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:

Some of Metal Roofs we have installed recently:

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:

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 Massachusetts, fill out the roofing estimate form.

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 Revere, MA

- Stanading 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:

Some of Metal Roofs we have done recently Massachusetts:

When it comes to replacing your flat roof, you need to think long-term. Getting a cheaper roof, such as EPDM Rubber, 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.

Introducing IB PVC Roof – the longest lasting flat roofing system.

IB Roofs, once a small family-owned company importer and installer of German-developed PVC flat roofing systems, has become over last 30 years a household name in flat roofing industry. There is a reason for IB’s success – it is the ultimate quality of their products and unparalleled customer service. IB’s original roofs from 30 years ago are still in service and performing well, and when it comes to working with customers, IB will go out of their way yo give you the product you are looking for – be it a color of the membrane, a thickness or the special application requirements.

Quality of IB Flat Roofs:

IB Roofs has not changed the formulation of their PVC membrane since its early days in late 1970′. Today’s IB membrane is the same great proven product they were importing from Germany 30+ years ago. IB did try to make the product cheaper, by using less expensive components and fillers. IB is using the more expensive non-wicking scrim to prevent the membrane from splitting in the center due to water penetration, as is often the case with cheaper TPO roofs.

At some point, there comes time when flat roof patches stop working and it is time for a replacement.

Here we will review flat roofing cost structure and factors affecting your price, IB Roof prices in Massachusetts and surrounding states ( CT, RI, NH, ME and VT). We’ll also discuss the insights of choosing your flat roofing contractor, and what you should expect to pay for your particular roof and your specific roofing product choice.

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 $675 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 $6750 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 its life and beyond.

Commercial flat roofs are priced at $600 per square for roofs over 25 squares (2500 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.

IB Roof packages and prices in New England

All packages described bellow, include roof installation in accordance with manufacturer’s specifications and state/local building codes. They also include the cost of building permits, material warranty and our labor warranty. Prices bellow do not include tear-off of existing roof, as that usually varies a lot from one flat roof to another. The cost of a tear-off is determined on case-by-case basis when we perform a roof inspection. Please refer to our Residential roofing and/or Commercial roofing sections to see the available material / color / membrane thickness options available for you particular roof.

Package 1 – 50-mil white residential IB Roof with Lifetime warranty:

Our basic and most common roof package, includes 50-mil white IB Roofing membrane with all necessary trim, flashings and accessories such as drip edge, air-vents, inside/outside corner flashings, drains, etc., and 1/2 inch fan-fold Styrofoam insulation.

Cost of this package starts at around $675 per square (100 sq. ft.) of roof area.

Package 2 – IB Traditions flat Roof – Architectural Shingles Pattern imprinted onto the membrane:

IB Traditions was created specifically for low-slope roofs with aesthetics in mind. They offer the beautiful look of architectural shingle combined with proven reliability of IB roofing membrane to give you decades of leak-free performance and curb-appeal. IB Traditions come in three color option: Sierra Vista ( beige / brown ), Stony Ridge (grey) and Mountain Spruce (green). To maintain a consistent shingles look, all IB Traditions installation feature hand-welding of all seams, and use special accessories / flashings designed to match the aesthetics of IB Traditions.

Cost per square for IB Traditions is $775-825, and includes 1/2 insulation and all necessary trim and flashings.

Package 3 – 80-mil white residential IB Roof with Lifetime warranty:

Includes 80-mil white membrane, 1/2 insulation and all necessary trim / accessories / flashings. Cost per 1 square is $800. If you are looking for an 8-mil Color IB roof, there are six standard colors available and $850 per square. For custom colors the minimum order must be 100 squares ( This is the requirement of IB Roof Systems, and we have no control over it).

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 fan-fold foam insulation to 20-r 3.3 inch ISO board and “tapered insulation” to create a slight roof pitch for drainage purposes.

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.

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 warranted 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 weight 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!

Facts about TPO roofing problems in a nutshell:

Fact: TPO became widely available in early 1990’s or 14-15 years ago. (C) NRCA

Fact: In 2001 there were at least 4 fundamentally different TPO formulations in service on the roofs in US (this is a conservative number, as some manufacturers had more than 4 formulations or generations of TPO in production and service). (C) NRCA

Fact: In late 90′ through early 2001′ due to formulation problems, material failures and seam welds coming apart, most manufacturers pulled their TPO products off the market and had to reformulate them, yet again. (C) NRCA

And now, after all these “improvements”, TPO is now the best roofing product – just ask any manufacturers .

Additional Fact: IB Roofs (PVC) have been in service since 1978 (30+ years) with zero material failures!

Caution to home-owners, facility managers, contractors & architects: TPO roofs on the market today are 7 years old or LESS, and there is a good chance if you have one installed, it will fail prematurely. Expected failures include: Seam welds breaking, Membrane curing (which makes it non-repairable), membrane cracking, etc.

TPO roof failures: Premature membrane curing and cracking

MRCA warning about TPO Roof failures.

This warning bulletin was issued by MRCA (Midwest Roofing Contractors Association) very recently, yet it is long overdue as we will explain in our commentary bellow. Here is a full text of the warning, with the link to original source in the end:

• February 10, 2010

  T&R Committee Advisory on TPO

  Information is being circulated in the industry indicating that high solar loading and elevated temperature lead to the premature exhaustion of anti aging components such as anti oxidants, UV absorbers and heat and light stabilizing compounds within TPO. This could lead to the breakdown of the sheet in affected areas.

  This also might explain some reported problem applications with localized deterioration of membrane. One manufacture has recently changed formulation to account for this problem; another advises their product not be “subjected” to high thermal or solar loading; while others remain silent. Southern states appear to have this problematic local condition due to the heat load these roofs experience.

  The committee believes that enough information has surfaced concerning TPO accelerated weathering due to solar or thermal loading to advise members to:

  Review roof plans for situations where sun light is reflected back on membrane; such as areas below metal and glass or highly reflective curtain walls, or high profile reflective wall flashings.

  Look for heat emitting equipment or heat exhausting vents or dark emissive materials laid on the roof that can elevate the temperature of the covered sheet; as well as areas under or over elevated temperature operations.

  If situations exist that may commonly elevate temperatures over 160 degrees or increase solar loads beyond “normal” incoming solar load, question the manufacturer as to the suitability of their product for the situation; consider changing the product to a material that will clearly withstand the loading; consider changes in design to forestall the loading.

  If you have existing TPO roofing subjected to these situations you may well want to inspect the applications for incipient, developing or obvious local problems. The manufacturer can then be approached for direction in addressing or rectifying any deficiency.

  Please inform the committee of any problem found as well as any reaction from the manufacturer involved.

  T&R Committee

  Original Report by MRCA

Our commentary to WRCA warning about TPO roof failures:

The MRCA bulletin is LONG overdue, and should have been issued over 3 years ago. While WRCA is in a way an independent organization, it is also a part of National Roofing Contractors Association or NRCA. While WRCA issued the warning, its sister-organization – WSRCA has been conducting a TPO field-test study to monitor the TPO systems aging and determine the qualities/properties of the product. Since 2003, at least 4 different brands of TPO roofing were used on test roofs in different climate zones of US. Since the beginning of this WSRCA TPO study, there were annual reports about the condition and aging of each roof in each climate zone. Yet, after 2006, WSRCA stopped issuing study reports. According to our sources, at that point TPO roofs began to fail in various ways (seam failures, premature membrane curing, thickness loss, etc.) and in my opinion – TPO manufacturers pressured WSRCA to halt releases of any more reports. We wrote a specialized article about this WSRCA TPO roofing study and our analysis of why they stopped reporting the study data.

Before you choose to have an unproven roofing material installed on your or someone else’ roof, read this comprehensive research into the performance history and problems associated with TPO roofing, and find out why it is best to use a time-proven PVC roofing membrane.

Choosing the right thermoplastic single-ply cool roofing system

When choosing the right Cool Roof technology, the two most common choices are the PVC and TPO single-ply membranes. For many business and home owners, price is often a decisive factor, while many fail to investigate the fundamental differences between the two seemingly identical products. The truth is that the only three common factors between PVC and TPO are the ‘cool roof’ attribute and the hot-air welded seams, and the fact that they look very similar to each other.

Today, PVC membranes such as that Produced by IB Roof Systems has a proven track record of 30 years of great performance and ZERO material failure. Some IB installations dating back as far a 1979 are still performing well on the roofs of various Public, Commercial/Industrial and Residential buildings. Read more about benefits and many product options of IB’s PVC Roofing.

PVC roofing is environmentally friendly roofing choice! Despite active criticism coming from the competition, due to its exceptional leak-free performance record and environmental safety, PVC is the number one choice for Green Roof assemblies in the US roofing market. Watch a video on the Environmental Benefits of PVC roofing, presented by a Green-Peace founder and activist – Dr. Patrick Moore, Ph.D.

The image above shows a 10 years old failing TPO installation. Due to poor formulation, the membrane has cured (lost its elasticity and hardened) and the expansion / contraction created cracks which now let the water in. This problem can and likely will happen to many TPO installations from various manufacturers. Lack of testing and UL certifications follows many brands of TPO roofs. As its formulation changes too rapidly, many manufactures choose to just ship the product, without proper evaluation. Another problem associated with various TPO roofs is poor weld quality, which causes seams to come apart from each other and allows the wind to lift up the entire sheet, and eventually blowing off parts or the entire roof.

Benefits of PVC and environmental safety.

PVC materials are widely used in many things surrounding our lives – not just roofing: common uses include backyard furniture, vinyl siding, car trims, clothes and fake leather furniture, kitchen and bathroom accessories.

Because of PVC’s stability and environmental safety, it is widely used in health care & medical industry: blood bags, vinyl tubing, gloves, etc.

Watch this short video featuring one the founders of Greenpeace – Dr. Patric Moore, describing the benefits of PVC in our everyday lives.

As you can see, PVC is a perfectly safe product for everyday use, and when used on roofs, it is the longest-lasting material, which can be recycled after its service life is over. Still, majority of PVC roofs installed in US are still performing flawlessly, and most of them are way past their intended warranty period, which in most cases, ranges from 15-20 years.

Original IB PVC roof installations are over 30 years old and most of them never had to be repaired, except for mechanical damages.

PVC roof recycling – IB Roofs Reclamation program

IB Roof Systems takes an active role in the public and environmental well being and provides PVC roof recycling services for its roofing products after they reach the end of its service life, which in real world exceeds 30 years. IB PVC membrane is also 99.5% recyclable, meaning there is only 1/2 of a percent waste in the recycling process, and the rest goes into production of new products,

Industry reports on TPO failures and potential problems

In 2001 National Roofing Contractors Association or NRCA, performed an extensive study and lab testing of various TPO sheets from 9 different manufacturers. Here is an excerpt from this complete report and analysis of TPO market in 2001.

Report was written by Mark S. Graham – NRCA’s associate executive director of technical services.

… At least four fundamentally different formulations of TPO membranes currently are in service on roof systems in the United States. NRCA believes this is a conservative estimate of the number of formulations, or generations, of TPO membranes currently in existence.

But there still is not a recognized material standard in the United States that applies to TPO membrane products. Such a material standard could define TPO roof membranes and provide minimum physical property values recognized as necessary for long-term field performance. Development of an American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) material standard currently is under way; however, it likely will be more than a year before this standard is finalized and published.

…

It is clear the U.S. roofing industry needs a credible material standard for TPO membranes that is based on the attributes necessary to ensure long-term field performance. Such a standard should differentiate products of questionable performance and those of known long-term field performance …

Here is and excerpt from RSI Magazine – a well respected industry publication. The article “TPO problems require a closer look” was written by Mike Russo, RSI’s Editor-At-Large, written in 2001:

… The recent TPO membrane cancellation is not the first time that problems with these systems have been experienced in the field. Difficulties with black TPO membranes have also been reported. This is not surprising considering the heat-sensitive nature of TPO compounds. Experience to date with fully adhered TPO membranes also shouts “caution.” With a thermal expansion and contraction up to five times higher than reinforced PVC’s, fully adhered TPO’s theoretically run the risk of de-lamination or insulation facer peel. The quality of the adhesive bond to some TPO membranes has also been questioned. The use of felt-backed TPO is an obvious solution here.

…

The lack of a long track record for TPO’s is the most common criticism thrown out by other single-ply roofing competitors. Most TPO suppliers have less than 10 years of experience manufacturing their products. Suppliers in Europe have greater experience, but these systems are inherently different than what’s being marketed here. For one thing, average thickness is about 60 mils (no product is sold at less than 48 mils) compared to 31-45 mils of polymer in roof membranes sold in North America …

Our analysis of the above articles:

As you read these articles, the conclusions that authors make are restricted to be mild in their criticism TPO manufacturers. Reason for this is such that both Mike Russo and Mark S. Graham represent two very respected & influential organizations in commercial and to lesser degree, residential roofing market. Both of these respected gentlemen are limited & restricted by their organization’s status from openly naming and/or criticizing manufacturers that produce millions of dollar of defective TPO products, as that would start a wave of class-action lawsuits against such manufacturers, and will do a major blow to US commercial roofing industry.

Unlike the two above-mentioned gentlemen, we have a complete liberty to talk about problems with TPO roofing and our research is for the most part, based on publicly available information.

We also recommend you read a direct comparison of FiberTite PVC and TPO membranes, showing numerous shortcomings and limitations of the TPO. Most notably, the two following examples:

Ease of Repair: TPO roofing membranes have been known to be problematic at best when welding new materials. As the compounds age they can lose pliability and their subsequent thermoplastic capabilities. Effective heat welds on aged membranes may require an “activator” similar to hypalon to seal repairs.

…

Chemistry of TPO A basic Thermoplastic Polyolefin compound is inherently inexpensive. TPOs often claim to be internally plasticized and therefore immune to the plasticizer loss associated with conventional PVC roofing membranes. However, additives are required to impart fire resistance properties to the finished membrane. Increased fire resistance not only aggravates cost but also usually yields an inherent susceptibility to UV exposure. Balancing cost with long-term weather-ability and a basic building code life safety requirement such as fire resistance continues to fuel the need for “new and improved” versions. Multiple manufacturers with multiple formulations and variations do yield a multitude of choices. So does a roulette wheel. ASTM is hard at work to provide a standard specification for TPO sheet roofing. Unfortunately, the standard is doomed to be a consensus of evaluations based upon the lowest common denominator among the multitude instead of proven historical performance.

TPO’s wicking scrim:

To remain competitive, TPO manufacturers use a much cheaper wicking scrim, or reinforcement webbing. Wicking scrim transfers liquid by capillary action. TPO membrane wick water everywhere it’s cut. Therefore installers must caulk all seams to prevent de-lamination of the membrane layers. Most installers do not know this or do not want to bother doing so, as it takes very long time.

IB PVC membrane has a non-wicking seam, which eliminates the possibility of membrane de-lamination and the need to caulk seams. IB Roofs retain their elasticity and remain weldable through their service life and beyond.

Note: Despite all these facts, you may still hear from some “experts” of PVC failing, cracking in the cold whether, etc. This is partially true, but what these so-called experts forget to mention that the problem with PVC membranes occur about 15 years ago and were limited to Non-Reinforced PVC membranes manufactured by Trocal. That company had no connection to IB roofs, therefore PVC failures mentioned here cannot be attributed to other PVC sheets or manufacturers. Also for the purpose of this article, when we mention PVC roofing, we intend to mean IB PVC/CPA membranes.

Analysis of the state TPO roofing in 2008:

After a wave of formulation changes in 2000-2001, most of TPO membranes on the market today and those installed in the last 7 years, are involved in a very expensive experiment, which is designed to find out how long these TPO roofs will last. This experiment is performed at the expense of the Roofing Contractors and Building owners, lured into using TPO roofing products by its lower cost (compared to PVC roofing) and the questionable quality. There are numerous ‘off-the-record’ talks among the roofing professionals about on-going problems with TPO from various manufacturers.

Driven by the goal to increase profits and minimize costs, TPO manufacturers keep on changing their formulations, releasing batches of ‘Untested’ roofing membranes, and hoping for the best. Their ultimate goal is to create a product with the lowest cost, and adequate quality. Unfortunately the nature of TPO membranes, shows that a trade-off in costs is directly related to the product quality. TPO has an average 15 mils thickness of its Top Ply, while the total membrane thickness ranges from 45-60 mils. Top ply is what essentially makes the roofing membrane and keeps it from leaking as well as UV-stable. The rest of the 30 to 45 mil, is the invisible, filler-rich bottom ply. Due to excessive use of cheap fillers in the bottom ply, is the cause of most product failures of TPO membranes from various manufacturers. However if these manufactures increase the use of quality ingredients in TPO membranes, they will become too expensive and not-competitive against PVC.

History of TPO in the United States

For over 30 years PVC has dominated US commercial roofing market when it came to quality and longevity. PVC has a proven track record to remain leak-free beyond it’s expected life-cycle, while it was still weldable, meaning it is easy to fix a PVC roof even 20 years after it was installed. While other technologies such as Epdm and Modified Bitumen (mainly due to their lower cost) where more widespread in terms of sq. ft. installed, PVC was and still is the roof of choice for those who need the length of warranty, energy savings and the overall quality flat roof.

In late 1980’s and early 1990’s, TPO became very popular with North American roofing manufacturers. It was meant to replace Epdm as the most installed commercial roofing product, and to get rid of PVC roofing completely. The reasoning behind such plans is that TPO is very cheap to produce, compared to PVC, and was supposed to have all the benefits of PVC roofing such as ‘permanent’ hot-air welded seams, cool roof rating and ease of repair. Despite ambitious plans, reality turned out to different.

By 2001 most TPO manufacturers had to halt the production of their products due to numerous seam failures and premature curing of the membrane. These manufactures were changing the formulation of their membranes, trying to make their TPO products last longer while still competitive. The dilemma was that to achieve the right mix of higher quality, yet more expensive ingredients and cheap fillers. Use of inexpensive filler reduced the price of the final product, but also decreased the quality and longevity of TPO.

Final Words:

If you are deciding whether to use PVC or TPO, remember that by choosing a slightly cheaper option (TPO) you become a participant (and in some cases the victim) of expensive experiment, while receiving questionable savings. Bear in mind that earlier batches of TPO tended to cure prematurely, making them virtually non-repairable using hot-air welding. There are also numerous cases of seams failures on many TPO installations. Unfortunately you will not find any information on this topic, because TPO suppliers will never disclose it to the general public, and will usually solve it privately. However, this information may, and probably will surface soon, if too many TPO roofs begin to fail. We suggest you choose the proven technology, which in the long run, will be cheaper to install and maintain.

In our overview of Flat Roofing Technologies: Part I – BUR, Tar & Gravel and Modified Bitumen, we discussed the older and in many ways inefficient types of flat roofs, that are not only outdated my today’s standards, but also have a short life cycle expectancy, and also pose numerous obstacles when it comes to repairing those flat roofs, as discussed in our Flat Roof Repair guide. See our comparison of two seemingly similar, yet very different in their nature flat roofing types – PVC and TPO roofs.

In Part II we will take a look at newer, more advanced roofing technologies, and explore the advantages and disadvantages of each single-ply roofing technology commonly used today.

What is single-ply flat roofing?

There is a lot of confusion about single ply membrane roofing. Many people think that any ’single ply’ is the answer to their flat roofing problems. This however is far from being the truth. In reality, single-ply roofing membranes have only one thing in common – that is they are single ply or just one layer of membrane that is a water proofing barrier. The similarity stops there.

Single ply membrane formulation, or the components a membrane is made of, is what makes the difference between different types of single-ply flat roofing membranes. Single ply roofing membranes come in various widths, ranging from 6 to over 18 feet. In theory, the wider the membrane is, the less overlapping seam you have, thus reducing the possibility of leaks. The reality is different however, and most commonly used membranes do not exceed 10 feet in width.

The most crucial aspect to the reliability and longevity of single ply roofs is the method of attaching overlapping seams together. That is where 99% of flat roof leaks occur. Therefore having permanently attached seams, is the most important factor in the longevity of a flat roof installation. We will discuss it in more details as we review different single ply roofing technologies.

Single-ply membrane installation methods:

Single ply membranes are installed either as a fully adhered or mechanically attached systems depending on each roof’s condition on other factors, as well as installer’s preferences in some cases. Underneath the membrane there s usually a separation barrier and/or some sort of insulation board. Most common insulation is ISO or EPS foam board. Both types have an R-value ranging from 4-R to 6-R per 1 inch of insulation thickness.

Mechanically attached installation uses heavy duty screws and barbed plates to hold membrane down tightly, and is not affected by possible ISO de-lamination. Membrane is attached using 12″ O.C. pattern with perimeter sheets attached 6″ O.C. This ensures even the hurricane-type wind will not tear off your roof. Mechanically attached installation method does not require use of heavy and expensive ballast, and is a preferred choice if your building is located in the high-wind area such as along the coast line or on a high hill.

Fully adhered single ply membranes are glued to the fiberglass sheet laminated to both side ISO insulation that in turn is attached to the roof deck. While quick and simple, fully adhered method has one serious disadvantage. If condensation forms underneath a roofing membrane, which often happens and my be cause by improper ventilation of the roof deck, it will ‘de-laminate’ ISO board and/or adhesive that is holding membrane in place. If membrane becomes loose, it is prone to a wind blow-off, which will leave your roof unprotected. Results of such blow-off will be catastrophic not only to your roof, but to the entire building. While this is rarely the case, it is still a possibility – a gamble you might not won’t to take.

A more common problems with fully-adhered single-ply flat roofing systems (Mostly EPDM rubber) are defects in glue/adhesive application that cause bubbles, badly glued seams and as a result, a very unpleasant view and more often then not, roof leaks. Image bellow demonstrated a defective Epdm rubber application.

Find out more information on why you should avoid installing EPDM rubber roofing on you home and how residential roofing contractors are trained to install rubber roofs.

Three most common single-ply roofing types:

Today, single ply roofing became the prime choice when it comes to flat roof replacement. More and more roofing contractors are switching from old roofing types like BUR, Asphalt, and Tar & Gravel roofs to single-ply membrane installation, which is easier, safer and faster. Single ply roofing installation does not use the torching, use in Modified Bitumen roofs installation, and therefore there is no fire hazard/possibility to bur down your home / business.

There are 3 most-used single ply membrane types present on the market today: PVC/CPA, EPDM rubber and TPO. While these abbreviations probably won’t tell you much, about these roof types, bellow we provide a brief summary of each of these technologies.

PVC (CPA)

• PVC – Polyvinyl Chloride – a thermoplastic membrane utilizing a reinforcement scrim between the two plies of equal thickness (IB roof only). Top ply contains Cool Roof pigments, UV stabilizers, and other components to extend the life of the membrane. Bottom ply contains PVC ingredients to provide consistent weld of top and bottom plies and fillers. Material Warranty Period: Up to 25 years Commercial / Lifetime Residential. PVC roof system life expectancy: 30+ years.
• Special Notes: For a complete overview of IB flat roofing products for residential, commercial and restaurant use, as well as installation method and roofing accessories refer to our IB Roof products page.

TPO

• TPO – Thermo Plastic Olefin – a thermoplastic membrane utilizing a reinforcement scrim between the two plies. 35/65 % thickness for top & bottom ply respectively. Top ply contains Cool Roof pigments, UV stabilizers, and other components to extend the life of the membrane. Bottom ply contains TPO ingredients to provide consistent weld of top and bottom plies and fillers. Note that the top ply is about half the thickness of the bottom ply. Yet the top ply is the one that make the roof long-lasting. IB PVC has a 50/50 or equal thickness of top/bottom ply.
• Material Warranty Period: Up to 20 years Commercial / NO Residential. TPO roof system life expectancy – 7 to 20* years. You should know that there is not a single TPO installation in existence in the USA, that was produced in North America and is older than about 15 years, . Therefore it is unknown how long a TPO system will perform without any leaks*.
• Special Notes: * TPO roof systems are under continuous development by numerous manufacturers, who constantly change the TPO formulation to achieve the lowest cost with acceptable performance. While it is understandable that business always look to save money and to reduce costs, these constant TPO development process is being conducted, often at the expense of the roof owner. A TPO roof from the same manufacturer will most likely NOT be the same as the one produced few years before or after. Also the quality of different batches of TPO membranes may be questionable, as some TPO producers release the product to the end user without getting the UL and similar approvals/certification, as the formulation changes too often.Refer to our comparison article of PVC vs. TPO to find out more of the TPO problems / short-comings.

EPDM Rubber

• EPDM Rubber – Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer – a rubber-like black membrane, usually non-reinforced. Most common application method is a fully adhered (glued down) membrane with glued seams / flashings.
• Material Warranty Period: Up to 40 years Commercial / NO Residential. EPDM roof system life expectancy – 10 to 15 years. Although the material warranty goes up to 40 years for a 90-mil Epdm from some manufacturers, it does not cover the seams. Failing seams are the main cause of EPDM roof leaks followed by ponding water, for which EPDM has no warranty either.
• Special Notes: EPDM is the least expensive single ply roofing type and requires no special equipment to install it (unlike PVC and TPO which require hot-air welding equipment) and thus is the first choice for roofing contractors entering the flat roofing market and asphalt shingle roofers that ‘install rubber here and there’. Although many commercial roofing companies also use EPDM, they usually do not perform Residential installations so many times a home owner deals with a Part-Time flat roofing company.

Please note that there are many manufacturers of all three type of roofing and each has their own formulation / manufacturing process / warranty conditions and periods, etc. Therefore we only provide a generals summary for each of those roof types. Also, since our specialty is installation of IB roofs, when we use the term PVC or CPA we refer to IB PVC Roof (CPA is the way IB Roof Systems refers to its PVC product. IB membranes are generally ‘compatible’ with other PVC products).

Common single-ply flat roofing choices: CPA/PVC membrane – IB Roof

CPA/PVC single play flat roofing membrane made by IB Roof Systems is by far, the best choice for any type of flat roof. Main advantage of IB’s CPA/PVC membrane is that the seams are Hot Air welded creating a physical bond between the sheets, that is stronger than the membrane itself. Such seam is a permanent seal, ensuring that there will be no leaks even if you have puddles of ponding water on your roof (which by the way is covered under IB’s warranty, unlike other types of flat roofing membranes that only cover the defects in material). IB’s CPA/PVC white membrane is the true energy efficient Cool Roof, this will not only give you years of worry-free performance, but will actually save you money in reduced energy costs. IB also offers a variety of colors, many of which will also qualify to carry a Cool Roof label. But the main factor speaking in favor of IB’s CPA/PVC membranes, is that they historically proven to last over 25 years without a single leak!

Learn more about IB’s outstanding single ply flat roofing membrane, its advantages and many choices for Residential, Commercial and Restaurant use.

As of June 23, 2008, we now offer our customers a choice of using Recycled on New Poly-Iso insulation.

Benefits of using recycled insulation include instant and continuous financial benefits. Since we get recycled ISO board at a discount we pass on the savings to you, and with more insulation for the same amount of money you’d spend on new ISO, you will continue to save money on your energy costs year round.

But that’s not all! Although ISO insulation is not “green” per-se, using recycled insulation is a green choice since by reducing your energy consumption, it will also reduce carbon monoxide emitted into the atmosphere. It will also not go into our nation’s land-fills, therefore it will benefit the environment.

Types of insulation we use:

By default we use a 1/2 inch fan-fold Styrofoam insulation, which is mostly used when there is already some insulation on the roof. Fan-fold insulation comes with 2-R value, so it will add some insulating value to the roof. It also acts as a separation barrier between the deck or old roofing material and IB membrane. Fanfold insulation is attached with heavy-duty screws and corrosion-resistant insulation plates. It is light-weight, features quick installation and is ideal for a roof layover. It is also the most economical option.

As an option you may choose to use a common ‘new-construction’ and complete roof replacement choice of insulation – Poly ISO board, which comes in a wide range of sizes and feature high R-values from 3 to 20-R. Sizes include 1/2, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 and 3.3 inches and R-value is calculated using 6-R per 1 inch of insulation.

If drainage is a concern, ISO insulation comes in tapered design which has different thicknesses at each end, and is used to create pitch ( slope ) on a completely flat roof. Slope is usually directed toward drains or drip edges and diverts the water flow to where it can exit the roof.

The concept of green roofs, or roof-top gardens that create healthier cities is great, and fortunately it is not just for enthusiast. Despite the good idea behind it, green roofs faces many obstacles in becoming main-stream. Some of those obstacles are technological and some (most important once) are concerned with the price tag associated with green roof.

We will review green roofs not only from Eco-friendly perspective, but also from a roofer’s point of view, as it is the roofer that make green roof work. We’ll also discuss recent technological breakthroughs in green roofing industry, which simplify design, installation and greatly reduce costs.

Cost issues associated with Green Roofs:

Green roofs are expensive – no doubt about that. Main reason being the relative difficulty of building and maintaining a green roof, while making sure the water-proofing membrane is intact and performs for its specified life-period. Another reason is that all the components of a green roof (of which there are many) are expensive, and only a handful of suppliers offer them. Green Roof vegetation is also a concern a these plants must be able to survive in a limited amount of soil and if the drought hits, these plants might not survive. It may also be necessary to set up some kind of sprinkler system to maintain the required moisture level.

Technological (installation) issues associated with Green Roofs:

When all is set and done, a green roof will create a beautiful roof-top-garden and should significantly increase, if not double the life of your roofing membrane, as it protects the roof from sun and elements. Green roof will also make your building a lot cooler, as it absorbs most of solar heat.

Despite all these benefits and improvements, it is of the utmost importance to use the best available flat roofing membrane such as 80-mil IB Roof and to have a quality installation performed by a certified flat roofing installer. Just imagine that your new green roof is installed and some time later the roof begins to leak – now you have to disassemble the green roof: remove the vegetation and soil, moisture retainers and water-flow base, while the leak may not even be where you think it is. That is why from the installation perspective everything must be installed to the highest standard as well as all seams must be checked and double checked in order to ensure a leak-free roof functioning.

IB Roof and GreenRoofBlocks – the perfect combination for a Green Roof:

To make the installation and maintenance of green roof as simple and inexpensive as possible, we chose to combine our IB Pvc roofing products with a simple, modular approach of Green Roof Blocks. These green roof sections come in 2×2′ aluminum boxes with specially formulated light-weight soil. Green Roof Blocks offer a quick installation, ease of roof repair – if there is ever a need to do some roof maintenance, all you need to do is to simply lift up the sections where you suspect the leak may be. Green Roof block are also the most cost-effective green roof you can find. Vegetation can be planted and grown before the roof is installed or right on the roof-top.

We are an Eco-Friendly, full service flat roofing company specializing in installation of Cool Roofing systems for wide range of Residential and Commercial roofing projects. We carry all necessary General Liability and Worker’s Compensation Insurances, OSHA certifications, and are a Licensed IB Roof installer.

Roof installation service:

We offer a complete-package roof installation service, from pulling all necessary building permits, to coordinating with other contractors and service providers (such as utility companies, architects, etc.) involved in your roofing project.

Our installers and roof mechanics work safely, wear all necessary safety equipment and use state of the art installation tools and equipment. We pay top wages and provide premium workmanship and services.

While a standard labor warranty in the roofing industry (a minimum required by law) is the 2-year period, all our roofs installations include a Labor warranty that matches the material warranty (i.e., 80-mil IB membrane has a 25 year material warranty, which we match with our 25-year labor warranty).

Roof consulting service:

We offer roofing consultation services which include complete analysis of your present roof condition, inspection of structural components, roof deck and roof insulation. We analyze your roofs drainage situation, and identify whether you may need more insulation, drains / scupper or other roof components installed to improve your roof’s performance and extend its service life. We will provide you a complete report of what has to be done on your roof, and identify parts you may not need. We can also negotiate with your General Contractor and/or Architect on your behalf, to get you the right products/services, while including need items and eliminating unnecessary and costly items. This will prevent future “change orders” and up-charges from your GC / Architect / Contractor, and save you money and frustration.

We hold all necessary State Construction Licenses and Registrations:

• MA Home-Improvement Contractor registration (HIC) and Unrestricted Construction Supervisor License (CSL)
• CT Home-Improvement Contractor registration (HIC) and Major Contractor Registration
• RI Home-Improvement Registration and Special Commercial Roofing Contractor Registration

Flat Roof installation service details:

For a flat and low-slope roofing application, we exclusively install IB Cool roofing single-ply membranes with up-to 25 years Commercial and Lifetime Residential warranties.

IB Roof is a versatile flat roofing system that can be adapted for any flat roof type and level complexity. IB roof is a perfect, long-lasting flat roofing choice for:

• Condos, Cooperatives and other Multi-Unit residential buildings.
• Restaurants
• Storage Facilities
• Office buildings
• Manufacturing and Warehouse facilities
• Auto Repair stations and garages, Gas Stations
• Stores and Shopping malls
• All other commercial buildings with a flat roof

With its Cool-roof properties, IB will save you an average of 20% or more on the Air-Conditioning costs, which can run into hundreds of dollars per month. With ever-rising electricity prices, this is especially crucial for climate-controlled storage-complexes, restaurants, and refrigeration-facilities, but will greatly benefit any building that uses Air-Conditioning equipment.

IB is also an environmentally friendly roof and you can have a Green / Garden roof installed, without worries of roof leaks or environmental incompatibility.

IB with its Lifetime Residential warranty, is perfect for any type of residential application: Your Home roof, Garage or even a walk-on flat roof deck. IB can be installed as a water-proofing membrane under a solid wood deck or you can choose an IB DeckShield* – a slip and water-proof, ADA (American Disability Act) compliant decking material. (* Due to anticipated constant foot traffic, IB DeckShield carries a 10 year warranty)

Your One Stop informational source about all aspects Flat Roofing, Cool Roofs, Solar BI-PV Roofs & Roof-top Gardens.

We specialize in Energy-Efficient flat roofing solutions for Residential flat roofs and Commercial / Restaurant flat roofs. We strive to provide our customers, with Eco-Friendly roofing solutions that are recyclable, & will help you conserve energy, as well as benefit environment.

Our Customer’s comments:

CoolFlatRoof installed an IB roof on a flat section of my house. They did an excellent job. I had problems for years with leaks and would hire someone to repair it but after awhile it would leak again. It had never leaked since Leo and Alex put this excellent roof on my house. It also seems to be more insulated: warmer in winter and cooler in the summer. Thanks guys. I recommend you to everyone who mentions a roofing problem. – Jack from Providence, RI

CoolFlatRoof quality promise: We are so confident in the quality of IB roofing systems and our installation, that we guarantee our roofs against any leaks. If the roof we installed ever leaks due to installation error, not only we will fix it, but we will also give you a check for $250.

Flat Roof leaks and repair information

For your convenience, we created a series of roofing guides that will help you choose the best solution for your flat roof and provide you with information that many roofing contractors and manufacturers do not want you to know. Check out our Do-it-yourself guides to rubber roof repair and tar & gravel roof repair for immediate steps you can take to temporary stop roof leaks, until you can perform a complete re-roof.

When your flat roof begins to leak, the process is irreversible, and the sooner you start to deal with these issues, the less you will have to spend on repairs and roof replacement. Read our comprehensive Flat Roof repair guide to gain the insight on the issues and costs involved and ways to minimize your expenses when you deal with roof leaks.

Discover different types of flat roofing materials and choose the best roofing product for your home or business. It is a shame, how in the 21st century, many roofing contractors still use 19th century roofing technology, that is inferior, inefficient and cost you more than a modern single-ply roof. Learn about different single-ply flat roofing systems and compare them to IB Roofs, the leading manufacturer of long-lasting cool flat roofing products.

Compare the two leading single-ply cool roofing products in our PVC vs. TPO roofing guide.

Flat roofing job profiles: Industrial, Commercial and Residential.

Testex textiles Corp. Central Falls, RI

Restaurant/Meat Market/Deli Rt. 1 – Hampton, NH

9th St. Condominiums Providence, RI

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

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

• 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!

Flat Roofing – CoolFlatRoof.com Home Page

Cool Roofing Blog – Our official blog were we post our roof installation reports, new roofing and green building products and technology reviews, metal roofing system comparisons, IB Roof installation tutorial, Roof Do-it-yourself guides and our customers’ comments about our work. Experience what a cool roof installation is like, and how we would install your roof.

Roof Learning Center provides helpful roofing guides for Do It Yourself enthusiasts. Features educational roofing articles that address common roofing problems including Ice Dam build up, failing shingles, valley roof leaks, and roof repair articles. Find out thing you should know when choosing a roofing contractor.

Flat Roofing Guide:

IB Flat Roofs – IB PVC single-ply membrane roofing – Products, Installation methods, system component and benefits of installing IB Cool roof.

Flat roofing prices – Detailed guide into the price-structure of flat roof installation. Discover why there is such a discrepancy in pricing from different roofing contractors bidding on the same roofing job. Learn the consequences of hiring the lowest-bidding roofing company that does not carry any insurance and does not stand behind their work.

Flat Roofing technology guide – Overview of different flat roofing products and systems present on the market today and installed on flat roofs throughout New England and US.

Roofing cost calculator – Calculate the cost to install an new IB roofing system and get instant quotes for other flat roof types such as Epdm rubber, Tar and Gravel and built-up roofs. You will also be able to estimate approximate annual energy savings that you will receive if you install a cool white IB single ply roof.

Roof Repair Guide – When a flat roof leaks, it is advisable to know all your options and what to expect from temporary flat roof fixes. This flat roofing repair guide outline the possible scenarios and cost involved in patching of flat roof as compared to a complete replacement.

Rubber roof repair – DIY guide to fixing rubber (EPDM) roof systems.

Tar&Gravel roof repair – DIY guide to fixing Tar & Gravel / Built-Up roof systems.

Single-Ply Roofs – Brief overview of different single ply roofing membrane technologies such as PVC (Poly-Vinyl Chloride) or CPA (Co-polymer alloy) – chemically IB’s CPA is equivalent to PVC, Epdm rubber and TPO (thermoplastic olefin roof)

PVC vs. TPO roofing – Detailed comparison of major differences between seemingly identical PVC and TPO membranes. Here we discuss the major issue of TPO’s curing after just a few years in service and its consequential inability to be welded, once membrane is cured.

Green Flat Roofing – Green roof benefits for urban heat-island effect, design and costs guide.

Flat Roofing Insulation – Recycled Insulation, ISO, Styrofoam and EPS insulation technologies.

Flat Roofing Deck – Overview of roof deck waterproofing products, leak elimination and installation methods. Choose between IB DeckShield and conventional install using 80-mil IB membrane and wooden deck + railings system

EPDM Rubber Roofing – Overview of flat rubber roofs, contractors installing rubber for residential customers and why homeowners should avoid using rubber as a flat roofing option on their homes.

Our Services, Job Profiles & Contact information:

Connecticut Flat Roofs – Overview of installation, repair and consulting services that we provide in the state of Connecticut to homeowners and businesses. We specialize in Commercial and Residential roof replacement using IB cool roofing technology. Check out the job profiles for the roofs that we installed in CT including picture gallery and a short video clip

Massachusetts Flat Roofs – Installation, repair and consulting services for flat roofing projects in MA. We specialize in Commercial and Residential projects. Also you can view some of flat and Metal Roofing projects that we’ve completed recently. Picture gallery of each roof installation from start to finish.

Flat Roof Installation & Consulting Services

Roofing Estimate Request

Residential Flat Roofing

Commercial Flat Roofing

Contact Us / Information

Job Profiles:

Some of the Flat Roofs we installed:

Asphalt Shingle textured flat roof – This beautiful IB Traditions roof looks like asphalt shingles, yet it will never leak and will provide energy savings for this gorgeous house in Arlington, MA

Residential Flat & Metal roof (New) This house in Old Lyme, CT had a badly-leaking tar and gravel roof which caused rotten plywood and some framing. Now it has a Lifetime 80-mil White IB roof and Tamko metal slate.

Flat roof house 80-mil grey IB roof was installed on this residence in Wallingford, CT.

Industrial Flat Roof – TesTex Corporation manufacturing facility in Central Falls, RI

Restaurant Flat Roof – Deli / Meat market located in the tourist attraction of Hampton Beach, NH

Condominium Flat Roof – Residential condos on the East Side of Providence, RI

Apartment Building with Restaurant / Deli Beautiful brick building in the center of North Attleboro, MA had flat roof leas for years and patching did not help. IB roof solved all the problems!

Flat Metal Roof – Metal roof acrylic coating – Power Generation Plant in Bellingham, MA

Restaurant Metal Roof – Permanent Aluminum Roof on an IHOP restaurant in Hyannis, MA

Stone-Coated Metal Roof – Beautiful Spanish Tile metal roof on Venus De Milo Restaurant / Reception / Wedding Capitol of Rhode Island located in Swansea, MA

Solar Flat Roofing, Solar PV Guide and Rebates:

Solar flat roofs – IB SolarWise – Building-Integrated Solar PV for flat roofing

Solar PV guide – Prices, ROI, system design & installation guide includes cost break-down for residential and commercial solar systems in MA, CT and RI

Solar Rebates / Incentives – Summary of Federal Tax Credits and State rebate programs for Solar PV and other renewable energy installation in MA, CT, RI

Massachusetts Solar Rebates – Overview of all available Rebates & Incentives for Residential, Commercial and Public buildings solar PV systems

Green Construction Directory and eco-friendly resources:

Green Building Directory – Lists Eco-friendly resources, green construction web-sites, green and solar blogs and construction companies that build green building and use energy-saving technologies.

IB Roof Contractors in US and Canada

Green-Living Directory – Sustainability, Eco-Friendly and Renewable links.

DIY Green Home Improvement – List of websites for do-it-yourselfers with the emphasis on green technologies and energy efficiency.

Home Improvement Sites – General home improvement sites with good number of eco-friendly categories.

Metal Roofing Directory – List of manufacturers and contractors specializing Cool, Recyclable and Permanent Steel, Aluminum and Copper metal roofs.

Suppliers of Metal products – Metal Buildings, Specialty metals suppliers and manufacturers

Energy Efficient Siding and Windows – Manufacturers, Distributes and Contractors installing energy-saving Wood, Aluminum and Vinyl Windows and Siding.

Green home & garden

Roofing Contractor / Manufacturers

Uncategorized / Coming Soon pages:

IB Flat Roof Warranty

Solar PV Price Calculator – Interactive tool to estimate the cost of installing Solar PV for your home or business

IB SolarWise Pay-off / ROI guide

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. 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.

For homeowners, it is of the utmost importance to be educated about the roofing choices they are going to make. Since roofing is one of the most expensive home improvement projects and a roof protects arguably one of the biggest investments in one’s life, it is necessary to know your roofing choices and how to select the right roofing contractor. This collection of How-To guides and roofing technology overview is designed for homeowners, building and property managers.

Flat roof ventilation for low-slope residential and commercial roofs where a ridge and soffit vet system is present, but creates leaks from wind-drive water entering the attic trough ridge vent. Learn about a special ridge vent assembly for low-slope roofs, which we’ve designed and use on all our residential roofs.

External Roofing Articles and How-to guides:

Metal Roofing Installation – Comprehensive Do-It-Yourself HOW-TO guide to install a Standing Seam Metal Roof. Learn how to install a Vertical Panel metal roofing system with concealed fasteners (Architectural Standing Seam Roof) using this easy-to-follow step by step guide, brought to you by Metal Roofing Professionals over at NewEnglandMetalRoof.com

Guide includes a list of tools required, safety precautions / measures and tips & tricks used by the Pros.

Solar Metal Roofing – Overview of the benefits of using roof-integrated solar PV with Metal Roofing panels vs. asphalts shingle roofs and stand-alone Solar Boxes the require re-roofing every 12-15 years.
Roofing Installation Video – Collection of short video clips of Cool Flat Roofs installation and Metal Roof Installations. See how IB hot air welding is performed.

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:	MassachusettsConnecticutRhode IslandNew HampshireMaineVermontOther
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.

Copyright © CoolFlatRoof.com – 2006-2008. All rights reserved. Reproduction of the content of this guide is against the law. You may only place direct URL link to this guide.

Renewable Energy is becoming increasingly popular among Home-owners, Small Businesses and Large Corporations alike, especially with sky-rocketing energy cost. Solar PV (photo-voltaic) is by far the most popular renewable-energy technology, but despite such popularity, Solar is not economically feasible for most people without government support.

Solar PV technology has a huge potential to provide if not all, but bigger chunk of US electricity, which at this moment comes mostly from fossil-fuels such as Coal and Natural Gas, as well as some Nuclear and Hydro power, Still fossil-fuels provide most of our ever-rising electricity demand. While gas and coal are relatively cheap compared with other energy sources, they are polluting our atmosphere with ‘green-house’ gases. Also due to rising energy demand, cost of gas, coal and oil keeps rising, with no limit in the foreseeable future.

Solar on the other hand produces clean, ‘free’ energy in form of electricity, heat, and light. Although benefits of solar are enormous, so is the initial capital investment, which without additional incentives becomes not so attractive to the end user. Fortunately US government, as well as many other governments through-out the world see great potential and need in renewable energy and offer end-user the financial rebates and incentives to promote the widespread of renewable energy, which in turn reduces the cost of such technologies.

Here we will review rebates and incentives offered by Federal, State and local governments, as well as utility companies and other organizations in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island (Note: Due to recent budget deficit and slow economic conditions in RI, most of State-sponsored renewable-energy incentives are temporarily suspended – we will keep a close eye on the situation and post updates as news become available).

Federal Tax Rebates for Solar PV: Commercial and Residential

Commercial:

Federal Government offers Tax rebate for solar and other renewable-energy installed on your building. You can claim 30% Business Energy Tax Credit in the year of installation and a 5-year accelerated depreciation thereafter. No maximum cap for Solar PV, while other technologies may have a limit.

Residential:

For residential Solar PV systems, the Federal Tax Credit is 30% percent with $2000 cap.

Note: Current Federal Tax Credits for renewable-energy are set to expire on December 31, 2008. Unless they are renewed before expiration, Tax credits will be reduced to 10%. Currently, Big-Oil companies receive over $1.5 billion/year in Federal Tax Credits from US government for oil exploration and drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. These same companies that had over $130 billion profits (net income after all expenses and taxes paid) in 2007. This money can be use to the advantage of the people of the United States in form of Renewable Energy Bill, which President Bush promised to veto, if it passes in the senate. We urge you to call your Senator, State Representative, Governor, and other officials as well as Presidential Candidates, and tell them that we, the people, demand support for renewable-energy.

State Tax Rebates, Incentives and Grants for Solar PV

Each State has a different Solar Rebates and Incentives Program, and to eliminate any confusion, we list them under each state’s respective page. This programs are designed for residents and businesses located in each state to take advantage of all the great benefits of Renewable Energy, and to help out the environment.

Massachusetts Solar PV Rebates overview

MA Solar PV Rebates for Residential installations

Calculating your Mass. Residential Solar PV Rebates

MA Solar PV Rebates for Commercial installations

Connecticut Solar PV Rebates – Section Coming Soon

Rhode Island Solar PV Rebates: Apparently, due to excessive budget deficit in RI, there is no renewable-energy rebates available at this time. This is very unfortunate, and we try to do anything we can (which is not a lot, as this matter is in hands of RI policy makers) to bring those rebates back. To find out what is being done or how you can contribute to these and other renewable-energy initiatives, visit Apeiron Institute – a group of volunteers and activists of Sustainable way of life in RI and surrounding areas.

If you live or do business in RI, you are paying a Renewable-Energy charge on your electric bill. Fight for your right to access of a State-sponsored Solar PV rebates program, to which you and EVERY customer of electric companies in RI contributes every month. Yet your money goes somewhere else, while the National ‘Greed’ keeps on hiking your electricity rates. Contact RI Governor and the members of state senate and tell them you wand the Renewable-Energy Program back!

Massachusetts State Tax Rebates, Incentives and Grants for Solar PV

In 2008, Governor Patrick’s administration passed a new Solar Electric Photo-voltaic Initiative for the Commonwealth, which includes Solar rebates for residential and commercial Solar PV installations, as well as rebates for other renewable-energy technologies. This new program will allocate $68 million over next four years (2008 – 2011). Here is a brief summary of rebates for Residential and Non-Residential (Small and Large Commercial, Non-Profit and Government) solar PV systems.

List of Massachusetts residential solar rebates:

Moderate Home Value varies by county and ranges from $300,000 to $400,000. If your home value is equal to, or less-than your county’s Moderate Home Value (determined by municipality), you are eligible for this rebate.

Solar Photo-voltaic (PV) technology is the way of the future, for generating and supplying electric power for homes and businesses in the US and across the world. Despite the great potential of Solar PV, current cost and efficiency of solar panels makes them a green, yet expensive alternative to conventional ways of generating electricity, such as Coal, Gas and Oil fired power plants as well as Nuclear and Hydro electricity.

Main obstacle that is holding the wide-spread of solar PV is the long ROI (return on investment) that in some situations may exceed 10 years. Fortunately, US federal government and local and state governments have a multitude of incentives and rebate programs for solar and other renewable energy projects.


Purpose of this Solar PV system design guide is to help you squeeze the most efficiency out of you home solar system, making it collect as much sun light as is available throughout the year.


Solar guide quick navigation:

• Is solar PV for you? – Planning a Solar PV System
• Designing Solar System for you – Estimate how many KW solar system will you need, & how much electricity it will produce.
• How to choose solar equipment? – Learn which solar PV panels, inverter, and control units you should choose.
• Cost of Solar PV – Compare prices of solar systems installed by integrator or do-it-yourself.

After reading this Solar System Guide, you will also learn how to minimize power losses due to electrical resistance of the wiring, how to choose the right type of solar panels and inverter, and how much of solar PV capacity (system size) you will need for your home or small business, and what kind of solar rebate you will be eligible for.

All of the above may dramatically increase your ROI and reduce the time that your solar system pays for itself. But first things first lets plan out your Solar PV system.

A rack-mounted Solar Photovoltaic system installed on a flat roof

Planning a Solar PV system for home and small business:

Before we begin, first and foremost – you need to figure out if your site can accommodate a solar pv array so that it operates at or near its rated efficiency. If your site conditions (roof of your home or business, backyard, etc) will limit the electricity production even by 20-25% – everything else is irrelevant and solar is probably not for you.

Step 1 – determining if your site can accommodate a solar photovoltaic system

Southern Exposure: Solar PV systems operate by converting sun light into electricity, so the first thing they require is enough sun light through-out the year, with as little obstruction or shading as possible. If you plan to use solar system that will be fixed (usually a roof mounted solar array), you will need to position it so that it faces South. In this case your solar PV system will collect as much sun light as possible, as the sun will move from East to West.

Shading: During the year, the sun is positioned very different, depending on the season – in the summer the sun is up high and in the winter it is very low. You need to consider this as this has a potential to make your system very inefficient. Solar Pathfinder is used by solar professionals to determine the position of the sun during the year and to find any shading that will obstruct the sunlight to the Solar PV Panels. Using a pathfinder you could determine weather it makes sense to have a solar system installed at your location and if you would need to remove some of the shading – eg. cut down some trees or move your neighbor’s house 20 feet to the left .

It is unlikely that a homeowner will have a Solar Pathfinder handy, but using just common sense, you can get a good idea if you have to much shading or if your location is perfect for the installation of a Solar PV system.


Angle or slope for solar panels: Depending on where you live or plan to install your solar system, an angle or incline of the panels may have a significant effect on electricity production. Here in New England the sun is at about 20 degrees to the earth surface and at about 45-50 degrees during the summer. If you plan to have a fixed solar systems installed in MA or at the similar longitude, ideal angle for your panels would be 30-32 degrees. As you above down south, the sun is higher in the skies so it is better to lower the angle of solar panels. At equator, solar panels can lay flat on the ground and will get maximum electricity production. At north or south pole, they should stand up vertically.

Size of your roof: If you plan to have a ground-mounted solar system, this will be irrelevant as there is usually enough room to have a decent size systems installed. If like most other people you plan to have solar panels installed on your roof, depending on the number of Kilowatts you plan your future solar system to be, you may need a considerable roof area. If you have a large roof and you are thinking about metal roof, a Roof-Integrated Solar PV System such as standing seam metal roof with Uni-solar panels is a very good choice providing you with a long lasing roof and slick-looking yet efficient amorphous-silicon thin-film solar panels. This babies require more space to produce the same amount of electric power, but are a better choice from the perspective of roof / solar system longevity and integration.

Lets assume that now you have performed a site inspection and determined that it would make a good place to have a solar systems installed. Maybe you will have to trim some trees, but over all, you have a decent size south facing roof with a good 35 degrees angle and no or very little shading going from east to west.

Step 2 – figuring out the size (in Watts) of your future Solar PV System:

This will surprise many people, but solar PV systems are priced in Watts or Kw – NOT in Sq. Ft.

Every second person calling us about Solar Roof, asks me: “how much is solar per square foot”. Truth is – I can’t answer this question and frankly, no one can. The question it self is wrong, but here is the right answer: Cost of solar will be determined by the system size measured in KW. Here I will explain how many kilowatts of solar you may need or want, and below you can find out how much it will cost.

How many Kilowatts do I need? – This is actually simple, but pay attention to the theory behind it all.

Electricity production of your solar system depends on how many “sun-hour-days” you have in your area. In Massachusetts and surrounding states (Connecticut, Rhode Island, Southern NY) we have an average of 4.2 – 4.5 hours of sunlight (sun hours) per day annually. This accounts for rainy and cloudy days as well as long, sunny summer days and short winter days.

Most households in the US consume on average 750 kWh (kilowatt-hours) per month. Assuming a 4.5 sun-hour-day in your area, 1 Kilowatt solar pv system should produce 4.5 kilowatt-hours of DC electricity per day. Per month it will produce 135 kWh DC. Now this DC electric current has to be converted to AC, so that your home appliances could use it. Inverter takes care of this part, as well as making your solar panels working at optimal production. However as any electrical device it has resistance sou there will be power losses. Average modern inverter loses 3% of electricity due to resistance, while total power loss can be as much as 7-10% or more, depending on how well or poorly your system was designed.

Basically to become completely independent from your Utility company you will need produce about 750 kWh of AC electricity. With 4.5 sun-hour-days you will need 6 kW solar PV array (5.83 kW to be exact, but bear in mind that this is all relative) which is optimally designed and is placed in optimal location – no shading, perfect angle, etc. This is the best case scenario.

So what size solar system will YOU need?

When considering installing a Solar PV system, you as home or business owner will need a to know the future size of your solar system in kW ( 1 kilo watt is 1000 watts) and the cost associated with this solar system. You also need to establish your current annual electricity usage and decide if you want to reduce or completely eliminate the use of electricity that you purchase from your utility company.

First, gather your electric bills for the last 12 months, record your total electricity consumption – the number of kW-hours, and your the total amount you had to pay, excluding any late fees and other miscellaneous fees. Divide your total cost by the total number of kWh – this will give you real cost per kWh.

In Massachusetts, average cost of electricity for residential use is 19-24 cents per kWh, and 15-17 cents per kWh for commercial use. Both are set to increase by 20% in near future, as announced in April 2008, by local utility companies.

Designing a Solar PV system, tailored for your need

To make best use of your solar system, you will need to capture as much sun-light as possible, therefore the best location to place your solar system is on the south-facing side of the roof. You also want them to be installed at a certain angle – about 20-30 degrees.
Assuming the 4.5 hours of sun per day, a 1 kW Solar PV system will produce 4.5 kWh per day, and 135 kWh in a 30-day month (4.5 x 30 days). Please keep in mind that the energy produced is in DC volts, and when it goes through the conversion into AC, you lose about 20-25% of that electricity.

Average household electric consumption is 750 kWh per month for a single family home. To cover 100% of this consumption with solar electricity, you will need about 8 kW solar PV system. 135 kWh DC x 8 = 1080 kWh – 10% = 972 kWh AC at 100% production output of solar panel. Note that ALL solar panels loose an average of 0.5% of production output per year, or 10 % through its 20-year warranty period.

Average residential solar installation is 2-4 kW system which usually eliminates 50-70% of electric power that you purchase. How ever those installations are still dependent on additional electricity.

Commercial solar installations can range from 10 kW to over 1 MW (1 megawatt = 1000 kW). Commercial Solar PV systems can supply power to the building they are installed on or they may be a so called solar farm – or a solar power plant supplying electric power directly into electric grid. For purpose of this guide, we will concentrate on smaller, roof-top solar installations for individual home or business use, as solar farms topic goes way beyond the scope of this guide, and is considered a power utility for taxes and other purposes.

Step 3 – How to choose equipment for your solar system:

This is the most difficult part, as there is no right answer to this question. However there is a general guideline to follow, which will help you choose the longest-lasting and best performing solar panels, inverter(s), control units, production monitors, etc.

This part of our solar guide will be the most confusing part also, as I will go over equipment and the solar systems sizes and how to pair different components and to get the best solar pv rebates, all at the same time.

Lets begin: to avoid as much confusion as possible, we will pretend that we are designing a 3 KW solar system for residential installation, in Massachusetts. Some of the variables will be different for your state, but this will be a good reference point for you.

Basic metrics for choosing solar equipment (or any electronic equipment for that matter) is such that you don’t want to be an early adaptor. You want to buy a 2nd or even 3rd generation stuff (inverter for example), which is a very safe bet that all the bugs of first / second generations were worked out and equipment performs at maximum efficiency. You also want to get UL rated equipment, or your electrical inspector will never sign off on the permits. A good example of such inverter is the Sunny Boy 2500, which is a 3rd generation, tried and true work horse which also offers one of the best expandability and efficiency. This is not to say that other inverters are bad – you should use the 2nd/3rd generation metric and do your due diligence.

You also need to keep in mind that average life-span of the inverter is 7-10 years while it’s cost is up there (on average you can expect to pay just under $1 per watt of the inverter’s capacity). If you plan for a big solar system, it is better to have many smaller inverters than one big inverter. If a small inverter dies, others are still performing, and your system is only partially down and it is a LOT cheaper to replace one $3000 unit, out of 5, than one $15000 unit.

For our hypothetical solar system we will choose one of the more simple inverters from Sunny Boy, rated at 3000 or 3500 watts. There is never and exact number of watts produced and in the first year, your Solar system WILL produce about 10% more than its rated capacity. You want to utilize that and also don’t want to “overload” your inverter: this is a little confusing – inverter will only accept as much electricity as it’s rated capacity – not more, so anything extra will just disappear.

A slightly larger inverter will allow for some future expansion of your solar systems.

Cost of Solar PV systems:

National average cost to install a Solar PV system ranges from $9 to $12 per watt or $9000-12000 per kW DC (direct current) of solar system installed, with smaller installations being at the top for this price range due to fixed costs such as equipment, setup, installation, permits and paperwork.

Most expensive component of the solar PV system are the solar panels themselves, however equipment such as inverter (which converts DC into AC and feeds it into your meter) also add considerable amount to a smaller size PV systems. Therefore for a 3 kW residential solar system, the cost will be around $11 per watt or $33000 total system cost when using conventional solar panels

Fortunately the $33000 price tag is not you actual cost, as many states have a wide range of rebates for solar PV installations as well as federal tax credits, available for both commercial and residential systems.

ROI and pay-off period for Solar PV

For purposes of this guide we will use two hypothetical solar PV systems – one being a 4 kW residential system and the other being a 25 kW commercial system. To simplify this guide and to avoid any confusion both of those systems are installed in Massachusetts. This way we know exactly what the MA state rebates are for each system and what the local electricity costs are from N-Star and National Grid utility companies. These two utility companies have the widest presence in MA market.

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:

1. Utility knife with a few spare blades
2. A bucket (or two) of tar
3. Asphalt saturated fabric (cotton or fiberglass, it doesn’t matter too much)
4. Plastic trowel for spreading the tar
5. 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.

Rubber roofs (EPDM single ply membranes) are a most common flat roofing systems in the US marker and most people refer to a flat roof as “rubber roof”. However there is much confusion about rubber roofing as well as misunderstanding of its benefits and limitations. In this article we will try to clear up the confusion and show you that rubber that there are better and cheaper alternatives to rubber.

If you have a leaking rubber roof in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Rhode Island we can repair your rubber roof at a relatively low cost, using only the best materials that rubber systems have. Example of such materials are peel-and-stick flashing and seam tapes. We do not use black rubber glue as it is outdated, and leaks much faster.

Quick Navigation:

• Why homeowners should avoid rubber roofing – The truth of about residential flat roofing market and why you should stay away from rubber, and carefully choose your roofing contractor.
• Alternatives to rubber roofing – Find out what other, better flat roofing products are available for a similar cost, but without the EPDM’s inherited problems.
• Residential rubber roofing – Learn why rubber roofs should NOT be used on a roof of your home.
• Commercial rubber roofing – Limitations of EPDM rubber in the commercial flat roofing applications.
• Why rubber roofs are so popular – Quick history of EPDM rubber in US flat roofing market, and key to its popularity

Truth about residential flat roofing market and contractors.

This rubber roof is just 1 year old, and has been leaking since day one, until we replaced it with a lifetime IB PVC flat roofing membrane.

Rubber Roof Contractors: It is unfortunate, but most residential flat roofs are installed by roofing contractors that specialize in asphalt shingles. Since they can easily purchase rubber roofing materials from their roofing supply warehouse, and are not required to be certified installers, nor do they need any special training or equipment, they will often undertake such projects to keep their crews busy.

Incorrectly installed EPDM roof in Quincy, MA – rubber glued right over shingles:

The truth is such that to get a quality, rubber roof installed, it usually has to be done by a commercial roofing company that specializes in flat roofing. However it is often the policy of such companies not to work with residential customers, for which there are many reasons. These contractors work with large commercial and institutional customers, employ union workers who are trained roof mechanics specialized in their particular niche. For example, a commercial roofing contractor will have separate crew doing metal roofing or slate – these guys are “roofers”, and yet another crew doing flat roofing ONLY – these are “roof mechanics”.

A residential roofing contractor, usually employees just roofers, who are good at what they do all day long – installation of asphalt shingle roofs, and often do not have a clue about how flat roofs work. When they get a potential client with a flat roof, they go to their supplier, as what supplier has for flat roof, and the salesman at the supply warehouse TEACHES the roofer how to install EPDM rubber. This is not creative fiction or product of my imagination – I see this happening nearly every time, when I come in to get something.

“Trained rubber roofing installers”: If you are lucky, you may get a roofer that has received some sort of training about rubber roof installation. For example, one of my suppliers, provides installation training programs for their roofing contractors who install only asphalt shingles. The idea behind such training seminars is to increase awareness and solicit sales of more roofing products. A manufacturer technician provides a sample installation on a 8×8 feet demo stand.

Bellow is and example of such “hand-on rubber roofing training”.

As you can see, the roofers just sit around the demo stand while the MFG Installation technician shows them what to do. The whole demonstration took about an hour and a half, and covered thing like installing flat roofing insulation (ISO), adhering rubber to the ISO board, flashing a sky-light / chimney penetration with un-cured flashing material, installing the membrane up the vertical wall, cleaning & priming seams and installing seam tape, installing drip edge and a tape to seal the drip edge fasteners, and installing termination bar. In the same 1.5 hours we’ve also learned “learned” how to correctly apply yellow glue – membrane adhesive, seam primer – seam & flashing glue and how to install these systems in the winter, while violating manufacturer’s installation specs.

Out of 25 or so roofing contractors present, there were about 15 or so questions particular to the installation details. 7 of them where asked by me! Bear in mind that I already knew how to install a rubber roof and attended the event to talk to my salesman, representatives of the metal roofing manufacturer and for free refreshments

In any case, each one of those 25 or so roofing contractors, willing to learn a new, and very complicated roofing system, asked an average of 0.3 questions about this systems.

Rubber roofs for residential customers: It was clear that my supplier and the roofing representatives were selling to Residential Roofing Contractors. Not once did they mention roof-top HVAC units, roof hatches, elevator shafts, gas/electrical pipes, roof drains, etc. They did however insisted that the rubber is a good choice for a low slope shed dormer (without mentioning the poor low slope roof ventilation and ice dam prevention associated with shed dormers). They also mentioned that rubber is a good choice for a flat roof decks and patios.

EPDM Rubber roofing and flat roof homes.

Homeowners with flat roof homes often find themselves in a situation where their roof starts to leak rather unexpectedly – i.e. only after a few years since the roof was installed. This for the most part happens to homes which have a rubber roof on them. While most flat roofs will only last 10-15 years, older systems such as Tar & Gravel, Bur and in some cases Modified bitumen roofs are usually installed by roofing contractors that are somewhat specialized in their scope of work – these are “the old-timers” or former union guys that decided to try their luck working for themselves, and they actually went through a special training and have years of experience. Problem is that roofing systems they install do not last long for many reasons outside the scope of this article.

Homes that have a rubber roof, begin to leak well before their minimal life expectancy is reached because in many cases they are roofed by your typical shingle roofing contractor that is so confident in his/her abilities, and a rubber roof is merely a roof with a low slope.

Why rubber roofs are so popular?

The truth is, rubber roofs (EPDM) are the most used flat roofing products in the US / Canadian commercial roofing market. Rubber roofs we first put in service over 40 years ago, and since gained popularity among roofing contractors and their customers. The reason for such success lyes in the condition of flat roofing market of that time and the available alternatives.

Back in 1960’s oil was still very cheap, it was more than a decade before the oil crisis of the 70’s and there wasn’t that much demand for oil. The oil refining process was far from being efficient and the industry was looking to get rid of many by-products of oil refining process.

At the same time flat roofing industry at that time was the same as at the turn of 19th century, and the most common product to use on a flat roof was either a BUR (built-up roofing, using multiple layers of tar paper, saturated in hot tar or hot asphalt) or Tar & Gravel roofing, which was essentially a BUR roof with gravel added for additional protection. Flat roofing technology has not changed for 100 years and contractors needed a new, easier to install and cleaner product, hence, the EPDM was born.

EPDM consists mainly of oil (carbo-hydrate) based by-products with some modifiers and stabilizers added to extend its service life. Rubber roofing was cheap to produce, easier to install that conventional (BUR) roofs, did not require any special equipment to put it down and the membrane could potentially last for decades, as it was UV stable and did not break down when exposed to the weather.

Because rubber roofing was cheap, quick to install, and offered a potentially long service life, and with lack of any opposition from better roofing products, it quickly became the king of flat roofing and the pioneer of the single-ply flat roofing market.

Useful resources:

DIY epdm rubber roof repair – Our original article on how to fix a rubber roof with EPDM rubber adhesive (no peel-n-stick tapes)

Rubber roof repair guide – A part 2 of our Do-it-yourself guide teaching you hot to fix EPDM rubber roofing systems with primer and seam tape.