In December 2012, we installed an IB PVC roof in a duplex-condo in Brooklyn, NY. This new roof replaced an old leaking tar roof that was over 20 years old. The roof was leaking in multiple places, around skylights, and along separation wall flashing.
IB Flat Roof Brooklyn NY
The new roofing membrane installed was a 50-mil white IB PVC roof, with hot-air welded seam overlaps. The roof was mechanically fastened to the deck, using corrosion resistant roofing screws and barbed plates, to provide a 130 MPH wind resistance.
We flashed two existing dome skylights, one roof hatch, and about 50 lineal feet of roof to wall / separation wall, using aluminum termination bar.
Why IB PVC Roof?
Although there are cheaper alternatives for a flat roof replacement, IB Roof is the best Flat Roofing material for residential and commercial application. IB Roof is a reinforced PVC membrane that features Fusion Hot Air welded seams and flashing. Hot air welding makes ALL the difference, when it comes to sealing the seams and overlaps.
Unlike traditional roofing materials that rely on sealants to join overlaps, hot air welding creates a permanent physical bond between two sheets of membrane. This means that two pieces essentially become ONE piece. The seam will never come apart (when done correctly) and is actually stronger than the material itself!
By comparison, other flat roof materials that are sealed with bonding adhesive will be leaking in just a few short years, when adhesive (glue) begins to fail. This will result in expensive roof and interior repairs, headaches for you – the owner, and potential frame/substrate rotting and mold.
Watch this short video to see how we at Cool Flat Roof install our IB roofing material: Read the rest of this entry »
In the early fall 2012, Cool Flat Roof installed an IB PVC roof with Tapered insulation and new gutters, in Weston, Massachusetts, on a roof beautiful contemporary new construction house .
Initially the homeowner contacted us, looking for a “rubber roof”, and I immediately explained that we do not install EPDM rubber, because it does not meet our quality standards (more on why we don’t install rubber roofs here and here).
I suggested to them our IB PVC flat roofing systems, with Lifetime Warranty, and hot air welded seams, that will never come apart. After receiving several estimates from us and other roofing companies, they chose us to install a more expensive, but a much more durable and long lasting IB PVC Flat Roof.
Roof Details:
Total roof size was approximately 3500 sq. ft. installed on two levels – main upper roof, and a lower garage roof, connected to the back porch. The roof was to be installed over unprotected roofing substrate (plywood), and we had to start the roof and get it watertight fast, in lieu of prolonged, massive rains. We installed all roofing materials and welded all seams and flashing in 2 days, to protect the substrate and inside of the house from being damaged by rain water. The roof was priced based on our Flat Roofing Calculator, so there were now last minute surprises about the cost of this project.
IB Roof Installation in Weston MA – video footage taken on the job:
Metal roofing is an excellent choice for quality-minded homeowners, because a metal roof is virtually the only lifetime roofing system that is light-weight, long-lasting, and most of all – affordable. If you compare prices of a metal roof to slate or clay tile prices, you will realize that an average metal roof will cost you only about one third the price of natural slate, while it will look the same or better, and last at least as long.
Beautiful, Durable and Long Lasting Metal Roofing – best roofing material for steep slope roofs!
There are many styles of metal roofs and many choices for roofing materials – your choices range from galvanized steel / aluminum metal roofs, to premium metals such as zinc, copper and stainless steel roofing. You can choose between a “standard” vertical panel (standing seam) metal roof, or a metal roof made to look like either cedar shingles, shakes, natural slate, or flat and barrel tile.
You will also get a wide range of colors to choose from. The result will be such that you will get the look you want with the price you can afford, and the long-lasting performance of metal roofing.
Metal roofing – premium roofing material at down to earth prices:
There is much confusion about the prices of metal roofs, as there is a wide range of metal roof styles and materials to choose form, with some costing a lot more than others. In this metal roofing prices guide, we will show you how much you should expect to pay for different metal roofing systems, and how the choice of metal roofing materials will affect your roofing cost. But before we jump into roof pricing for each type of metal roofs, let me clarify one thing: metal roofs are pricey as compared to asphalt shingles roofs, but keep in mind that metal roof is a lifetime roofing material and so should be compared to its counter-parts in the roofing market – other lifetime roofs, such as natural slate, clay Spanish tiles, concrete tiles, and lately, synthetic slate roofing.
Ice Dams can cause very serious and expensive to fix problems, and are usually caused by improper ventilation of your attic space and inadequate insulation of your roof. Ice Dams are a sign of heat loss in the attic, and this lost heat is money you throw out the window.
This Ice Dams Prevention Guide will help you identify Ice Dams and eliminate either sources of the problem (preferred method, though not always feasible) or the effects, which are just as dangerous for you home, as they cause rot and mold damage not only to your roof, but also inside the walls.
Ice dams may seem harmless at first, but they are known to cause thousands of dollars in roof leaks, structural damages and repairs of your home. The can also create dangerous mold growth, which can cause or aggravate allergies, asthma and other respiratory diseases. Fighting ice dams can be costly, and you also need to know how to approach the problem to make your efforts more efficient so that you can permanently eliminate ice dams.
One of the most important ways to protect your commercial property is to have a durable, long lasting roof. For flat roofs, the most trusted and time tested roofing material is a PVC roofing membrane. Known for their durability, commercial PVC roofs have been installed on restaurants, shopping centers, manufacturing plans, industrial facilities, etc. covering millions of square feet worldwide. Learn in detail about all the advantages of PVC roofing that make it an ideal roofing choice for your business.
IB PVC ROOF IS DURABLE
A PVC roofing membrane is specifically formulated to remain durable in a wide variety of conditions. To ensure optimal strength and durability, it is best to install a membrane of at least 60 mil. A PVC roof offers the following protection:
- Resistance to impact and abrasion (possible with with photovoltaic panels on the roof).
- Withstands inclement weather (rain, snow, wind, sun, hot and cold temperatures)
- High Resistance to punctures, tears, and impact.
- Tough against contamination and rooftop soiling
- Class A Fire Resistance (the membrane will resist flames rather than fuel them)
- Withstands ponding water( the membrane is impervious to moisture and leaks)
- High resistance to oil, grease,chemicals, and diluted acidic effluents
How would you like to have an extra outdoor private space in your home to relax or entertain guests? A roof deck is an ideal option that will not only be enjoyable for years to come, but will also increase the value of your home.
Whether you are thinking of constructing a new roof deck or would like to improve the one you already have, it is essential for your deck to be leak free.
There are a number of issues that cause leaks in roof decks and a number of best practices that you can follow to keep leaks at bay.
Common leak causes and other issues with roof decks
One of the common reasons why roof decks leak is ponding water that forms on the roof. Ponding water occurs for a number of reasons such as inadequate roof drainage or roofing material failures. Most flat roofing materials, such as EPDM rubber, rely on adhesives to seal the seams and flashing around penetrations. Over time these adhesives break down and cause leaks. Ponding water further exacerbates this problem by increasing the rate at which seam adhesive fails. Read the rest of this entry »
We are pleased to introduce to you our specially designed CoolFlatRoof.com app – a roofing calculator, our blog reader and free estimate submission – all in one simple app for iPhone, iPad and Android phones / tablets!
With CoolFlatRoof.com free calculator app, you can now estimate your roof replacement cost even easier – you don’t even hav to go to you PC or Mac – just enter roof size and other roof information into calculator app, click “calculate” button – and viola – all prices are in front of you!
You can even fill out free roofing estimate form within the app, and we will receive it immediately and will get in touch with you shortly to schedule roof inspection and estimate. If you live outside our service area (New England, NY & NJ) we will forward your information directly to IB Roof Systems, and they will put you in touch with certified IB Roof installers in your area. Read the rest of this entry »
This metal roof installation was more of an emergency job. In essence – during Hurricane Irene, a large (1500 lbs.) tree fell on the roof of this house in Cumberland, RI, breaking much of the framing and roof sheeting, and leaving a huge hole in the roof, as well as destroying a previous roof that was on the house – Interlock’s aluminum shingles roof, that was installed just a few years prior.
We performed this PVC roof repair in Needham, Mass. in October 2011. This was a second time we repaired this 25+ years old Sarnafil PVC flat roof in the last two years. First time we fixed this roof was exactly two years ago, in October of ’09 – check out our first PVC Flat Roof Repair overview, which covers this roof in particular, and nuances of repairing old PVC flat roofs in general.
Quick overview:
In Oct. 2009, we fixed this roof for the first time. A contractor was doing some fascia repair work the, and threw some tools onto the roof, creating a hole in the old PVC membrane. We repaired it using new IB PVC flat roofing material, by cleaning the old roof with warm water first (to remove dirt and small debris) and then rubbing it with acetone and rough brush, to clean the membrane thoroughly, so the new patch would weld nicely. Then we welded a PVC patch over the hole, which sealed this roof.
There has been a lot of discussion on our rubber roofing page (created a while ago), with many roofing contractors defending the EPDM rubber roof as “good and proven” system, that is widely installed. While I agree that it is widely installed, I contest the notion that it is good and proven, for many reasons, which I will outline below, with examples as proof. But first I will outline the basic premise on which I will base my statements.
Basic premise of this “Horrible Rubber Roofing” article:
Rubber roof (EPDM) is widely installed because of its relatively low cost. It is NOT as good as many roofing contractors say it is, and the reason why I call it “horrible” is a complex one, but there are two major parts of it. Read the rest of this entry »
Learn why TPO roofs fail prematurely, and discover the secrets that TPO roofing manufacturers don't want you to find out - PVC & TPO roofing
Find out why homeowners should avoid putting Rubber Roofing materials on their roofs, why you want to be cautious when dealing with residential roofing contractors who "install rubber" - Rubber Roofing
If you have a flat roof, chances a that you've been dealing with roof leaks for a while and no matter what you tried, the roofing membrane under your roof deck is leaking. Discover the flat roof deck solution that we offer - Roof Decks
Discover the new flat roof deck waterproofing material that eliminates the need to use Pressure Treated wood deck over the roofing membrane - IB DeckShield Roof Deck membrane is a slip resistant PVC roof, with beautiful design, long-lasting water-tightness, and lower bottom-line price!
Flat Roof Installation guide shows how we install our flat roofing systems, describing step-by-step procedures with actual installation videos.
