Cool Flat Roof - MA green roofing company » Flat roof repair

Commercial Flat Roofing: Industrial, Restaurants and Apartment Buildings

Leo - roofer with a vision — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:35:18 +0000

When running your business, last thing you want to worry about, is your roof leaking on your machinery, materials, or office equipment. Your customers will not appreciate the water dripping in their soup, or a puddle of water in the dining room. As a result, you may never see those customers come back again.

Does your Commercial / Industrial / Restaurant roof leak?

Do you have to install plastic covers or tarps to protect your expensive machinery?

Does water damage your office computers and equipment?

Is your product inventory being destroyed by roof leaks?

Do you loose business space, restaurant sitting, and production capacity due to your old, leaking flat roof?

Does your black rubber or Tar & Gravel roof make the AC run like crazy, while it is still hot inside?

All of the above is true for these folks, and they are sick of it!

As you can see, they had to protect their VERY expensive machinery with plastic sheets just so the water does not destroy it. Flat roof leaks can cause thousands of dollars in damages to equipment and merchandise alone. Consider redundant roof repairs and costs associated with future replacement rotted decking, wet insulation, and disposal of old roofing material. Add lost business productivity, equipment repair and replacement and damaged inventory. It is time to eliminate your flat roofing leaks once and for all.

The choice is simple – IB Single-ply Cool Roof

A leaky roof creates major problems for many businesses, in for of lost revenue, damaged equipment, and lost business space. We can help you stop those leaks once and for all with IB PVC Roof – our flat-roofing product of choice – and we will back it up with our comprehensive guaranty that you will not have any more leaks.

With Commercial warranties up to 25 years and a proven track-record of over 30 years leak-free performance, IB roof will be saving you money on maintenance, repairs and energy costs. IB Cool roofs reflect over 90% of solar radiation and on a 90 degree day White IB roof will only go about 95 degrees. Compare that to 160-170 degrees for a black rubber ( Epdm ) roof.

IB ChemGuard – the only chemicals, oil and grease resistant roofing membrane available on the market will be the perfect choice for any restaurant or industrial manufacturing facility where chemicals may be present on the roof.

Most businesses require a lot of space to operate efficiently, and it just so happens that most commercial building have a flat roof. These flat roofs just leak, and there seems no end to these roof leak problems. Leaking flat roofs not only cause expensive repairs and structural damages, to the building – they can potentially halt some or all of your business’ production until leaks are fixed. Temporary loss of useful space can be more costly than the roof repair, and the damages to your production equipment may by far outweighs the cost to install a Long Lasting IB Flat Roof which will not only remain water-tight beyond it’s warranty period, but will also save you money on the ever-rising Cooling and Heating bills. IB’s excellent ‘Cool Roof’ reflective properties can lower your AC energy consumption by as much as 20%, and with addition of High-R insulation, it will be less expensive to heat your building.

Even ponding water is not a problem for IB Roofs.

IB Roof was created with the commercial / industrial flat roofing market in mind, and will work on the most complicated flat roof you can think of. If your flat roof has inherited water drainage problems, you has a devastating ponding water after each rain, it is no problem for IB, as it comes with explicit ‘Ponding Water Warranty’ unlike most other flat roofing systems, that will leak, and who’s warranty will be void if there is standing water.

IB Roofs are Eco-friendly – IB is the Green Choice!

Not only IB roofs are perfect for commercial buildings in terms of water-tightness, longevity and performance – they are also friendly for the environment. Cool roof features if IB white membrane will reduce the CO2 and other Green-House gas emissions by reducing your energy consumption for Air Conditioning. IB roof is also a perfect choice for creating a Green Roof or a Roof-top garden which in Urban Environment will reduce the “heat island” effect and will increase the productivity of your office workers, as proven by multiple studies.

Another great feature of IB roofs it that they are 100% recyclable. This means 30 years from now, if you decide to get a new IB roof, the existing one will not go to our nation’s landfills. Instead it will be recycled and reused for other PVC products such as vinyl siding, PVC pipes and conduits, etc.

IB Roof PVC recycling video.

Check out this video of how the 30 years old IB roof installation in Harrisburg, OR was recycled and a New IB roof was installed in its stead:

Excited about IB roof? Don’t wait any longer!

Stop wasting your money on useless roof fixes and losing profit due to your flat roof leaks.

If your roof is located anywhere in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island or other New England states, fill out our Free, no obligation Online Roofing Estimate or call us at 1-888-6-FlatRoof (1-888-635-2876) and we will come up with the best solution to fit your flat roofing needs and budget.

If you are outside of New England, go to www.IBRoof.com and fill out their Contractor Referral form or call 1-800-426-1626, to speak with IB Customer Service, and find an IB Contractor in your area.

Remember, that IB roof is the Most economical commercial flat roof when you consider Total Roofing Cost.

IB Roof can also be upgraded with IB SolarWise – a Building-Integrated Solar PV system, created IB and Uni-Solar. Such upgrade can be done at any point in time after the original IB roofs was installed, without compromising the roof integrity. IB SolarWise is light-weight, and requires no additional structural reinforcement, nor does it need any mounting brackets or railings. In fact SolarWise gets welded right to the IB membrane, and all that has to be done after is the electrical connections! IB SolarWise is the Least Expensive solar system on the market, and has the highest ROI.

If you want to know what a new IB roof will cost, check out our Roofing Cost Estimator – bear in mind, that prices estimated by our calculator refer to a Residential Flat roofs. You can generally expect a lower price for your commercial flat roof, as the ‘economy of scale’ factor kicks in.

IB Roof Systems Reference Information – Ratings and Approvals

This information will be valuable for architects, specifiers, building managers, property owners and maintenance personal looking to have an IB Roof installed. For additional product information you can also download IB Commercial Brochure and IB ChemGuard Brochure.

UL – R15546

FM Global – 3018104

International Code Council – ER 5405

No. 05-1122.03 (Concrete Decks)
No. 05-1122.07 (LW Concrete Decks)
No. 05-1122.05 (Steel Decks)

No. 05-1122.04 (Wood Decks)
No. 05-1122.06 (Recover Decks)

FL 2534-R2 (Mechanically Attached)
FL 4672 (Fully Adhered)

Cool Roof Rating Council Listing

IB Roof Systems is proud to be an Energy Star™ Partner.

This is only a partial list, containing the most prominent rating and approval agencies’ certificates. Others approvals and certificates that are not listed here, include:

Underwriter’s Laboratory of Canada – ULC

Green Roofs for Healthier Cities – Green Roofs

Single Ply Roofing Industry – SPRI

National Roofing Contractors Association – NRCA

North Eastern Roofing Contractors Association – NERCA

Some of Commercial Flat roofs we have done recently:

Testex Corp – RI

Bellingham Power Plant – MA

9th St. Condo – RI

Some of Restaurant Metal roofs we have done recently:

IHOP Restaurant
Cape Cod, Hyannis, MA

Venus De Milo Restaurant
Swansea, MA

Residential Flat Roofing – forget about your roof leaking with IB Roofs

Leo - roofer with a vision — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 03:18:01 +0000

Are you tired of waking up in the middle of the rainy night, and changing buckets under leaking ceilings, and worrying how much the repairs will cost you?
You are probably sick of that old flat roof above your house, which you’ve been patching for the last few years, but it just does not work, and the roof leaks keep on coming back?
Are you considering building a sloped roof and going with shingle roof, because there is no end to your roof leaks?
Does your low-slope roof leak due to Ice Dams problems? A poor ventilation and attic insulation is causing your ice dams, but you can’t always solve the problem economically. This is where IB roof is a perfect product to eliminate Ice dam related leaks.
Does your ridge vent leak, or did you have to completely remove the ridge vent to stop leaks? Check out our special Low-Slope roof ridge vent assembly, which improves your attic ventilation and eliminates leaks!

The truth is, there is a solution that will keep your home, probably your biggest investment, water tight for decades to come. The flat roof you can truly forget about, and the one that will actually save you money on ever-rising energy costs.

If you have a flat roof deck you can choose between IB DeckShield or a conventional 80-mil IB roof with wooden deck and railing system to solve your leaks problems and create a permanent water-tight roof-top patio.

When you want the looks of an Architectural Shingles and unsurpassed reliability of IB Roof, IB Traditions gives you both!

IB Cool Flat Roof – The Best flat roofing for your Home!

IB roof has its roots in commercial flat roofing, where requirements and expectations of building products are much higher than in residential market. In fact IB Roof has been chosen as the roofing choice for Hospitals, Airports and Universities through-out the country, where leaking roof is not an option. Many of these roofs installed over 25 years ago are still performing well, without any leaks.

Ice Dam leaks and poor ventilation:

Most low sloped roofs in the northern United States have Ice Dams, which cause roof leaks and expensive roof repairs as well as cosmetic interior repairs of ceilings, walls, carpets and wooden floors. Those are the damages that you can actually see. Ice dams also create invisible structural damages which you can’t find until you open up ceilings and wall. These damages are extremely expensive to repair, as it would require to hire interior remodelers to fix structural damages, outside and inside walls, electrical systems, plumbing, etc.

Ice Dams in a nutshell: Ice dams are caused by poor attic ventilation and heat loss from inside your living space. Large piles of snow will accumulate on your roof after a snow storm. If your attic is improperly insulated and ventilated, the warm air escaping from your living area into the attic, will melt the snow. The water from melting snow will run down the roof and refreeze, usually along the eaves of of your roof. These are Ice Dams. The more snow is melting the bigger Ice Dams you have. After some time, the ice dams become so big, that the melting water cannot travel downward anymore, so it starts to travel upward underneath the roof shingles or rolled roofing seams. As it freezes under the roof, warm air melts it, and it slowly starts to drip inside the attic, causing all of the above and below mentioned problems.

It becomes a vicious cycle were more heat loss creates more ice dams, which causes more damages to structural walls and insulation, destroying your home from inside, increasing your energy-related expenses and causing more heat loss, which creates bigger ice dams…

Negative effect cause by Ice dams, and which many homeowners neglect to address is the wet insulation in the attic and inside walls. When insulation gets wet, you loose insulating value, so your energy costs increase, as heat loss in the winter drives up your heating bill. Same happens in the summer with cooling. Also, mold begins to grow in the attic and inside walls, which cause and/or aggravates allergies, asthma and other respiratory illnesses.

Solution to Ice Dams problems on low-slope roofs:

IB roofing membrane is perfect way to eliminate Ice Dams on a low slope roof, as it is a seamless blanket over entire roof. Hot air welded seams prevent water from backing up and re-freezing as is the case with shingles and rolled asphalt roofing, there-fore eliminating the effects of Ice Dams. Also, Most of the snow will actually slide off the IB roof, thus there will be a minimal Ice and Snow accumulation along the eaves.

Additionally, we’ve designed a special Ridge Vent system which we use on every low-sloped roof with ridge/soffit ventilation in place. This system prevents the wind driven water form entering your attic space through the holes in the ridge vent, while allowing the warm air to escape the attic.

Now you too can have this outstanding roof on installed on your home. IB make the perfect choice for any residential flat and low-slope roof. IB roof will give you years of worry-free service, and make your home more energy efficient, as well as transferable Lifetime Warranty! IB will also add beauty and usability to your home with its specialty Traditions & DeckShield membranes.

Traditions Classic: Printed Shingle Pattern

If you have a low-pitched roof which is flatter than a minimum required for a conventional roofing, but is still visible from the ground, IB has the perfect solution – ‘Traditions Classic’.

Traditions is a single ply membrane that was designed to eliminate the problems associated with conventional asphalt shingle, but will give you the looks of an architecturally designed shingle roof that fits your home.
Traditions Classic carries a Lifetime Material Warranty and is also fade resistant and is perfect Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut climate. It outperforms any shingle roof from any manufacturer.

Traditions – Design and appearance:

Traditions Classic gives you the perfect combination of integrity and beauty. It takes the excellent qualities of Industrial Grade IB flat roofing membrane and an outstanding looks of asphalt shingles with a choice of three popular colors:

Sierra Vista: Light Brown color will give you a perfect combination with red brick homes as well as other red, tan and brown shades of conventional siding.

Stony Ridge: Grey color – will blend perfectly with grey and most other colors.

Mountain Spruce: Great for suburban areas, and will bled well with background forest, as well as bushes and trees surrounding your home.

Traditions – Maintenance and Life-cycle:

A good roof is the one you can forget about and Traditions classic is no different. Traditions Classic is virtually maintenance free and is specially designed for low sloped roofs. The high quality membrane resists mold, mildew, algae, chemicals and ultraviolet rays, and will continue to look great on your home for years to come – guaranteed!

Connecticut Flat Roofing – Roof Installation & Consulting services in CT

Leo - roofer with a vision — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 19:12:41 +0000

Cool Flat Roofs offers installation, consulting and repair service for commercial and residential flat roof replacement using IB Cool roofing single-ply membrane. The benefits of using IB roofs include long-term, leaks free performance combined with energy-efficiency and future upgrade options to roof-integrated Solar PV technology created by IB roofs and Uni-Solar.

IB roof, originally created to meet high demands of commercial/industrial roofing market, is now available to the home owners in New England. We provide a complete package combined with professional installation and personalized service to meet the needs of our clients, and we strive to surpass your expectations, while providing reasonable pricing.

Whether you have a house with a leaking flat roof or a business structure such as a shop, storage facility, office building, etc., we invite you to join the ‘elite club’ of our customers. We promise that we will treat your roof as our own!

If your flat roof currently leaks, we recommend that you take a look at our flat roof repair guide to get more insight on the options and solutions to solve your leaks problems. To learn more about modern roofing technology, check out the Single Ply Roofing overview.

Getting IB roof installed for your home or business in CT:

We will closely work with you or your builder/architect to provide the best long-term roofing solution for you. We invite you to use our interactive roofing cost calculator to get an instant price quote to replace your roof. To schedule roofing project in Connecticut, fill out the roofing estimate form.

Some of the Flat Roofs in Connecticut, that we have done recently:

Update: Feb. 13, 2009 – We finally implemented a roofing and construction blog, and all our job profiles will be posted there.

First in a series is a 50-mil residential IB Roof installed in Andover, CT

After a major leak of a 5 years old rolled asphalt roof occurred in home-owner’s bedroom, a major rot damage and mold problem was discovered. Find out how the costs of water damage restorations and mold removal, moved this Connecticut homeowner to seek a permanent flat roofing solution, and why he chose IB Cool Flat roofing membrane.

From our customer:

Thanks again for a job well done. It is a good feeling to know that I won’t be dealing with water coming in my house any longer. You have good men working for you. They are very respectful and professional. The roof looks great!

Great Job! Thanks, Alex.

Picture galleries of older roofing projects completed in Connecticut:

Grey 80-mil IB Roof installation
Residential house in Wallingford, CT

This house, located in the beautiful hills of Wallingford, CT sits below street level, so a Grey IB roofing membrane was chosen to replace an old asphalt roof. Now, covered by IB’s lifetime residential warranty, it provides permanent protection combined great curb appeal.

White 80-mil IB Roof
Residence in Old Lyme, CT

A badly-leaking old tar & gravel roof was replaced with an 80-mil IB roof, providing a permanent solution and making this home in Old Lyme CT much cooler in the summer. A Slate-impression Metal Roof was installed on the mansard portion.

Some of Metal Roofs we have installed recently:

Residential Sanding Seam Roof
Plymouth, MA

IHOP Restaurant
Cape Cod, Hyannis, MA

Venus De Milo Restaurant
Swansea, MA

Massachusetts Roofing Contractor – roof repair and installation in MA

Leo - roofer with a vision — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:16:50 +0000

MA is our home state, and although we service all of New England states, most of our roof installations are in Massachusetts.

We provide Residential and Commercial roofing services for businesses and home owners, using the best flat roofing material available on the market today – IB Flat Roofing systems – PVC single-ply cool roofing membrane. Any roofing system, no matter how good it is, can leak if installed improperly – that is why we install all our roofs in accordance with IB installation requirements, MA building code, and special attention to details and geographic location of the roofing job.

For example, a roof located near the ocean is more prone to strong wind blow-offs, uplift and wind-driven water leaks. That is why in coastal areas, we double the number of heavy-duty fasteners used to hold down the roofing membrane securely attached to roof deck.

We will treat your roof like it is our own:

Our Moto is ‘to install every roof right, so we won’t have to go back for a service call’. This may sound a bit selfish, but it is the most beneficial for your roof, and for you. Since we match the labor warranty of our installations for the same period as the product warranty, we install every roof to be sure there will be no leaks.

Getting IB roof installed for your home or business in MA:

Recent roofing jobs we’ve completed in Massachusetts:

Roofing Massachusetts – a series of mini roof installation reviews, covers a few flat and metal roofs that we’ve recently completed in different cites in Massachusetts – Framingham, Westminster, Hingham, Boston, Wellesley, Wayland. We will update this list as well as publish more roof installation reviews as we get more time to do it. New reviews will include flat and metal roof installations in the following cities:

- Metal Roof in Attleboro, MA – A slate impression steel interlocking shingles metal roof installed on a roof of a single-family home on a quiet street in Attleboro, Mass.

- Metal Roof in Revere, MA

- Standing seam metal roof in Plymouth, MA

- Residential IB traditions roof in Arlington, MA

- A flat roof on apartment building in downtown North Attleboro, MA

- A roof deck installed in Brighton, MA

- A metal roof installed in Haverhill, MA

Massachusetts roofs installed during Winter 2009:

Flat Roof in Lowell MA – We removed old and leaking EPDM rubber roof, installed new 4″ ISO insulation with 24-r value and a new 50 mil IB PVC flat roofing membrane. Besides the IB roof installation overview, we point out the inherent defects in rubber roofing systems, and why homeowners should avoid installing EPDM roof on their home and dealing with shady roofing contractors “specializing” in rubber roofs.

New flat roofs, installed in August 2009:

Solar Decathlon house with IB flat roof & Solar PV panels: Team Boston (Tufts and BAC) built a solar home with innovative green construction technologies such as: 6.4 KW Solar Photovoltaic system, solar hot water and a Trombe wall – a solar-thermal-mass window/wall systems to compete in 2009 DOE Solar Decathlon. Cool Flat Roofs, together with IB Roof Systems sponsored and installed a 50-mil white IB PVC roofing membrane, with water collection system using IB U-flow drains, and helped the team install the solar PV / solar hot water array.

Old rubber roof replaced with 80-mil IB roof in Boston : The old roof was replace, and extencive brick work on parapet walls was perforemed to ensure highest quality of installation and long-lasting protection for this house in Boston / Roxbury. Roof size was just over 400 sq. ft. and it took 8 days total to install this roof. Read the complete review of this roof installation with many picture and videos.

Flat roof deck in Wellesley, MA: A new construction addition was built and a flat roof deck was installed over a garage roof. We used an 80-mil grey IB roof to ensure permanent water tightness. A new deck will now be installed over sleepers, for which we welded down 2″ wide strips of membrane to protect main roof. Also a prefabricated post flashings were installed over 4×4 railing posts to insure that post would not leak. Roof installation was completed in one day.

Sanding seam metal roof in Wayland:

In the middle a of June 2009, we’ve completed a standing seam metal roof installation. Roof was installed on a residential house in Wayland, Massachusetts. As some may recall, May and June of 2009 had lots of rainy days, so we had to cope with weather as well as many unnoticeable complications which this roofing job has posed for us.

In a nutshell, the roof was constantly subjected to Ice Dam related roof leaks, due lo relatively low roof slope and some heat loss from inside the house, falling ice which would tear off the gutters in the winter and pose danger to people living and visiting the home. One of the most strange things we’ve encountered was the masonry chimney which had a wood frame built around it and stucco installed on the outside, for visual effects. This was actually the first such chimney I’ve seen. Usually stucco is installed right over the chimney, which I though was the case here. Later, after the job was complete, we;ve discovered that the stucco shell of the chimney had cracks in it and was leaking. Where as before such leak would be attributed to old roof, now we could easily pinpoint and eliminate the source of leaks.

You can read more about this project on our roofing blog: Metal roofing in Wayland, MA

Home owner’s remarks after the job was completed and chimney leak eliminated:

Leo,

I did manage to find some time to seal and refinish the chimney. The moment of truth came yesterday when I went into the attic after a long steady rainfall to find the former leak site completely dry. The spot I suspect is at the joint between the concrete cap and the stucco on the front side of the house. There was a crack there that lined up with water flow marks down the side of the chimney. I think the water was able to curl under the cap to that crack and then pass behind the stucco to cause the leak.

I am now very happy to have a completely watertight roof that should stand up to winter ice and snow for a long long time. Thanks again for your work and for the trip you made to assess the leak. With any luck, you won’t hear from me for a long time about the new roof. I wish you and your crew success in your business and in life

Glenn.

EPDM Rubber Roof repair service in Mass.

Rubber roof repair in Massachusetts – we now offer a service to repair your leaking rubber flat roof (EPDM rubber roofing), for a fraction of the cost to install a new IB roof. Although it is usually a better idea to replace the roof as leak damages will only progress and throwing money away or roof repairs that last a short period of time in not economical, it may sometimes make sense to repair a rubber roof if it is only a small flashing that is leaking because of a bad seam, or a failed rubber components.

We can repair corner flashing (inside and outside corners), fix in-field leaking seams with rubber seam tape, or re-seam the existing seams with 9″ cover tapes, to dramatically extend roof service life.

For these rubber roof repairs we use only the best flashing components such as Carlisle and Firestone peel-stick flashing and cover tapes in 6″, 9″ and even 12″ width – this allows us to be able to repair nearly every type of rubber roof leak, as well as install new flashing around skylights, chimneys and other flat roof penetrations and curbs.

We also do custom copper flashing work when performing a rubber roof repair. As you can see in the picture above, a new copper counter-flashing was installed after a rubber corner patch was applied to the chimney flashing. The couterflashing was replaced after squirrels chewed and ate the lead flashing that was originally there.

Some of the Flat Roofs in Massachusetts, that we have done recently:

Apartments / Deli
No. Attleboro, MA

Asphalt Shingle Pattern
Flat roof in Arlington, MA

Bellingham Electric Power Plant
Bellingham, MA

Some of Metal Roofs we have done recently Massachusetts:

Residential Sanding Seam Roof
Plymouth, MA

IHOP Restaurant
Cape Cod, Hyannis, MA

Venus De Milo Restaurant
Swansea, MA

Flat Roof Decks and Patios

Leo - roofer with a vision — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:55:11 +0000

Quick Navigation:

Types of flat roof decks – Choose between IB DeckShield & traditional wooden deck over flat roof.
Flat Roof deck prices – Learn how much a flat roof deck will cost.
Roof deck leaks – Learn why flat roof decks leak and how to prevent/eliminate these leaks.
IB DeckShield – Details of IB DeckShield roof assembly – how it works and what goes into it.
IB 80-mil with PT deck – Details of PT wooden deck over IB 80-mil roof assembly.

Roof deck & leaking.

Many homes in New England have a walk-on flat roof decks with living space under them, and 90 percent of these deck roofs leak, ruining your rooms. Stains on sheet-rock ceilings, popping hardwood flooring, wet carpets and rotted framing are just some of the damages that you may sustain as a result of these leaks. Destroyed personal property such as beds, book shelves, computers, TVs and other electronic equipment can also be considered in cases of severe roof leaks.

All these items are very expensive to fix and even more expensive to replace. Yet you can easily solve these problems in a fairly cheap way (when compared to costs of replacing and repairs you have to incur if you let the leaks continue) with IB’s life-time roofing product. With IB Roof, you will never have to worry about roof leaks again and you could finally regain full use of your roof deck or patio.

Creating a leak-free Roof Deck with IB roofing systems

We offer two different solutions for you to permanently solve your roof deck leaks. Both ways utilize IB’s time-proven CPA membranes featuring hot-air welded seam. The main difference between the two methods is the product you choose to use, and aesthetics you desire.

Assembly type 1: IB DeckShield – a fully integrated waterproofing membrane system designed for use on walk-out roof decks. DeckShield as highly slip-resistant that Complies and exceeds ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements.

Learn how IB Deck Shield membrane is installed, installation prices and more general information of roof deck waterproofing using IB DeckShield membrane.

Download DeckShield brochure

IB DeckShield – a beautiful and durable decking waterproofing membrane.

Benefits of using IB Deckshield assembly:

Enhances the appearance of decks
Eliminates annual painting and staining of wood decks
Durable, Slip resistant Waterproofing system.
Resists mildew, chemicals, and UV rays.
Eliminates hazardous wood splinters and unsightly concrete cracking.
Complies with ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) requirements.

Assembly type 2: Deck on top of flat roof: IB PVC membrane with a wood deck installed over it – a more traditional way of roof deck construction, features an IB Lifetime single-ply membrane with fusion-welded seams. This method will ensure permanent water-tightness of your roof deck combined with a deck and railings system built with your choice of wood and pattern. Download IB Roof brochure

Benefits of using IB 80-mil membrane with PT / Composition deck on top:

Wooden deck on top of IB 80 mil roofing membrane protects the roof from accidental mechanical damages.
Allows people to have a more traditional wooden deck / patio.
Composition deck assembly eliminates the need to stain / paint the wood.
Allows extended use of outdoor grills without worrying that you’ll burn through the roof.
Allows the Creation of beautiful deck designs and the use of Steel outdoor furniture.

IB 80-mil PVC roofing membrane with composition board deck assembly create this beautiful patio

Happy client enjoys her private roof-deck in Arlington, MA. Roof assembly consists of 80-mil IB Roof for waterproofing, and a diamond-shaped, low profile deck.

Cost of flat roof decks

Why roof decks leak?

Most roof decks in existence today, use a flat roofing material that were created over a century ago and were not designed for use as roofing for residential homes and living area. Another reason is original design flaw implemented by architects and/or builders, who were not qualified in flat roofing and did not have appropriate roofing technology to use.

Ponding Water leaks:

Very often you can find ponding water accumulating on these deck roofs. Majority of flat roofing system existing today cannot sustain constant ponding water and as a result water enters your house, and destroys your possessions and property.

Wood Deck and Railing leaks:

Often there is a wood deck installed on top of a flat roof or some sort of a railing system. To make these railings securely attached to the roof, builders often create roof penetration for every railing post on the roof. The only way to “seal” these penetrations for most builders, is to use roof cement or pitch-pockets – both of these methods are considered unacceptable by the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA). Yet most builders don’t have the appropriate products, expertise and many times, don’t care enough to make these penetrations water-tight.

This, results in more leaks – usually these leaks don’t appear inside your home for years, but the hidden damages can cost thousands of dollars to fix. Water slowly enters your home and rots the beams and studs. While unnoticed for a long period of time, such leaks my sometimes result in partial or complete re-framing of your roof and/or support walls.

Leaking Flat Roof Deck

Details of roof deck construction using IB Membranes and DeckShield

IB DeckShield roof / deck assembly and installation:

DeckShield is easiest to use in new construction, however it can be easily adopted for retrofit use on existing homes. IB Deck Shield is installed as a fully-adhered application on top of Dens Deck – a fiber-cement type board that is 1/4 of an inch thick, or over plywood.

The surface for installing IB DeckShield must be clean, smooth and flat. That is why in some retrofit applications use of DeckShield may be difficult or impossible. When you have an uneven surface it is best to use the regular IB Roofing Membrane with a wooden deck over it. If you still want to use Deck Shield for a retrofit roof deck project, expect the additional costs of making your roof surface even.

DeckShield can be used for a small balcony as well as a large roof deck, and for everything in between. Hot-air welded seams make IB DeckShield a long-lasting waterproofing solution that is both eye-pleasing and safe to walk on when it is wet. Expect many compliments from your family and friends when they get to see your new roof patio with IB DeckShield.

DeckShield colors and texture:

DeckShield has a look and texture of tiny pebbles – something similar to a floor in a swimming pool. You can choose between two distinct colors – Tan and Grey – both look great and will compliment your home.

Since IB DeckShield is made from the same material as other IB membranes, it is easy to accommodate for any roof penetrations such as Railing System and Roof-Wall detail. This will ensure that your roof will be water-tight and you can take full advantage of your deck or patio once again and will not have to worry about leaks. Invite your friends and family for a cookout, enjoy a cocktail or watch the stars.

Rubber Roof (EPDM) Repair – DIY How-To Guide

Leo - roofer with a vision — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:47:38 +0000

If you are a homeowner with a leaking rubber roof, you’ve found the right resource for your rubber roof repair information and a DIY rubber roof repair guide. This Rubber Roof Repair guide will describe the step-by-step procedures to repair leaking seams of a rubber roof, using “black glue” for EPDM roofing membranes. If you do not need us to fix you rubber roof in Mass., skip the first part and jump straight to DIY Rubber Roof Repair guide.

If you live in Massachusetts and your rubber roof leaks, you can also hire us to professionally repair your EPDM Rubber Roof – fill out the Roof Repair Request form bellow. We will also provide you with an estimate to replace your old rubber roof with Lifetime IB PVC roofing membrane. We provide our rubber roof repair service for a very reasonable fee of $350, which includes 2 hours of repair work as well as high quality, peel-and-stick Rubber Roof flashing materials made by best names in the EPDM roofing industry – Firestone and Carlisle.

We recommend that you also read our guide to residential flat rubber roofing, which describes why your roof could be leaking, how most residential roofing contractors get into flat roof installations, their “training and experience” background and most importantly why you should avoid installing another EPDM rubber roof on your house.

If you are unsure if you are better off fixing your rubber roof yourself or hiring a roofing contractor like us – read our guide DIY rubber roof vs. hiring a roofing contractor. This article will explain advantages of both options as well as show you how much it costs to buy EPDM flashing materials, adhesives and required tools as well as describe step-by-step process of rubber roof repair using newer peel-and-stick EPDM flashing materials.

Rubber roof repair services in Massachusetts fill out form bellow or call: 617-444-9020

Roof repair service cost – $350 flat fee for first 2 hours of roof repair work, including peel-and-stick rubber flashing materials. Any work after initial 2 hours will be discussed and priced accordingly.

Find out more about our Rubber Roof Repair in MA – prices on projects over 2 hours, materials used, geographic area which we cover and warranty information.

We want you to also be aware that rubber roof repair can (should) be performed when the outside temperature is above 40 F. Otherwise the EPDM glue and/or primer will ether freeze or will not apply properly. In some cases contractors will keep the adhesives warm inside their trucks, and only take it out right before they actually use it. While this method somewhat works, we do not recommend it, as such repair can fail prematurely.

Rubber roof repair request form:

Name:	*
Address:
City:	*
State:
Zip:	*
Phone:	*
E-Mail:	*
	Please describe your roof, leak problems (e.g. near skylight or at the roof-to-wall flashing, etc), and any additional information that would help us better prepare for your roof repair.
Roof Details:

You can also request an estimate to replace your existing roof. Select one or more products. You can select multiple products by clicking on multiple boxes.

IB Standard Membrane:

IB 50-mil White

IB 80-mil White/Color

IB 80-mil ChemGuard

IB Specialty Membrane:

IB DeckShield

IB Tradition Classics

IB Solar PV Roof

Other Roofing products:

Metal Roofing (Standing seam, Steel or Aluminum Metal shingles)

Thermo White Spray-On Roofs (For steel standing seam)

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DIY rubber roof repair guide – learn how to fix rubber roof using black rubber glue.

This do-it-yourself rubber roof repair guide will walk you through a simple rubber roof seam patching process, using old rubber glue. Please note, that due to accelerated “black rubber glue” failures, EPDM industry has switched to newer and better Peel-and-Stick method of gluing the seams between rubber membrane and flashing material. Peel-and-stick method uses special flashing material and a so called “rubber primer”, which gets tacky faster than rubber glue and hold the seams better and longer. Still, even the seams “glued” together using the newer peel-and-stick plashing method, will fail after about 7-10 years. After that period, most EPDM rubber roofs will require some kind of roof repair and in some cases complete “re-seam” job. Re-seam repair means that all seams are covered with a peel-and-stick cover tape of 6-12″ in width. This will usually buy you another 3-5 years of roof life, after which you will have to repair it again.

Therefore we recommend that instead of installing (or in some cases even repairing) the rubber roof, you install a new, Lifetime IB PVC Roofing system, which is installed using hot-air welded seams instead of being glued together. Once IB roof seams are welded, you cannot pull them apart without tearing the membrane itself.

This ‘Rubber Roof Do-It-Yourself repair guide’ is intended to give you the basic knowledge of how to
repair a flat rubber roof. However, such repairs are NOT considered DIY projects by the roofing industry professionals, and we recommend you to seek help with your roof repair from a professional roofing company specializing in Flat Roofing. If you are located in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island, you can contact us by filling out Free Roof Estimate Request form, and we will provide you information and options to solve your roof leaks problems.

Rubber or Epdm roofs came to existence in 1960′s and since then, billions of sq. feet of rubber roofs have been installed all over United States. Rubber roofs are probably the Most used flat roofing technology, mainly due to its Very Low cost. Epdm roofs are very cheap to produce, so most commercial roofing manufacturers jumped the band-wagon and started making them in mass quantities. While Epdm rubber-like membranes are very common, so are the roof leaks associated with them.

Epdm membranes themselves are a decent roofing product, hence most of them carry warranties that range from 30 to 40 years. However, those warranties ONLY cover the membrane itself, which unless is physically damaged, will usually remain intact through it’s service life.

However, the long warranties of Epdm DO NOT cover the cause of 99% of all flat roof leaks – the seams between sheets of membrane. Seams are the inherited flaw and a weakness of not only Epdm rubber roofs, but most other flat roofing technologies available today. Seams are put together with adhesives, and lately with peel-&-stick tapes, which after some time on the roof just comes apart, and the roof starts to leak. Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to prolong the life of seam adhesives, and the only two options to deal with leaks are: Repair or Replace

Rubber roof repair How-To in 4 steps.

Note: Do not attempt to repair you rubber roof if the outside temperature is below 35-40 degrees, as it might be too cold for the adhesive to dry properly. Consult the sales people at the roofing supply warehouse listed below. Also request installation documents for adhesives and/or seam tape that you will need to purchase. These document will give you exact application requirements and directions.

Step 1: Locate the source of leaks

Tools you will need: Ladder, Paint-Brushes, Rubber gloves, Seams Probe Tool and Silicone hand roller. These tools can be purchased from the roofing supply warehouse like Bradco Supply or Harveys Industry or from a local lumber yard. We recommend getting the brushes from the roofing warehouse, to make sure it is compatible with the adhesive and cleaning solution. Home Depot and Lowe’s will probably not
have the hand roller on the probe tool, but you can find something similar there. They will certainly have ladders, and will usually have a better price on them.

You will also need the solvent-based cleaning solution for seams and Epdm seam adhesive and/or seam tape. These should be purchase from the roofing warehouse. Home-Improvement stores do not have what you need.

Caution: Do not use ‘Ice&Water tape’ – you should only use the seam tape made for Epdm rubber roofs.

Seam Probe Tool

2″ Silicone Hand Roller

As we stated previously, most of flat roof leaks occur at the seams, so we you will need to inspect all seams on your rubber roof. Once you acquired the needed tools and supplies, you will need to find the source of leaks. To locate the leak in your rubber roof, you will need to actually get on the roof and with a simple probe-tool check all the seams to find the place where adhesive no longer holds the membrane together. Also check all roof penetrations (Pipes, Vents, etc.) and curbs such as Sky-lights and HVAC units. Mark the spots where the seams are broken.

If you have loose gravel on the roof, you’ll need to sweep it off the seams with a heavy broom, so it is not in your way. Do not use shovels or any thing that has metal edges as you may cause additional damage to the membrane.

Step 2: Prepare your roof for repair

Now that you’ve located the source of your roof leaks, you need to clean the surface of the rubber, so you can apply the adhesive and/or seam tape. With cloth and warm water, thoroughly wash off as much dirt as you can and let it dry. Do not use gasoline to clean the rubber membrane. Although many installers will tell you it is safe – any manufacturer’s warranty prohibits cleaning epdm rubber with gasoline.

I’ve found a rubbing alcohol to be a good and inexpensive solution. There are also cleaners available from the manufacturer, and these are the best to use, but they are expensive and only come in 1 gallon cans. So if you have a very small area to clean, get the rubbing alcohol.

Once the roof surface is clean and dry, pull the seams apart about 1 foot away from the location of the leak. According to manufacturer’s directions, thoroughly clean seams with the cleaning solution, making sure you remove all existing adhesive and let it dry. The procedure may have to be repeated.

This and next steps are MOST crucial to the quality of the repair and elimination of the future leaks.

Step 3: Applying Adhesive and/or Seam Tape

Use the brush to apply the adhesive to both surfaces of the seams. Try to get the adhesive as deed as you can under the top sheet of membrane (6-8 inch wide seams a recommended). Also thoroughly apply adhesive to ‘corners’ – where you pulled seams apart and the new adhesive comes in contact with the old one.

Once you’ve applied adhesive, put the seams together and use the silicone roller to apply pressure to the seams. This will ensure a quality seam repair. Let the new seams completely dry. Do not attempt to test them with the probe tool just yet. Wait 24 hours until the next step.

Step 4: Testing the seams and applying the Seam Tape

Now your newly-repair seams should be dry and ready to be tested. Use the seam probe to test all seams that you have repaired. If you followed the previous directions and used the silicone roller, your seams should be like new, and the probe should not be able to split the seams. If you do find imperfect adhesive bond, repeat Step 3 by reapplying the adhesive and using the silicone roller to apply pressure.

At this stage, we recommend to also use the seam tape to further ensure quality of your repair job and extend the length of time which the repair will last. Apply the seam tape with the silicone roller, extending it by 1 foot in each direction from the end of your seam repair. Use the edge of the silicone roller to make sure there is good adhesion where there is a slight elevation change from one sheet of rubber to another. If your seams job was done well, there is no need to test the seam tape. You are now done!

Conclusion

Now that you have done the seams repair, you eliminated the leaks. However, even when done by a professional, such repair job usually lasts up-to one year. Sometimes as little as only 6 month. There are many factors affecting the length of the rubber roof repair.

To name a few:

The quality of the repair itself
Presence of ponding water (which will greatly reduce the length that such repair will last)
Moisture and condensation trapped under the rubber will also speed up the occurrence of more leaks

There are many more reasons why your roof may and probably will begin to leak again. Check out our Flat Roof Repair Guide for more info regarding the causes of leaks and what to do when they happen.

To minimize your Costs associated with flat roof repair we recommend you to contact us to get IB Cool Roof. IB Roofs differ from the regular rubber roofs in the way the seams are
attached together. IB PVC roofing system uses Hot-Air fusion welding process, to permanently attach the seams together. With IB roof, you will never face the same problems associated with the rubber roofs, hence, to need to repair, unless there is some sort of physical damage puncture through the membrane. But even in case of such damage, repair is as easy as welding a patch over the damaged area – no need to use solvent cleaners and adhesives.

To back up its products, IB Roof Systems is the only roofing manufacturer to offers the Lifetime Residential Warranty. IB roof can also be upgraded with IB SolarWise BI-PV – the only Fully Integrated Solar PV system available for flat roofing Homes and Commercial buildings.

Disclaimer: This ‘Rubber Roof repair guide’ is intended for informational and reference purposes only. We do not recommend implicitly or explicitly, to anyone, performing any of the procedures described in this guide. We are also not responsible for any property damage or personal injuries resulting from following this informational guide.

Tar-n-Gravel, Built-up & Modified Bitumen roof repair for DIY homeowners.

Leo - roofer with a vision — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 21:10:38 +0000

Usually, when a tar and gravel roof begins to leak, it is not considered ‘repairable’. Thus this guide is aimed to home owners and facility managers for a temporary patching of the roof and stopping the leaks, until complete roof replacement can be done.

Complete roof replacement is highly recommended to avoid / prevent the ‘sunk cost’ – costs that have been incurred and which cannot be recovered to any significant degree (or simply – waste your money). An analogy can be drawn with an old car, where you keep on fixing small thing, one after another, until something major breaks, and all the money put into fixing it, are lost.

Before you begin – getting tools, supplies and materials

These can be purchased at your local roofer’s supply warehouse, lumber yard, Home Depot or Lowe’s. Roofer’s warehouse is a preferred place to buy your supplies, as they’ll have the best selection and knowledge of products you’ll need.

Try Bradco Supply, ABC roofing supply, Beacon supply or Harvey Industries (in New England only). These are all either regional or national roofing supply warehouse, and they usually stock everything you may need, and also have somewhat knowledgeable staff, to answer some of your question.

These are the places where most roofing contractors shop, so you should be able to find what you need!

Tar & Gravel flat roof in Lynn, MA

Tools you will need:

Utility knife with a few spare blades
A bucket (or two) of tar
Asphalt saturated fabric (cotton or fiberglass, it doesn’t matter too much)
Plastic trowel for spreading the tar
Few dry towels / rags.

Finding the leak

This is the essential step in patching of the roof. The nature of flat roof leaks makes it difficult to identify the spot where the water is coming in, since it may ‘travel’ under the roofing membrane until it finds the lowest spot, and only then you see the stains on your ceilings.

Easiest way to find a leak is to start at the lowest spot, where the water may be collecting and sitting for days after each rain – this is called ponding water, and it is one of the most common leak spots. You will need to shovel off the loose gravel to the high spot and clear at least about 100 sq. ft of roof area. If you have ponding water under gravel, you can use old clothes / rags and a dust pan to put it in a bucket and get it off the roof.

Now it’s time to do some repairs – a 10 steps process:

1 ) Once the area is clear of water and dry, look for blisters, cracks and openings in the tar, or other signs of water entering spots.

2 ) Cut out the blisters with the utility knife – make a large ‘X’ cut & pull it back a little. Let it dry out, then open up the cracks and let them dry out also.

3 ) When everything is dry, use a plastic trowel to apply a thick layer of tar under the area you cut and set the sliced portions of the roof back in the tar.

4 ) Use the towels to clean up the area under the X. Sweep away all dust and dirt under, over and around the cut area. This will greatly improve the quality of your repair.

5 ) Now spread an even coat of tar over the patched area approx 1/8 inch thick or a little more, so that it goes at least 6 inches beyond the repair area.

6 ) Cut out a piece of fabric that would be enough to cover the repair area and place the piece of fabric in the tar. Use the trowel to set it in, so that the fabric gets saturated with the tar until you see it coming through the fabric.

7 ) Apply another thin and smooth coat of tar over the fabric and beyond its edges.

8 ) Feather the edges into the old roof.

9 ) Put back the gravel with your hands, over the repaired area – make sure you do not use a push-broom, as that will disturb your new patch. This gravel will protect the repair from the devastating sun light.

10 ) This is a 3 course tar and fabric patch. Add another layer of fabric then tar and it is a 5 course.

Afterwards: Roof Repair or Replacement

Bear in mind that this repair will last you about 3-6 months, after which another repair in the same spot will be required, and at the same time more leaks will probably appear elsewhere. The purpose of such repairs is not to get rid of leaks all together, but a temporary stop of leaks, while you gather resources and information to install new roofing systems. Due to nature of tar and gravel roofs, there is no permanent cure for roof leaks, as tar dries up it turns in a ‘dust compound’ which helps de-lamination of the patch from existing tar roof. Therefore, unless you are willing to take the continuous roof leak and repair cycle, which not only have direct repair costs, but also does hidden damage to the structure of your home or building, which in effect will increase your out of pocket costs when you go with full roof replacement.

Also, if you do not feel comfortable performing these repairs yourself, we recommend that you hire a professional roofer specializing in flat roofing – not Joe the shingler that your friend knows. Flat roofs are completely different from regular shingle roofs, and require special training/experience when dealing with them.

Flat Roofing Estimate request in Massachusetts, CT & RI

Leo - roofer with a vision — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 03:21:55 +0000

Thank you for your interest in Cool Flat Roofing products and services! We specialize in install flat and metal roofing systems. We install Roofs in Massachusetts, Connecticut, as well as in Rhode Island, and other states in New England. Fill out a simple roofing estimate request form below, indicating your specific question or informational needs, and we will gladly provide you a personal response within 24 hours. You may also contact us by phone: 617-444-9020

Roofing systems we install:

Flat roofing: IB PVC flat roofing membrane – flat and low-slope roofs and roof decks.
Metal roofing: Steel and aluminum shingles, Standing seam metal roofs.
Roof repair: Rubber (EPDM), PVC / TPO membrane and Metal roofs

Roofing estimate and Free Price Quote:

Please complete all fields marked as * To simplify estimating process, we ask that you also email us the photographs of your roof if available: This will help us better asses your roof’s condition and will eliminate extra back & forth emails. Please send roof pictures to: estimate@coolflatroof.com

Send us pictures of your home or building from the ground, on the roof pictures, including close-ups of roof flashing detail such as sky-lights, HVAC units, roof hatches, chimneys, roof-to-wall flashing, etc.

Name:	*
Address:
City:	*
State:
Zip:	*
Phone:	*
E-Mail:	*
	Include a brief roof description: Roof size, Building heights, Number of existing roof layers and a present type of roofing material. Also indicate if your roof leaks and your time-frame to install a new roof.
Roof Details:

Select one or more products. You can select multiple products by clicking on multiple boxes.

IB Standard Membrane:

IB 50-mil White

IB 80-mil White/Color

IB 80-mil ChemGuard

IB Specialty Membrane:

IB DeckShield

IB Tradition Classics

IB Solar PV Roof

Other Roofing products:

Metal Roofing (Standing seam, Steel or Aluminum Metal shingles)

Thermo White Spray-On Roofs (For steel standing seam)

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Roofing Estimate Policy: Please Read.

Dear visitors, due to recent developments, as of May 1, 2008 we have implemented a new Roofing Estimate Policy. We now provide a free preliminary price quote over the phone and/or email. For the preliminary quote, we will need as much information about you roof as possible.

If you are comfortable with the preliminary price quote, we will schedule an appointment with you at the convenient time for both of us.

Inspection / estimate Fee: We have a roof inspection / estimate fee of $99. This appointment / estimate fee is applied toward the cost of the job if you decide to work with us. The new policy helps us to serve YOU better, by spending more time examining your roof condition and identifying the most cost-effective package for you.

We also ask that you designate at least 2 hours of you time for this roofing estimate. This time will give us a chance to thoroughly inspect your roof’s condition, provide you with our suggestions about the product you should use, identify insulation and ventilation issues and venting method that will best serve your needs, as well as show you the product in action. Additionally we ask that if possible, all decision makers would be present during the roof inspection and estimate.

Estimate fees vs. “free estimates”: Please bear in mind that when other roofing contractors provide you with a seemingly “free” estimate, they actually build the “estimate fee” into your roofing cost, so you actually end up paying not only for your estimate, but also for those of others, who were either shopping for roofing prices or decided to work with another contractor.

You can read the following discussion of Free Roofing Estimates and Paid vs. Free estimate at ContractorTalk.com forum or similar “Free Estimates” discussion on Roofing.com forum, for more insight into this matter.

Examples of our work: A short list of recent roof installations in Massachusetts (both Flat IB roofs and Metal roofing) that we’ve done. See how we work and what you can expect from us, read our customers’ commentary and learn about roof installation process.

Additional information about roofing estimates – quick navigation:

Roof estimate request form – Fill out the form to schedule an roof inspection / estimate. To get the most accurate online price quote provide as many details about your roof as possible.
Roof inspection & estimate policy – Please read about our inspection and estimating policy, and how we work to provide you with the lowest roofing cost AND best quality of products and installation.
Roof Inspections & Repairs – Information for Roofing services for Realtors, Property Managers, Home Buyers, etc.
For price shoppers: – If you are looking for general flat roof pricing information or “just shopping around” we welcome you to read below or check out our flat roofing price guide .

Roof Repair:

We provide rubber roof repair services in Massachusetts, Connecticut & Rhode Island.

If your rubber roof leaks, we can professionally repair it using the best materials and our expertise in flat roofing. Though roof repair may not always be the best option in some cases it can temporary stop the leak and provide you the necessary time to get the funds and choose the right roofing system and a roofing contractor for your roof replacement.

Here is the what we can do to stop your rubber roof leaks and how much it will cost:

Our rubber roof repair service consists of a roof inspection where we locate the sources of roof leaks, 2 hours of roof repair work, identifying any additional roof problem (eg, ponding water, improper ventilation, water drainage, etc) and providing you with a quote to replace your old roof with a ne IB PVC roofing membrane. Also there will be an average 2 hours of driving to and from the job site.

Cost of rubber roof repair is $350. If we are not able to completely repair your roof in the first one and a half hours, we will provide you with an additional quote for the rest of repair (this would usually be the case with large roofs and multiple roof leaks).

If you know where the leak is but know not how to fix it and want to hire us to do it, we suggest that you use warm water and a rag to clean basic dirt and debris off the suspected roof leak spot. This way, when we arrive to your roof site, we will not spend the time your are paying for, to clean off dirt and will do what we do best – fix roofs. You will get the most bang for your buck.

Roof inspections service:

If you are a Realtor, Property manager or home buyer, etc. and need a quote for a roof replacement OR need an independent expert opinion regarding your roof leaks, or any other type of roof inspection, we offer such inspection services.

In a nutshell, if you are looking to buy or sell a home or a property, or are engaged in a legal action involving roof leaks and need a detailed roof inspection report and estimate to replace the roof, completed by a roof expert, we will gladly provide you with it.

We assume that such inspection report and replacement estimate will be used to negotiate a better price in a real estate transaction or to get better terms in a legal action, and solely for that purpose. Therefore we have a mandatory $399 roof inspection and report fee. This includes on average 2 hours of driving to the roof site, 1-2 hours of thorough roof inspection and 1-2 hour of preparing the roof report, thus we believe that the $399 roof inspection fee is more than fair, when you will on average gain thousands of dollars using our expert report.

Please refer to our Flat Roofing Services section for more information and pricing

If you are looking for the lowest price roof, stop!

We want to work with educated home and business owners who are looking for the best flat roof available on the market. If the main criterion for you is the cost, we probably would not be the best roofing company for you. We do not compete with other roofers on price, so if that is the deciding factor, we recommend that you contact your local home-improvement or roofing company.

We provide our customers with the best materials, installation and customer service at a reasonable cost. So if you want to have the longest-lasting, energy efficient roof, than you are our kind of customer, and we want your business.

We recommend that you use our interactive roofing price calculator to estimate approximate cost of your re-roofing project, compare prices to other common flat roofing systems, and also get an idea of energy costs savings you can enjoy by getting an IB Flat Roof

Are you located outside of New England?

We are a Massachusetts based roofing company and we do not provide roofing services outside of New England area – we only service states of MA, RI, CT, NH, and in some cases Maine and Vermont. We also do not sell IB roofing material.

If you are located in any other state, we will refer you to our affiliates – a certified IB Roof installer near you. You may also refer to our IB Roof Installers directory. There you will find a certified IB installer in your area, which would be able to show you the product and answer any questions you may still have about IB Roof.

Flat Roof Repair – DIY guiges, options and costs involved.

Leo - roofer with a vision — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:41:37 +0000

Does your flat roof leak and needs an immediate repair? If so, this flat roof repair guide is for you! And before you spend your money on the wrong stuff , consider all your options, listed below:

What you should do when your flat roof leaks:

First of all put up buckets to collect water, so the leak does not cause more damages than is already done. Once the dripping water is not causing any more damage to the interior, consider the following steps:

Step 1) If your roof is fairly new, call the roofing company that installed it and have them fix it.

Step 2) If it is an older roof, or the original installer will not fix it for some reason, you will have three options – either fix the roof your self, have a repair performed by a roofing contractor, specializing in flat roofs, or if your roof is near the end of its life, it is best to replace it, and not through any more money away, repairing it.

Step 3) To prevent more damages to your roof, interior of your home, or the inventory and the equipment of your business, it is a good idea to put up a tarp on you roof, until you choose a course of action – either fixing a roof your self or choosing a roofing contractor to repair or replace your roof.

Step 4) Estimate real cost to repair flat roof. Learn what’s involved, what hidden costs and fees there are and why we consider flat roof repair to be “sunk cost”. This comparison will help you decide if it is time to finally replace your flat roof, or if repair is a feasible option.

NOTE: If your rubber roof is leaking, we are offering Rubber Roof Repair services in MA, RI and CT, and can usually fix your EPDM rubber roof during first roof inspection / repair visit. Some rubber roofs can be repaired and you can extend the life of your roof by few years, for relatively low price.

DIY Flat Roof Repair guides

Because of wide scope of flat roofing materials and different roof problems that cause leaks, it is virtually impossible to caver everything related to flat roof repair in one article. For your convenience, we have several DIY roof repair guides for specific flat roof type and specific repair methods. This guides are easy to follow and are aimed at both home and business owners.

Identifying and repairing leaky roof:

Rubber roof repair – our original article about fixing EPDM rubber membrane roofs using “black glue” or rubber seams adhesive.

EPDM Rubber peel & stick repair – Part II of rubber roof repair guide above, concentrating on the more advanced and more efficient way to fix rubber roofs, using EPDM primer and Peel-n-Stick flashing and Seam tape, instead of just using glue.

Tar & Gravel roof repair – Learn how to detect and repair leaks in your Built-up or Tar-and-gravel roof, using inexpensive supplies from Home Depot, Lowe’s and other Home improvement stores.

What you should know about Flat Roof Repair, before you spend any money.

Flat roof reality check: Roof leak, is an inevitable outcome for 99% of flat roofs in service today. If you have a flat roof, chances are that it is already leaking or will begin to leak soon – even if your roof is fairly new and was installed within 5-10 years.

This article is an overview of issues related to flat roof leaks. Here we review the cost of flat roof repair, actions you should take to get your flat roof fixed, and outlook of what will happen after your roof is fixed.

Purpose of this Flat Roof Repair Guide, is to help you avoid the costly mistakes many home and business owners make, when their roof leaks, and also to help you choose the best solution for your particular roof and budget.

Note: Due to a wide variety of different flat roofing technologies, this
article cannot cover all aspects of flat roof repair. For specific DIY ways to repair your flat roof, refer to our Epdm or Rubber Roof repair and Tar roof repair How-To articles.

Stop before you waste any more money fixing your flat roof!

Whether your roof just started leaking or the water has been coming in for some time now, we recommend that you stop repairing it, read the article and make the smart choice.

Have you seen ads like this in the Yellow Pages, on the Web or stapled to a light pole?

Home Improvement Contractor

“XYZ Construction Company” proudly offers all services relating to home contracting. This includes, but is not limited to: Roofing, Commercial Roofing, Rubber Roofing, Flat roofing, Roof Repair, Siding, and Deck builders, Gutters, Additions, Dormers and Remodeling. All types of residential roofing – we fix it all!

Here is what happens when you have the “we do it all” roofers fix your flat roof:

As a result of unprofessional flat roof repair, the homeowner had to pay extra for the roof repairs, sheet rock replacement, painting and a deck repair. The longer you let the water to come it, the more repairs the will be.

General purpose roofing and home-improvement companies that offer roof installation and repair services may do a decent job foxing your regular, asphalt shingles roof. But when it comes to a flat roof, these folks, who “DO IT ALL”, will waste your money and your roof will still be leaking.

Why? – Answer is simple: Flat roofs are VERY different from pitched roofs and require professional to install and repair them. You want to work with a roofing contractor that specializes in Flat Roofs, and flat roofs ONLY. There are such contractors, but 99% of them only do commercial work. For residential market, there is not enough business to keep a crew busy with just flat roofing. That is why you see these “do-it-all” establishments.

Another thing to keep in mind is that there are more than a dozen different flat roofing product types which are often incompatible with each other. When a “do-it-all” company comes to fix your flat roof, chances are, they will use a “fix-it-all” solution for any roof – the roof cement. Well, there is a catch – roof cement is not compatible with black rubber (Epdm membrane). Once roof cement hardens, its expansion/contraction ratio is much smaller than that of rubber. As a result, the seal will break after just a few weeks, and your roof will leak yet again. This is just one example among many others.

One more example of neglecting the roof leaks can be seen here – total deterioration of roof deck:

These folks just neglected the fact of roof leaks and now over 25% of their 2×4 tong & grove decking is rotted and has to be replaced.

Do not let the “do-it-all” roofers profit at your expense!

What you need is a professional roofing contractor who specializes in Flat Roofs, and knows it well. You also want this contractor to install a quality flat roofing product with proven track-record.

We are such a contractor. We install just one product and we do it well! Our flat roofing product of choice is IB flat roof – a cool PVC single ply membrane that comes with Lifetime Residential and 25 years Commercial warranty. The performance of IB Roofs is unmatched by any other roof technology or manufacturer. The secret to such a performance is IB’s own formulation and hot-air welded seams that create a permanent bond between separate sheets of membrane.

We specialize in flat roofing installation and repair services for both Commercial flat roofing and Residential flat roofing customers and we know all the aspects of our flat roofing product.

The nature of Flat Roof Leaks

Flat roofs in New England have for decades posed problems for home and building owners. Harsh climate, outdated roofing technology, and very often – standing water, are the major factors affecting the lifetime and performance of flat roofs.

When your roof starts leaking, repair is the first option that comes to mind. Second, you begin to think about the costs of repair, and how to minimize them. Depending on severity of the leak these cost may be just a few hundred dollars, or few thousand of dollars. Here is why: When you begin to see stained ceiling in you bedroom, it is the last stage of the leak. It means that your roof has been leaking for some time now and finally after last heavy rain it showed up on that ceiling. It also means that water had to completely soak the insulation, roof deck and rafters before you could see it on the ceiling. So if you choose the cheapest and most common solution which is patching the flat roof, you will leave behind the moisture trapped under the under your roof. This will cause the rotting of your deck and rafters, since there is no way for that water to escape.

What happens if you ignore roof leaks for some time?

Once a flat roof starts leaking, the inside damages will span from stained ceilings in the best case scenario to thousands of dollars in damages. Falling sheet-rock, electrical system damages, popping hardwoods and destroyed carpets, damaged furniture and home goods; these are only some of the outcomes of those leaks. Patching these leaky roofs may seem like the best solution, and the cheapest way out, but in reality, it usually proves to be the worst solution. Consider the following: the cost of patching the roof + fixing whatever damages the leak caused to the interior. Then, in 3-9 months, depending on the type of roof covering and quality of the patch work (which by the way, no contractor will ever warranty or uphold), your roof starts leaking again -
maybe in the same place, maybe in a different one, but the process is irreversible. Patch is only a temporary fix and usually won’t last, the roof will keep on leaking, and every time you patch it, you through away your money.

Majority of flat roof systems were not ‘designed’ with repairs in mind – best you could do to repair a flat roof was to pour some tar on the leaky spot. In fact, tar was pretty much the only feasible option. Unfortunately, after a short period of time you had to fix it again, as tar would dry up, crack and let the water in. New leaks would form elsewhere. So it was a constant repair, until a new leak begins and more money is spent. Such repairs are a perfect example of sunk costs, which cannot be recovered, and the fix lasts only a short period of time. After a series of such repairs, the owner would get sick & tired of it, and get a ‘new’ roof. Maybe a different type of flat roof, which unfortunately had the same inherited problems as the old one, but carried a different name and was made of different materials. Seems like a very sad situation for somebody with such a roof, doesn’t it?

Many people are faced with a choice to either continue this cycle for the lack of other options, or to build a pitched frame roof with asphalt shingles on top of their flat roof and be done with it. However there are two problems involved here. First one – such an ‘upgrade’ is very costly and you would still have to re-shingle your roof every 12 to 15 years. The second one is more complex. While it might be pretty straight-forward process if you have a small, rectangular house, that is not always the case. Many houses have odd shapes, multiple levels and mixed pitched and flat roofs. Now, if you have a 200′ x 100′ factory, that task becomes extremely difficult to implement, and I will not even try to guess the costs involved.

The REAL cost of a flat roof repair:

Repairing a flat roof in Massachusetts can and often will cost more than you anticipate (In other parts of the country, market conditions may be different, but the following prices should be just about right). Let’s see what goes into the price of flat roof repair.

First: is the cost of patching a flat roof – you can expect to spend anywhere from $300 to 500 or more. If some one offers you to fix a flat roof leak for less than $300, that person either desperately needs money or in not a Pro, and does not really know what is involved and what to do (unless all that has to be done is to apply s bead of caulking, something you – the homeowner can usually do yourself).

Cost of interior repairs – fixing wet sheet-rock, painting ceiling, etc, – $250-400. If it’s just a stain on the ceiling, then you could pick up a can of white paint at Lowe’s or Home Depot and do it yourself.

Above, are your direct coats of flat roof repair. Let’s also consider the indirect cost, to which most people don’t
pay attention:

Cost of Your Time. When your roof starts leaking, you don’t usually wait until the weekend to take care of it. You grab a phone book and start calling local roofers, or someone in the trade, whom you know already. You set up earliest time for the roofer to look at it and give you the price. You may get a few more people too look at your roof leak, but since it is more of an emergency, you need to fix it fast. So you give the job to the first reasonable bidder. Unfortunately leaks usually start when it is least convenient – during the week, at night or when you are away. So now you have to take a day off at work to meet with the roofer- thus you use your sick or vacation day. If you make $20/hour, you just lost $160.

Lets do the math. I will be conservative and use the low numbers – so you are looking to spend at least $300+250+160 = $710 in direct and indirect sunk costs which you cannot recover. Keep in mind it is usually won’t be that cheap. You also get what you pay for. And when six month later your flat roof starts leaking again – double that $710.

Bottom line: Flat roof repairs are a waste of money. They last only a short time and are not covered under warranty. If you opt for a more expensive repair such as aluminum powder-based coating form Home Depot, you might face an issue of incompatibility, as well as others. In the end, when you finally decide that you are sick and tired of repairing your flat roof and wasting money, you may have spent as much as it would cost you to get a new IB Flat Roof. This is the what happened in our second Case Study. Replacing a flat roof is what we recommend 99% of the time.

But I cannot afford a new roof now…

Although there are different payment options, new IB Flat roof can be costly, and might not always be able to afford one. When that is the case, we recommend the following steps to minimize costs and aggravation.

Only hire a roofing contractor – not a handy-man. You need a professional, who knows the aspects of flat roof repair, not a jack-of-all-trades.

If you are not in a big rush and can wait a day or two, ask your friends and neighbors if they could recommend someone. See if there are flat roof houses nearby, and talk with the owner. They must have encountered a problem with their flat roof in the past.

Use Angie’s List – people there discuss local service businesses, including roofers. Contractors have no say in what others write there, and cannon buy advertisements.

Do not use referral services like Quality Smith or Service Magic, as contractors go to them when they cannot find any work – maybe due to bad reputation. Their so-called pre-screening is nothing more than obtaining a copy of Contractor’s License. All these companies really care about is getting paid – not your satisfaction. Contractors pay for these appointments anywhere from $35-75. That is how you get ‘free estimates from 3 contractors’.

Finally, replace your flat roof as soon as you can afford it. Stop the endless repair cycle once and for all. Choose a new flat roof that you can trust – not the inferior, but cheaper option like Epdm rubber – which most roofers will offer you. For more information on different flat roof choices, visit our guide to Flat Roofing technology and see what your options are.

Do-It-Yourself Flat roof repair articles:

Rubber EPDM roof repair – Procedures involved in repair of Epdm rubber roofs. Solutions that should be use, that those you should avoid.

Tar & Gravel roof repair – Options that you have when you need
your Built-Up Roof fixed.

Single-Ply Flat Roofing – Stop repairing you old flat roof that has exceeded its service life, and wasting your money. Learn about Single-Ply – roofing technology of the future.

IB PVC roof – Finally, there is a solution to the endless repair cycle, and it has been around since 1978 with a proven track record of zero material failure and leak-free service for 30 years.

Case study: how IB roof eliminates a constant repair cycle.

Case One: Home-owner’s struggle with a 1 year old Epdm rubber roof.

In October of 2006 we received a call from a homeowner living on the East Side of Providence. We had just completed a flat roof near the Miriam Hospital, and the person calling us happened to live in the same neighborhood. We scheduled an appointment with them and at the meeting the said that they just had a new roof installed a year ago. However this new roof was leaking like a sieve and they actually had to remove a skylight to get rid of the major leaks. It did not eliminate their problems though, as there were other leaks here and there – mainly around a hot-stack pipe.

After thoroughly examining their roof we came to a conclusion that repairing the roof was not an options as the system installed there was not up to the job. First, due to the roof’s shape, two large puddles of ponding water would form in the center of the roof, including the spot where a badly leaking sky-light once was. The Epdm rubber was not designed to withstand the ponding water accumulating on the roof, and the water was slowly coming inside the house. Second problem was the mentioned above round-shaped hot-stack pipe that was patched a number of times, and was still leaking.

50-mil white IB roof was chosen to replace this nearly new, yet badly-leaking rubber roof. With IB’s pre-made pipe flashings, the leaks around hot stack pipe were eliminated. The ponding water was no longer an issue, as hot-air welded seams created a permanent, water-tight protection for this roof. The cool roof properties also made this house more energy-efficient than before. In the end, the customer finally eliminated all their roofing headaches and is now covered by the best roof and the best life-time residential warranty. You can find more photographs of this roof here: Flat roof in Providence, RI.