Flat Roofing Guide:

Flat Roof Repair
Should you fix or replace your old flat roof? See why repairing that roof is MORE EXPENSIVE than getting a new IB's lifetime roof.

Residential Flat Roofs:
Learn why so many people trust IB and CoolFlatRoof with possibly their biggest investment - their home.

Commercial Flat Roofs:
As a building owner you cannot afford any downtime due to leaky roof. Whether it's an office building, a restaurant, a factory - we have solution for you!

Single Ply Roofing:
Benefits of Single Ply Roofing Systems vs. the old asphalt, BUR, modified bitumen roof.

Green Roofs: Roof top garden design, benefits and price guide. Green roofing creates healthier cities and makes a roof last much longer, when built correctly.

Solar PV Roofing Guide:

Solar PV Guide:
Principles of how Solar PV works, and ways to get Free Electricity / Speed up the pay-off period!

SolarWise BI-PV Roofs:
Fully Building-Integrated, Lowest Cost/Watt Solar PV flat roofing system from IB and Uni-Solar.

Solar Rebates & Incentives:
Federal, State & Local rebates, grants, and incentives in MA, CT, RI available for IB SolarWise PV.

Knowledge Guides:

Roofing - Learning center contains Do-it-yourself roofing projects that show steps to repair flat and low slope roofs. Detail roofing guides help you solve common roof problems. Homeowners guide to roofing explains benefits of different roof materials and technology.

Flat Roofing Prices

When it comes to replacing your flat roof, you need to think long-term. Getting a cheaper roof may be appealing at first, but you need to consider some factors that will affect the total price of your new roof. Here we will discuss in details what the total roof replacement price includes, and factors affecting it.

Installation price from every roofing company also includes that company's overhead or cost of running business. For example, an established roofing company should be fully insured. This includes adequate Liability and Worker's Comp Insurance. If for example you get a very low bid, consider that the bidder might not be adequately insured or have no insurance at all. If that is the case and you hire such a contractor, you will be responsible for any damages or injury claims that may occur.

One: Roof Installation Prices

Our pricing structure is based on two direct (main) variables and a number of indirect variables that affect the total price of your roof replacement project. You can expect similar pricing methods from other roofing contractors.

First cost variable: Roof Size

The most important variable is the size of your roof. The bigger the roof, the higher the roofing cost. We base our pricing on the number of Squares, where each square is equal to 100 sq. ft. For example if your flat roof is 1900 sq. ft. it is 19 squares.

Second cost variable: Roof difficulty

The difficulty of roof installation is the second most important variable affecting the cost of your roofing project. If you have a simple roof with minimal number of roof penetrations (such as HVAC units, sky-lights, roof drains, through-wall scuppers, vent-pipes, posts, etc.), than your roof prices will be much less than if you had a more difficult roof with multiple roof penetrations and obstacles that require more roof flashing details. These roof penetrations require a great deal of professional manual labor and time, and slow-down the entire roof installation process.

Another factor associated with roof difficulty is the roof's present condition, and presence of gravel and/or multiple roofing layers, which generally require removal, and consume a lot of time as well as need to dispose off them. At the same time, roof removal must be performed quickly, to eliminate the possibility of water penetration during the removal process.

Third cost variable: Indirect costs and material upgrades

Additionally, you can expect changes in roofing cost, depending on ease of access, roof location, and material options: As far as material options go, we offer a complete line-up of IB roofing membrane for residential and commercial installations including 50, 60 and 80-mil membrane in white and custom colors, as well as specialty membranes such as ChemGuard for restaurants, and IB Traditions (Architectural shingles pattern imprinted onto the membrane) and a Slip-proof IB DeckShield for walk-on flat-roof decks. We also offer a wide range of insulation options from 2-r fanfold foam insulation to 20-r 3.3 inch ISO board and "tapered insulation" to create a slight roof pitch for drainage purposes.

Flat Roof Replacement Cost: Residential and Commercial

Our general pricing for flat roof replacement works in the following manner:

Residential flat roofs are priced at $650 per square for a simple roof, with no existing roof removal. This includes 50-mil IB Roof membrane, 1/2 inch foam insulation with 2 r-value, perimeter pressure-treated wood nailer and half-roll membrane around the roof edges for wind-uplift prevention. Roof attachment using heavy-duty screws and barbed plates, 6 inches O.C. along the perimeter and 12 inches O.C. in-field. All required roofing parts and accessories are included.

Generally, for a 1000 sq. ft. residential home, your cost should be around $6500 for an average (simple) roof. If you would like to upgrade the membrane type or add more insulation, this will slightly increase your price. Please note: For all residential installations, all IB roofing membranes come with a lifetime residential warranty, therefore there is no need to upgrade from 50 to 80-mil product, as both will perform the same in protecting your roof from the elements and will remain water-tight throughout it's life and beyond.

Commercial flat roofs are priced at $600 per square for roofs over 40 squares (4000 sq. ft.) The price difference from residential roofs is due to 'economy-of-scale' factors and lower per-square 'setup' and insurance costs.

If your commercial roof is around 50 squares you can expect a $30000 price range.

Use our interactive roof price calculator to estimate the cost of you roofing project. You can choose different roof options difficulty level, and will get 'quotes' for IB roof as well as other roofing products and approximate energy-savings derived from using IB roof.

Please Note: All prices described above are assuming an 'average' roofing project and may/will change depending on your roof conditions and scope of work required. Price may change in either direction and will be determined on case-by-case basis.

We are premium roofing contractor and do not compete with other roofing companies solely on price. Our roof packages are priced accordingly to the quality, warranty and customer service we provide.

Total Cost Concept

Consider total installation price of the new flat roof. It will include, labor, material and warranty and other factors. Roofing materials usually carry a manufacturer's warranty period ranging from 5 to 25 years for commercial installation. Residential warranties will range from 5-15 years , while IB has the only Residential Lifetime Warranty in the industry. However, residential warranties are more complex, as many flat roofing manufactures will not warranty residential installations, or they fill impose certain requirements before they issue that warranty. Check out our Flat Roofing Warranty guide, for in-depth look at how labor and material warranties work.

Any roofing job should also include a Labor warranty from the roofing contractor, and usually you can also purchase additional labor warranty from the manufacturer. IB Roofs offers an 'NDL' or No-Dollar-Limit labor warranty which you can purchase as an additional 'insurance policy' for your roof.

Flat Roofing - thinking long-term

Most roofing contractors will warranty the water-tightness of the roof they install for the minimum period required by state law or building code. In Massachusetts for example, such minimum period is 2 years. After that, you are usually on your own. We find this especially troubling when some one chooses to install Epdm or black-rubber roof, which is especially popular among roofing contractors for its low material cost. However, rubber roofs usually start to leak with-in 5 to 8 years after they are installed, due to failing seam adhesives. By this time your labor warranty has already expired and the cost to repairs is on you - the owner.

We at CoolFlatRoof warranty our jobs for the length of the material warranty! We can do so, because we exclusively use IB PVC/CPA roofs, and we know that our roofs will NOT leak due to failing seams or other flashing detail.

Two: Overheads or Cost of doing business

Insurance Costs

It is in your best interests to hire a fully insured roofing company. However, adequate insurance coverage for a roofing company is very high: Worker's Comp is usually 40 cents for each 1 dollar of payroll, or higher if the company had some incidents in the past. Liability Insurance is cheaper, but still it is one of the most expensive in the construction industry, due to possible damages if contractor fails do adequately protect the building from water, during or after installation.

Advertising: Market acquisition cost

Another considerable overhead for most roofing companies are the Marketing/Advertisement costs as well as Sales-force commissions and office expenses. For many roofing companies, 'market acquisition cost' often range from $500 - $1500 per job. These include 'Yellow Pages' and news-paper ad, direct mailing, and Internet advertisement, such as Google or Yahoo Pay-Per-Click ads. As a result, you the customer, end up paying this expenses, or as we call it 'marketing taxes' that are not directly related to the cost of you roofing job.

We at CoolFlatRoof, do not spend any money on advertisement, except minimal expenses to run our web-site (around $100/year), so we will not charge you the 'marketing tax'. Instead, we will provide you with the best materials and workmanship and warranty, for less.

Three: Ongoing repair and maintenance expenses

Ponding / Standing Water

While maintenance for most flat roofs is mostly due to location of the building and surrounding conditions, one of the most often occurring maintenance/repair expense is due to ponding water. Positive drainage is preferable for any flat roof. However, the very nature of flat roof construction makes it often impossible to avoid ponding water accumulation, or it is too expensive to fix it. Ponding water can be eliminated in two ways: Installing Tapered Insulation, or creating a pitch, which is often impossible due to building design. Both are extremely expensive and will cost more than the roof itself, so eliminating ponding water is often out of budget.

While most plat roofing manufactures will void their warranty if there is presence of ponding water for periods of more than 72 hours after the rain, IB Roofs are explicitly warrantied against ponding water and it is prevent that IB roof will keep your home or building dry even if you have big puddles of standing water for long periods of time!

Roof Repairs

As we mentioned above, many flat roofing systems will start to leak with-in 5 to 8 years after installation. Most roof leaks occur as a result of ponding water, failing seams, and to a lesser degree, faulty installation. Other factors affecting performance of a flat roof, are weather conditions and devastating UV rays of the Sun. This is very true in the New England. We have hot summers and cold winters, and the temperature can dramatically change in matter of hours. Refer to our flat roof repair guide for more information on how roof leaks occur, and what your repair options and costs will be.

In most cases these repairs will be an out of pocket expense for you, as the usually warranty period will be long over by that time. We on the other hand will uphold our warranty after the usual 2-year period, if the leak happens. However, we do everything right the first time so there is usually no need to repair our roofs!

Four: Energy costs/savings

Cool, energy-efficient roofing form IB

Unlike most conventional roofing systems such as Epdm black-rubber, or Asphalt/Tar based BUR roofs, which attract, store and transfer solar heat, white IB Roofs reflect as much as 90% of solar heat, and carry a Cool Roof certification! Even you choose one if IB's color choices, they also are certified by the Cool Roof Council, by implementing highly reflective color pigments. This will save you tremendous amounts of money in reduced HVAC costs. IB roofs act as complete thermal barrier and increase the R-value of your roof, thus also reducing your heating expenses in the winter. By adding more insulation you will further increase the thermal qualities of your roof.

Conclusion

IB Roof is the best choice when it comes to flat roofs. IB Roof has the lowest Total Cost combined with unsurpassed quality and longevity. If need to repair your IB roof ever arises, such repairs can be performed even 20 years from the day of installation, with IB's unique Hot-Air fusion welding. It is however highly unlikely, unless there is unforeseen physical damage to the membrane. Expect not to have to repair IB roof, ever! IB Roof will eliminate your ponding water problems and you will avoid expensive pitch-change. IB will also save you money every year, by reducing your energy cost, and you will be covered by the Industry's Best warranty!

If you are looking for a sustainable, long-lasting roofing product for your home or business pitched roof, the Metal Roof will be the perfect choice for you. Known for decades of leaks and corrosion free service, Aluminum metal roofs are becoming prime choice for quality and longevity oriented home and business owners looking for a new roof. With its Cool Roof properties, and permanent design, metal roofs will outlast any conventional asphalt shingles roof. Metal roofs are light-weight, and do not require any structural modifications. In fact they are only 1/4 the weight of regular shingles and 1/10 the wight of slate, and ceramic / concrete tile. Learn more about metal roof pricing by viewing cost benefit analysis of common roofing materials designs and styles.

Use our Flat Roof Calculator to estimate the installation cost of a new IB Roofs, as well as compare it with other alternatives. You can also estimate your annual energy savings derived from installation if IB roof.

Are you excited about IB Roof? Fill out our Roofing Estimate Request form and indicate which IB product you are most interested in, as well as details about your roof. We will contact you very soon, after receiving your request, and will work with you in providing the best roofing system on available!

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