chrisk

The roof was finished 18 months ago, see the picture. It's totally snug to the tiles, the noise comes from a) heavy rain falling directly on the flat roof and b) water being blown around in strong winds. I have thought of adding a gutter to catch the water off the tiled roof, but can't come up with anything workable because there's no room below the tiles, so I need the flat roof to continue to take the run-off. My pebble idea involved using driveway gravel grids raised up on rubber support pads, so water could flow freely underneath.

Direct from the roof. The flat roof is snug up against the bottom row of tiles. When it's proper heavy rain it's like the Orinoco up there. Sorry, couldn't resist

The flat roof runs the entire length of our bungalow and the rainwater from half of the existing tiled roof, which faces west, runs off onto it. When we have heavy rain and strong winds, the noise of sloshing water is very noticeable, and can wake us up. Rainfall can also be quite loud too. Having a suitable protective layer would stop that, extend the life of the EPDM and reduce temperatures in summer. Basically I'm looking for a cheaper, lighter alternative to sedum trays. We can't see the flat roof so there are no concerns over appearance.

If I choose porcelain tiles, do you think I would need a layer of geotextile membrane underneath?

You're right, white is probably not a sensible choice of colour. They would only be white once - when initially laid. Porcelain titles on upstands would certainly do the job but would be more costly than gravel grids and pebbles, can't find anything much under £14 per sqm.

I like that idea. No issue with walking on it, and could be painted white. Will need to check the weight though, as it could work out just as heavy as sedum

Hi We have a single ply EPDM flat roof extension containing 2 bedrooms. We knew that choosing a flat roof instead of pitched tiles would mean increased noise during rainfall, but it's pretty loud and distracting during bad weather. Wind blown water on the roof is particularly noisy, so I've been thinking of ways to provide a layer of protection. The roof was built to carry the weight of sedum trays, which can hit 90kg per sqm when fully saturated. Our structural engineer said there may be some slight deflection if loading it to that degree, and we may get small hairline cracks in the ceilings. The option of sedum trays is therefore not filling me with enthusiasm! The cost of sedum is also quite prohibitive, with quotes for our 55sqm roof coming in around £2500. The other option I've been investigating is white pebbles. I can't imagine that they could be laid direct on the EPDM as they would damage it, so my plan is to use driveway gravel grids sitting on Wallbarn rubber paving support pads, to primarily give a layer of separation from the EPDM but also so that there are no obstructions underneath as rainwater still needs to run off the original pitched roof. We'd also get improved insulation during hot weather, and hopefully extend the life of the EPDM too. Does this sound appropriate? I'd really welcome your thoughts. Thanks in advance