A leaking felt porch canopy above the front bay window of a Victorian villa in Grange-over-Sands was causing water to stream down the bay window during rain. Our felt roofing team replaced the covering with a premium torch-on system, re-sealed the wall abutment with new lead flashing, and restored this attractive porch feature to full working order.
This elegant Victorian villa in Grange-over-Sands has a decorative flat-roofed porch canopy projecting above the ground-floor bay window — a typical Victorian architectural feature that provides both shelter and visual interest. The porch roof is approximately 4 square metres with a zinc-covered lead flashing at the wall abutment. The felt covering had cracked and split at the front drip edge, and the wall abutment flashing had separated from the brickwork, creating a channel that directed rainwater directly down the face of the bay window and into the window frames below. The homeowner had noticed water running down the inside of the bay window during heavy rain, causing paint to blister and the timber window cill to develop early rot. The decorative timber fascia around the porch edge was also showing rot damage where water had been standing on the felt surface behind it. Despite being a small roof area, the damage it was causing to the bay window and the property's frontage was significant.
Working from a ladder and small platform, we stripped the existing felt and inspected the timber deck beneath. The front section of the deck boarding had softened from prolonged water exposure and was replaced with new marine-grade plywood. The remainder was sound and was treated with a wood preservative. We applied a two-layer torch-on felt system — polyester base sheet and SBS-modified mineral cap sheet — dressed over a new GRP drip trim at the front edge. The critical wall abutment was completely remade: we chased a new groove into the mortar joint 150mm above the roof surface, installed a new Code 4 lead flashing dressed down over the felt upstand, and sealed the chase with lead wedges and mastic pointing. The decorative timber fascia was replaced with new pressure-treated redwood, primed and painted to match the existing colour scheme. The entire porch roof was completed in a single day.
The porch canopy now sheds water cleanly over the new drip trim, with the wall abutment flashing directing any run-off safely onto the felt surface rather than down the bay window. The homeowner was delighted — the water ingress through the bay window stopped immediately, and the freshly painted fascia has restored the porch's Victorian charm. We treated the damp window cill with a timber hardener and recommended monitoring it for full recovery. The entire project — including scaffold, materials, and labour — was very cost-effective for the protection it provides to the valuable bay window beneath. We provided a 15-year guarantee on the felt roofing work.
Even on a small porch roof, we specify the same SBS-modified cap sheet used on larger projects. The SBS modifier ensures the felt remains flexible through winter freeze-thaw cycles that cause traditional bitumen to crack. The mineral surface finish provides UV protection and a clean, professional appearance that suits this Victorian property's character perfectly.
The wall abutment flashing was formed from Code 4 milled lead — the standard specification for small abutment details where thermal movement is minimal. The lead was chased 25mm into a raked mortar joint, secured with lead wedges, and the chase was pointed with a colour-matched mastic sealant. This traditional detailing method provides maintenance-free waterproofing for 60+ years.
The replacement deck section was cut from 18mm WBP marine-grade plywood, which provides excellent moisture resistance through its phenolic resin adhesive layers. Marine-grade plywood is specified for all flat roof deck repairs where the existing boarding has failed due to water damage, ensuring the new substrate will never suffer the same fate.
The replacement decorative fascia was machined from Scandinavian redwood with Tanalith E preservative treatment. Redwood's natural density and resin content make it naturally durable, and the pressure treatment provides additional protection against the damp conditions that porch fascias inevitably experience in the Lake District climate.
Don't let a leaking porch damage your bay windows and walls. Our felt roofing and lead work team serves Grange-over-Sands and all surrounding areas with quick, reliable porch roof repairs. We also handle larger flat roof projects. Contact us today for a free quotation.
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