Roofs and flat roofs
Solar-reflective chippings are missing in one patch of a flat roof and the rest of the roof still has them. What of that patch of felt is now exposed?
That patch of felt is now exposed. Solar-reflective chippings are missing from one area, while the rest of the flat roof still has them. The chippings shade the felt. Where they have gone, the felt in that patch is the surface the weather reaches directly. The survey has recorded a bare patch, not a bare roof. It has not said the felt there has split, and it has not proved the membrane is sound under the chippings that remain.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Chippings on a felt roof reflect heat and shield the bitumen. A patch without them can age differently from the dressed field beside it, often where people walk, where a puddle sits, or where the dressing has been displaced. The survey saw the contrast. It did not cut the felt and did not core the roof. Missing chippings are not, by themselves, a decision to strip the whole roof. Chippings that remain elsewhere are not a promise those areas are dry. The exposed patch is the note.
Ask a flat-roof contractor to look at the bare patch and to say whether the felt there is still sound or already breaking up. Tell the solicitor the chippings are missing in one patch only. Do not read the note as a full replacement, and do not ignore it because most of the roof is still dressed. The survey has not specified new chippings and it has not specified a new membrane.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Which patch of felt is exposed where the chippings are missing?
- Does the rest of the roof still carry its chippings?
- Has the survey stopped short of condemning the whole membrane?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the bare patch as exposed felt, not as a whole-roof strip.
- Ask a flat-roof contractor to judge that patch of felt.
- Do not ignore the patch because the rest of the roof is still dressed.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If you scatter fresh chippings, has the felt been repaired?
Not necessarily. New chippings would cover the colour. They would not show whether the felt in that patch has already split or blistered. The survey has not said the felt has failed and it has not said it is sound. A contractor needs to look at the exposed patch before anyone calls it repaired by dressing alone.
Does a dry ceiling under the patch clear the felt?
No. A dry ceiling on the day does not inspect the felt, and it does not put the chippings back. The patch is exposed. Water may not have come through yet. The rest of the roof still having chippings does not speak for this bare area. The survey has not proved the membrane.