I want to thank Steve again for the help and advice he gave us last year regarding the noise problems with our brand new GRP roof (I think it’s ours you can hear from 0:53)... it really helped us to decide the best way to resolve the issue and move on from it. As there were no guarantees that remedial solutions such as adding expansion joints would solve it, but would still be very expensive to carry out with scaffolding involved etc, in the end we decided to contract a local roofing firm to strip the GRP and replace with 3 layer felt. Since this was done the roof has been blissfully noise free! On stripping the roof they noted that the fixing of the top OSB deck was in their opinion inadequate (and not thermally broken) and that many of the fixings hadn’t been correctly screwed in to the joists. They strongly suspected this was the cause for the banging and cracking we experienced during changes of external temperature. Really hope this video can help others with the same issue, and from our stressful and expensive experience I would strongly urge anyone to think twice about using GRP on a warm flat roof! Our original builder completely refused to acknowledge that the GRP was the source of the noise and in the end ran away, leaving us with little choice but to replace it.

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks and glad I could help. Your comments above will help all of us understand this problem hopefully others will post their experiences re this problem

@KazuH72

Жыл бұрын

Video and comment is super helpful. Having the same problem on my loft conversion. Original builder being elusive and frankly I wouldn't trust him to fix it right anyways. Coming to the same conclusion that I need to replace the GRP with felt. Will look to do this when solar panels go up. My wife and I thought we were going mad so your comment saved us! Thank you.

I get a far less extreme version of that...I was in a hurry (my own job, was urgent build, office) and didn't leave a 3mm gap between OSB or PIR 😒150x50 joists @ 400 ctrs, membrane, 18mm OSB 8x4, 100mm PIR, 18mm 8x2 T&G, 3 layer hot felt. Creaks for around 1 second when sun up, then 1 second later when cooling. Doesn't always do it, but I might setup a mic and see how often it really happens. You do a great service Steve 👍

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

I would love to listen to the noise if you would like to send me a recording. As regards a 3 mm gap we're not sure that would solve the problem.

Could you give me information about which grey tape you used to make the new expansion Joint , please? I can see grey tape from 2:07. Thank you Steve!

I like your videos. Great information and your passion and dedication shows through, which makes it engaging. Thaf said I find it difficult to keep up with written words. They often come and go too quickly, especially if you're also speaking over them and they don't actually reinforce what you're saying. Keep the knowledge coming in any case!

@HampsteadBuildersLt

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for coment and for your interest yes interesting video to do as it is all to do with sound and I had to put a lot of written words on there but I'm with you it wasn't the best way of doing it speak soon

Got this exact same issue. Planning to retrofit 2 expansion joints and possibly add additional fixings. Hoping we get some improvement. If not, then long term will strip and have it felted long term.

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

Keep me updated on how you get on with the expansion joints

@plummetplum

Жыл бұрын

Why not EPDM instead of felt?

Addition of two expansion joints has vastly improved mine. New extension, left it 18 months and no improvement. Cut the roof deck and added expansion joints which I think has removed 80-90% of the noise.

@SteveRoofer

Жыл бұрын

Yes, that seames to be as much as you can do, and your locky to bet such a big reduction

Hi steve we have the very same problem could you tell me what the tape was you chap was using , it looked to be self adhesives then just top coat over it ?

Have got a warm deck roof, with felt, and it's making the same noise as described in the video. They put ample fixings in, chalk lined where the joists were.. I believe it could be that they didn't put a vapour barrier on top of the sub deck underneath the insulation as one comment below has suggested. The only solution i can think of is to paint the roof with reflective paint, that or start again (i dont want to do that, its over 100sqm and only did it last year)

I used to be woken up each morning by a banging noise on my flat roof above my bedroom in my loft conversion. I quietly opened one of the skylights one day and peeked up there. Turns out it was a crow that kept landing there and flapping about! 😂 I've had others tell me the same thing in the past.

@SteveRoofer

10 ай бұрын

I think that's a very good point. I actually have crows dancing on my roof making a lot of noise but I have been able to work out. That's what it is not the banging the next time I'm talking to a customer I will bring that point up

I have the same issue and I have some sought how to resolve it. I noticed the bigger the roof more obvious cracking noise is. Logically it happens because of shrinkage/contracting due to temperature change. As GRP attached to osb rigidly it does not have flexibility. Is nothing to do with osb as it is laid loosely (only nailed/screwed). It is the fact the grp is rigidly attached to deck in vast area. You need to add expansion joints to grp and not to the deck itself.

Thank you for this video Steve - very helpful. We have exactly this problem with a GRP roof we had done by builders on an extension 5/6 years ago. The roof also has a skylight in it with two steels supporting this. We had some water leaks in it and have overlayed a single layer of felt. We get the sun first thing in the morning and then lose it on the roof from about 2/3pm. We get these very loud popping noises. In the winter the noise may happen once a day or not often. In the summer it gets much worse. It can be ever few hours or it can sometimes be every 15/20 minutes. Apart from scrapping the GRP off and checking all the boards are secured etc and replacing with 3 layer felt is there anything else you suggest please to fix this? We are actually not based far from you. We are Elstree way. Thanks, Simon

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

Well if you look at the comments you'll see there's lots of people with this kind of problem with noisy GRP roof is unfortunately today nobody has been able to solve it correctly however we do think it is the top layer that is causing the problem and we do think it's that it has not been fixed properly we also think that GRP does not help unfortunately I can't give you more information than that however reading through the comments below Will probably give you a good idea of what you're up against

Hi Steve, I’ve also had similar problems described in your video and in the comments, on a year old extension with GRP flat roof. In addition to the this, the extension gets unbearably hot and humid in the summer months. It’s south facing - but I’m sure it shouldn’t get this hot… Looking back at photos of the build, it looks as though my builder constructed a warm deck roof, but then also added insulation between the joists pushed up to the deck. I also can’t see any visible ventilation on the roof (but perhaps I just haven’t spotted it?). Do you think this construction would would be causing issues around the room temperature? Thanks, P

@SteveRoofer

Жыл бұрын

Unfortunately I don't know but I would guess that no it won't make a defence

Would you recommend on a thick insulated roof then that you stagger the joints when having to put two layers on, or 1 sheet directly over another?

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

Definitely definitely stagger the joints makes for a really good job

Hi Steve, thank you for taking the time to do all the great vids. I have question regarding grp roof. Q. Is it possible to torch on felt directly over a grp roof that hasn't had the topcoat put on. Due to weather wasn't able to apply topcoat. Matting resin has fully cured (been a few years), now leaking in some places (due to breakdown from UV sunlight I'm sure).

@HampsteadBuildersLt

Жыл бұрын

Yes as long as its stable

@Saf.y.p

Жыл бұрын

Thank you for response Steve. Stable? Can you elaborate please. By stable do you mean cured. Also can I torch the underlay directly onto the grp without using the vapour barrier (2 layers and not the standards 3 layer felt method).

@HampsteadBuildersLt

Жыл бұрын

@@Saf.y.p Not peeling or flaking. You can torch directly onto it with anything. The GRP is a good AVCL the felt is a good AVCL

@Saf.y.p

Жыл бұрын

@@HampsteadBuildersLt Thank you for taking the time to respond to my query and advice provided. Wishing you continued success for the future and look forward to seeing more of your videos.

I'm looking at doing a warm roof in the next year on my own house what's the best way to avoid this happening? Plenty of fixings and would you use an expansion foam tape where the roof meets the wall before the resin is applied?

@jameshazelip3998

2 жыл бұрын

I'm assuming a tongue and groove interlocking board may also be better as well

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

We always use tongue and groove boards we also make sure that we leve a10 mm gap around the edges and making sure we use plenty of fixings fixings we use are thermally broken

Hi Steve, regarding flat roofs....can you double skin EDPM (one over the other) If so how would you bond them together? Thanks

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

I've never overlaid EPDM rubber however if I did I would've just glue it down

Steve, what flat roofing material would you recommend in place of grp? I am interested to hear your thoughts. Thanks

@HampsteadBuildersLt

Жыл бұрын

EPDM rubber

@scottamos8401

Жыл бұрын

@@HampsteadBuildersLt brilliant epdm it is then, thanks, and keep up the great videos!

Is the noise a sign of deeper problems? Or if we don't mind the noise, it doesn't matter? It's not as bad as those in the video

No vapour barrier on top of the sub deck underneath insulation that’s why you getting the noises 100% 👍🏾

@georgepakkos1825

2 ай бұрын

can you explain further please, am having the same issue...

Had this my old house, 100mm selotex sandwich between 18mm ply sat on engineer joists, I figured it was the top layer of ply and GRP expanding and contracting and suddenly slipping over the selotex that didn't expand, it was only 5mx5m. Annoying pops in the morning and Evening. I don't remember if I left expansion gaps between the ply sheets on the top??

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks very much for your comments if enough people with this problem get back to us shortly we can work out exactly what's going on

@dancingfrogsxb1276

2 жыл бұрын

@@SteveRoofer when you cut the roof did you cut through the ply or just the GRP. We were gonna top coat ours White to reflect the heat, but moved before I got the Chance.

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

@@dancingfrogsxb1276 we cut the ply and the GRP. Painting the roof white is not always a good idea as that stops the solar gain and can make the roof colder and therefore more chance of interstitial condensation

Thanks Steve. I have the exact same problem with my roof. Its about 5months old and is a warm flat roof (GRP). Happens as soon as the sun hits it. Have you been able to find a definitive cause? Was hoping you could do one of you detailed workshop vids and try and replicate the issue 🤞

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

Yes noisy GRP roof is a more common than one may think some people put up with it and don't actually recognise it as being a problem other people it really gets on their nerves and they get hyper sensitive and have to do something about it personally I just couldn't live with it even the clicking of central heating pipes sends me crazy squeaking floorboards send me crazy my house is silent my house it's got insulation everywhere I certainly couldn't put up with a noisy flat roof

@plummetplum

Жыл бұрын

​@@SteveRooferI was about to go for a GRP but this has put me right off. Even if I put expansion gaps and use OSB 3 tongue and groove, I think EPDM is less risky. Those noises would drive me crazy.

@HampsteadBuildersLt

Жыл бұрын

@@plummetplum EPDM is the better product all round and is cheaper

I had a fibreglass rep tell me its from PIR boards with foil on both sides. He said all warm roofs should have the PIR with a tissue paper side to avoid cracking. Sounds like a big swerve

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

Nobody is quite sure however if you read through some of these comments and I've pinned the top comment to the top of this we are starting to definitely see that it's down to the fixings more than anything

Done dozens of GRP rooves, most issues are caused by chippies incorrectly fitting osb , not the roofers .

@SteveRoofer

Жыл бұрын

Yes that's what we belive

@yevgeniyshawyer2767

4 ай бұрын

In this case it should be the same issue with other types of roofs like felt, epdm you name it.

All flat roof make noises and that's all... Some people notice some don't.... I tried everything and still making some noise.... I think we have to live with it... Last thing I'm going to do it's to add acustic wool between the rafters hoping that this would reduce the noise even tho I have alot of insulation as it's warm flat roof 🙂

@adriankaminski6639

Жыл бұрын

Also I think the insulation makes noise the aluminium touching the membrane

Id say the top deck wasn't fixed down correctly. I like to fix all the way through and into the joists.

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

Yes definitely the fixings have to go right though

@subzero3054

2 жыл бұрын

I’d agree with you Ross. Fixing ply on top of insulation is always problematic, there’s just no need.

I think it’s quite simple, the fixing of the ply to the joist was probably nailed only. It should be screwed and glued.

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

Screwed definitely

@yevgeniyshawyer2767

4 ай бұрын

We used 250 timberlocks thought the warm deck directly to the fearings/joist with 300 distance. Im sure the cracking noise coming from the grp itself!

😂

How did GRP ever get put on roofs. Worst system ever

@SteveRoofer

2 жыл бұрын

Yes this has been a very good marketing and advertising campaign by suppliers of materials that were properly surplus in the first place