water will fail in 5–8 years regardless of material quality.
We specify SBS-modified torch-on felt where it is appropriate: on complex flat roof geometries with multiple penetrations and upstands where single-ply installation time and material cost would exceed the project budget significantly, on rental properties where the owner's planned maintenance cycle allows for a 15-year renewal, and on small domestic projects where cost is the primary constraint. Drainage falls are established as a minimum 1:80 before any felt is laid. Vapour control layers are included where there is a risk of interstitial condensation. All felt work carries our 10-year workmanship guarantee — regardless of material, the quality of the installation is the same standard that applies to every job across our five regions.
A flat roof overlay — installing a new EPDM or GRP membrane over an existing sound deck without full strip and disposal — is a cost-effective option on domestic flat roofs across Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dublin where thermal imaging confirms the existing deck is dry and structurally sound. Overlay eliminates the cost and waste of stripping the existing membrane and disposing of it, typically saving 20–30% of total project cost versus full strip and relay. The new membrane adheres directly to the cleaned existing surface, with upstands and perimeter details completed as for a new installation. Drainage falls are corrected where required by building up the insulation board profile beneath the new membrane.
Overlay is only recommended where we can confirm by thermal imaging that the existing insulation and deck are dry. If moisture is present in the insulation — common on older felt roofs that have been leaking intermittently — an overlay traps the moisture and allows it to cause accelerated deck rot. In that scenario, full strip and relay is the correct recommendation, and we make it. Where overlay is appropriate, it saves the client money, reduces disruption and produces a finished roof that carries the same guarantee as a new installation. All overlay projects include a drainage review, outlet inspection and clearance, and new upstand detailing at all abutments. EPDM overlay carries a 10-year workmanship guarantee and a 20-year Firestone material warranty.
Insulated flat roofing — the warm roof build-up — is the correct thermal specification for flat roofs on extensions, garages and dormer structures across Ireland. TGD Part L 2022 requires a maximum U-value of 0.16 W/m²K for flat roofs. Older cold-roof constructions (insulation at ceiling level, uninsulated deck above) typically achieve U-values of 0.35–0.60 W/m²K — two to four times above current requirements. Converting to a warm roof build-up at the same time as a membrane replacement adds relatively little to the programme cost and eliminates the condensation risk that cold-roof constructions carry when buildings are upgraded and occupied more intensively.
The warm roof build-up consists of: vapour control layer over the structural deck, rigid PIR insulation board (Xtratherm, Kingspan Thermaroof or equivalent) calculated to achieve 0.16 W/m²K or better, and the EPDM, GRP or single-ply membrane over the insulation. No additional ventilation is required in a warm roof build-up — the insulation is above the deck, where it belongs, and there is no cold zone where condensation can form. The insulation boards are laid in staggered courses with tapered sections at outlets to maintain correct drainage falls. This specification is now standard on all new flat roofing installations we carry out across Cork, Limerick, Galway and Dublin, regardless of the membrane system specified above it.
The same structured approach on every job — no shortcuts.
Condition assessment of existing membrane, deck, falls and drainage. Substrate moisture check. Written report with system recommendation.
System specified to your roof's area, use, drainage and exposure. Fixed price including materials, guarantee and VAT. No hidden extras.
Scaffolding or ladder access arranged. Old membrane stripped. Deck inspected and repaired. Drainage falls corrected before membrane goes down.
EPDM bonded or mechanically fixed, GRP laminated, or PVC heat-welded. All upstands, outlets and edge details completed on the same visit where possible.
Standing water test before handover. 10-year guarantee certificate and VAT invoice on completion.
Five regions, one standard. Call the number closest to you.
5.0 from 20+ Google reviews
Highly recommended. Great knowledge and craftsmanship — attention to detail at its best. The team replaced our gutters and fascia and cemented the concrete. Spotless work.
Professional from quote to completion. Fully insured, on time, and the 10-year guarantee gave us real peace of mind on a full roof replacement.
We trust Recommended Roofing across our buildings — reliable, accountable and they understand commercial and heritage work.
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Or call directly — Cork 021 2040925 · Limerick 061 788600 · Galway 091 622895
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