Author: Leo - CoolFlatRoof

Massachusetts Roofs are Overrun by Ice Dams

Posted on by Leo - CoolFlatRoof
Kenmore Sq covered in snow

Kenmore Sq covered in snow

In the past the weeks Boston presidency of over 70 inches of snow. Now one in three roofs has eyes them roof leaks and damages. Roofing contractors around Massachusetts are receiving 30+ phone calls a day from homeowners with ice dam roof leak problems. The prop the homeowner must either remove ice and snow from the roof or hire a contractor to do it.

On average a roofer will charge hundred dollars per man hour three more snow and ice. But the problem is that in the week or so will have more snow and same roofs will need to clean up again. The low slope roofs are affected by ice dams the most, due to their design limitations.

To prevent or eliminate ice dams, we advise our customers to either install and Ice Belt system along the roof edge, install a complete metal roof on the entire house, or install an IB PVC flat roofing membrane on the shallow slope roof. There are other ways to combat Ice Dams, but most of them are ineffective, and in the short period of time will cost homeowners more money, then to install and ice dams proof roofing materials.

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Examples of such ice dam prevention methods include the following:

  • Ice melting heat cables
  • Throwing rock salt on the ice
  • Using steam do you move ice dams
  • Using ice and water barrier underneath a roofing shingles
  • Installing integrated ice melting system (underneath the roofing shingles)

The methods above require either constantly hiring a roofer or using time and resources and such as electricity ice melt / rocksalt. This methods are also ineffective, because when the next snow falls again the ice dams will grow on the roof once more. Thus, we recommend a permanent solution to eliminate ice dams.

Ice Dam Solutions by Cool Flat Roof:

There are several ways to alleviate or improve the situation with the ice dams on the roof. Because ice dams are caused by the heat escaping from inside your house, and melting the snow on the roof you should first and foremost improve the insulation in your attic.

Second, you should improve attic ventilation to remove the hot and moist air from your attic space. This way the heat will not melt the snow on the roof. These should be done, regardless of whether you plan to install a permanent roof or not.

While the two former methods are essential and effective, they do not guarantee 100% success in eliminating ice dams. This is especially true for low slope and flat roofs, as well as on the steep slope Hip or Gambrel roofs, where it is nearly impossible to add or improve ventilation and insulation in the attic space.

To permanently resolve ice dams, hire Cool Flat Roof to install a new Metal Roof, IB PVC Flat Roof or Ice Belt metal panels along the eaves of your house

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Flat Roofing Prices: IB Roof Installation Costs in MA, RI, CT and NY.

Posted on by Leo - CoolFlatRoof

How Much Flat Roof Costs - Calculate Prices
Roof Size
x ft.
Tear-off
Roof Slope
Material
Estimated Roof Price: $0

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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 if you are looking for a long lasting, durable, leak free, energy efficient and low maintenance roofing membrane, an IB PVC Roof is the best choice.

IB is a premium product and costs more than most other flat roofing materials. Here we review flat roofing cost structure and, IB Roof prices and packages that we offer in Massachusetts and surrounding states ( CT, RI, NH, ME and VT).

Flat Roof Replacement Cost: Residential and Commercial

At some point, there comes a time when flat roof patches stop working and it needs to be replaced. Installation price from every roofing company also includes that company’s overhead or cost of running the business. 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.

Flat roofing - Lexington, Mass.

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.

flat roof home

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 equally well in protecting your roof from the elements, and will remain water-tight throughout their service life and beyond.


Average Flat Roof Costs in US Average Flat Roof Costs in US
Rubber Roof
Rubber
$7766
PVC Roof
IB PVC
$9095
TPO Roof
TPO
$8415

See costs in your area Start Here - Enter Your Zip Code



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 and difficulty level. You will get ‘quotes’ for an IB roof, as well as other roofing products, and approximate energy-savings derived from using an IB roof.

Please Note: All prices described above are assuming an ‘average’ roofing project and may/will change depending on your roof’s condition and scope of work required. The price may change in either direction, and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.



IB Roof Packages and Prices in New England

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

All packages described below 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 below do not include tear-off of the existing roof, as that usually varies a lot from one flat roof to another. The cost of a tear-off is determined on a 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 your particular roof.

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

Our basic and the most popular 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 fanfold 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 an IB roofing membrane to give you decades of leak-free performance and curb-appeal. IB Traditions come in three color options: 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 a 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 80-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).

Are you excited about an 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 we will work with you to provide the best roofing system available!


Average Flat Roof Costs in US Average Flat Roof Costs in US
Rubber Roof
Rubber
$7766
PVC Roof
IB PVC
$9095
TPO Roof
TPO
$8415

See costs in your area Start Here - Enter Your Zip Code



Metal Roofing Installation in MA

Posted on by Leo - CoolFlatRoof

Metal is the best and longest lasting roofing material that you can install on your sloped roof, and it offers a number of benefits that cannot be matched by other materials. While a metal roof is not the least expensive option out there, it will actually be less expensive in the long run, than installing multiple asphalt roofs, and dealing with roof leaks and hassles involved in replacing your roof.

Superior Protection You Can Count On

A metal roof will protect your home from rain, snow, and most important in the north east – ice dams. Metal roofing is ice dams proof, as it sheds ice and snow, and its design prevents ice dams from causing roof leaks, as is the case with asphalt shingles. You won’t have to rely on faulty and often failing ice and water barrier, or other gimmicks to protect your home from regular roof leaks, and those caused by ice dams.

Metal Roof Installation

Installation of metal roofing materials is our specialty, and we have extensive experience in dealing with even the most complicated roofs. We have installed virtually every metal roofing system there is, and have created and perfected special ways of dealing with and preventing common roof leaks. Here is one of the examples of how we install metal roofing to prevent leaks through ridge vent opening.

Our Unique Approach to Metal Roofing Installation

We pay special attention and dedicate extra time to roof details which are the most susceptible to roof leaks:

  • Valley flashing.
  • Chimney flashing.
  • Skylights.
  • Roof to wall connection.
  • Roof pitch change.
  • Ridge vents.
  • Eave flashing (ice dams preventions).
  • Roof ventilation.

While any roofing company can install a field metal roofing panel, the items above are what usually cause roof leaks. This is where we stand out from the crowd, with our expertise and special attention to detail on every one of these challenging roof components. Installing your roof right, is our main goal!

Roofing Job Videos in MA, CT and RI

Posted on by Leo - CoolFlatRoof

Here you will find video profiles of roofs we installed in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island. These videos will demonstrate how the roof was installed from beginning to end, as well showcase short excerpts taken during roof installation, such as installing standing seam metal roofing panels, or hot-air welding of seams on IB PVC roof installations. Most videos are available in High Definition (HD 720P) to better show the details of the work performed.

You can also check out our roofing job profiles gallery which shows some of the roofs we installed in MA, CT and RI. Roof video profiles here will be presented in no particular order. If we’ve already written a full job profile, we’ll reference it below the video.

You can see more of our roofing videos on our YouTube Roof Video channel.

New Roof installation videos, added in March 2011

IB Flat Roof installаtion with Tapered ISO insulation- Cambridge, MA

IB PVC flat roof installation with 1/8″ tapered ISO insulation in Wayland, MA

IB PVC Flat Roof installation wit 3″ ISO insulation in Weston, MA

Flat roof installation and slate roof repair in Brookline MA

This PVC flat roof was installed in Brookline, MA on a roof of a home undergoing major renovations. The old rubber roof (with 5 layers of tar roofing underneath the rubber) was leaking, and the slate roof adjoining the flat roof was also in poor shape.

We removed old roofing, wet insulation and the old slate roof, and installed new plywood over the entire roof deck, 20-r value 3.3″ ISO insulation on a flat roof (sloped roof had insulation between the rafters) and new 80 mil IB PVC roof on flat and sloped sections of the roof, 4 inch Dark Bronze drip edge around roof perimeter, and copper drip edge with PVC coated flange on the sloped edges of the roof. The video is in two parts – the first, showing preparation work and slate roof repair, and the second one, showing roof installation.

Part one – roof preparation – tear off, plywood installation and slate roof repair:

Part two – installing insulation and IB PVC Roof:

Standing seam metal roof in Plymouth, MA

This aluminum standing seam metal roof was installed in Plymouth MA in the spring of 2008. The job was about 2500 sq. ft. total. The roofing material was .032″ aluminum metal roof in Patina Green color. Check out the full roofing job profile – Metal Roofing in Plymouth MA.

Rubber roof repair in Boston, MA

This repair was performed on a residential rubber roof in Boston MA in October 2010. We prepared and patched three leaking outside corner flashings – two at HVAC units, and one at a parapet wall. If your rubber roof roof leaks, we offer rubber roof repair service in metro Boston MA, which includes 2 hours of repair work, all needed EPDM flashing materials and accessories, and costs only $375.

80-mil IB PVC flat roof with copper drip-edge in Newton, MA

This new IB roof was installed in Newton, MA in summer 2010. The job features include IB’s new copper drip edge with PVC flange – now you have a choice of not only PVC clad galvanized steel drip edge in white and dark bronze colors, but also stainless steel and real copper drip edge, and the roof system integrity will remain the same as IB material can be welded to the flange of copper drip edge. Check out the IB flat roof installation steps, to see how an IB roof is installed.

This flat roof in Newton MA also had a walk-out roof deck / balcony on the side, for which we used an 80-mil IB membrane with floating deck on top. Check out the complete roof job review of this flat roof in Newton MA.

Metal Shingles Roof in Johnston, RI

This Tamko Metal Works steel shingles roof was installed in the summer of 2007. Back then, the GAF DeckArmor underlayment, which we use on all our metal roof installations, was in it’s first edition – you can see that it is grey, whereas now it is light blue color, and a little thicker and stronger.

This installation included tear off of 2 layers of asphalt shingles, installing the GAF DeckArmor underlayment and Tamko steel metal shingles roof – Stone Crest Slate profile in Vermont Blue color. There are four roof sections and about 75 feet of roof to wall flashing, where we had to remove old ceder shingles siding off the walls, so we could install underlayment and side-wall flashing at least 6 inches up the wall. Total roof size was about 2100 sq. ft.

PVC Roof Repair

Besides rubber roof repair, we also provide PVC roof repair services (as well as TPO roof repair) in the metro Boston area, and within 50-mile travel distance from Boston. Here are two examples of PVC roof repair that we did. In all PVC roof repairs, we use new IB PVC roofing material, and MEK cleaning solution or acetone to clean and prepare an old roof for welding a new membrane. Check out our PVC Roof Repair page.

Trocal PVC roof repair using IB PVC membrane in West Hartford, CT:

Sarnafil PVC roof repair using IB PVC membrane in Needham, MA:

If you like the work we do, and need to replace your old roof or install a new flat or metal roof, or need a rubber or PVC roof repair done, request a roofing estimate, and get a free roofing price quote – click the Roofing Estimate button below or call us at 617-444-9020.

Spray Foam Roofing – Cost Effective and Eco-Friendly Flat Roof

Posted on by Leo - CoolFlatRoof



Whether you are considering getting a new roof for your home or business because you’re tired of patching leaks, or because you have heard how much you can save on energy bills with an eco-friendly roof, consider a spray foam roof.

What was that? Spray foam?

Spray foam roofing goes back more than 30 years, and its popularity has been growing exponentially because of its advantages over traditional roofing systems. What advantages, you ask? Consider this:

  • It’s monolithic, meaning it is one piece with no seams, which equates to no leaks
  • It insulates extremely well, and can lower the temperature of a roof by up to 100 degrees!
  • Long lifespan with periodic maintenance*
  • Pays for itself!

Spray Foam Roof Installation Process:

Installation is simple and relatively inexpensive! There are several reasons why this particular brand of roofing is so much less expensive than traditional methods. One of the main features of SPF is that the foam itself can adhere to nearly any kind of existing roofing material, with the exception of atactic polypropylene bitumen. This means that you don’t have to pay for the roofer to remove your current roof and pay landfill fees.

Usually, two 55 gallon drums, one with an isocyanate and the other with a resin, are hooked up to a machine that heats the liquids and combines them at the best ratio for effectiveness. Then the liquids are piped into a special spray gun that combines them upon application.

Once applied to the roof (after it has been cleaned to ensure the most adhesive strength), the combined liquids begin to form bubbles on a microscopic level, expanding to 20 or 30 times their original volume, all within about ten seconds, and you can walk on it in under a minute!

The final part of the installation is to apply a UV and weather protective coating to the foam. The type of coating really depends on your budget and how much energy you want to save, as well as how much additional durability you would like the roof to have. The color of the coating varies, but white is usually the best choice from an economical perspective. White will deflect the most sunlight, thereby reducing the amount of energy absorbed by the roof, and in the end lowering the cost for cooling the interior of the building.

Gravel and stretchy, elastomeric coatings are among the more popular options for protecting the foam roof. Other options include acrylic, silicone, butyl rubber and different types of urethane spray coatings. One more coat is applied on top of this spray coating, in order to help prevent physical damage from the elements, including ultraviolet sun rays. This final coat has gravel-like granules sprinkled on or embedded.

What’s in it for ME?

Well, for starters, you will begin seeing a dramatic decline in the cost of heating and cooling as soon as the roof is installed. Don’t believe me? What if I told you that when Texas A&M switched roofing systems in 1975 they switched to spray foam roofing. By making the switch to SPF, they saved so much money on energy savings that they were, on most occasions, able to pay off the construction costs within four and a half years, sometimes just two or three!

Durability and longevity are other major advantages for SPF roof systems. Excluding major weather incidents, there are usually no repairs or maintenance necessary for at least 10 to 15, maybe 20 years, depending on the type of system you have installed. When the time comes for maintenance, the existing roof will be cleaned and recoated, simple as that. A well-maintained roof can easily last 50 years or more. Talk about return on investment!





Cost of Spray Foam Roofing

Speaking of return on investment, how much will this investment set you back? Naturally it depends on a lot of variables including where you are, what kind of foam you prefer (as in density, thickness, etc.), what protective coatings are used, the building itself and the intricacy of the job. For average SPF systems you will probably be looking at starting prices of approximately $6 per square foot and up.

I hope this article has helped you in choosing a reliable, inexpensive and green roofing solution. All that’s left is choosing the right roof repair or replacement company for you. Overall, spray foam roofing is a great flat roofing choice. That, and enjoy saving up to 50% on energy bills for years to come!

This article was provided by Freedom Exteriors, LLC – premium roofing contractor in Arkansas. This article may not represent the opinion of CoolFlatRoof.com

Article commentary from from CoolFlatRoof Blog editor:

Spray for roofing is a highly energy efficient flat roofing material, which combines the roof insulation with the waterproofing layer. However, spray foam roofing or SPF, requires regular maintenance and complete re-coating every 10 years to maintain the protective layer over the foam. Without that protective layer, the UV rays of the sun will quickly destroy the SPF roof. It is best to coat the SPF roof with a urethane coating rather than with cheaper acrylic coating, and to add stone granules to the coating for longest performance.

One thing we want to mention is that SPF is a very popular flat roof material in the southern US, whereas up north, you will rarely see a spray foam roof (though I know of at least two large roofing contractors installing SPF roofs in the northern US with great success). Here in New England single ply membrane roofing is a more popular choice for a flat roof.

Another thing for you to consider is the situation with ponding water and how well the SPF roof will handle it. Rubber roofs for example will leak under ponding water, whereas a PVC roof with hot air welded seams will remain watertight. Although it’s best not to have ponding water at all, in many retrofit roof installations, you just can’t avoid it, so make sure that you get a ponding water guaranty from your reputable roofing contractor.




Flat Roof Installation

Posted on by Leo - CoolFlatRoof

Flat roof installation sequence and the way different components are put together can oftentimes be quite confusing. We also get many questions about particular aspects of how roof details work in different situations. Our Roof Installation Guide will answer these questions and demonstrate the step by step process of installing an IB PVC flat roofing system. We welcome any questions you may have – you can ask them in the comments section at the end of this article.

IB PVC Flat Roof in Massachusetts


Average 1500 s.f. Roof Prices in US

Asphalt Shingles
$5718
Flat Roof
$9869
Metal Roof
$14711

See costs in your area Start Here - Enter Your Zip Code



Installing a flat roof (PVC single ply roofing membrane in this case) can be a pretty straight forward process, or a very confusing endeavor, because each component must be installed in a particular order. Otherwise the system may not work the way it should. Of course there is an installation spec manual from IB roofs, which we always keep handy, and actually had to use once or twice. However, this manual only shows particular flashing detail or a general way of how the membrane and insulation ought to be installed. It can’t possibly cover all the specifics of the roof installation that come up in the field.

Flat roof installation – prep work – insulation, wood nailer and penetration flashing

Lets start looking at the prep work, and the order in which things actually happen:

PVC Roofing is a very durable and long lasting flat roofing material. However it should never be in direct contact with any oil and asphalt (also oil) products. Since most other roofing materials are made with oil or asphalt, we always install a protection layer between PVC membrane and either old roof or the roof deck. We usually use insulation to protect the membrane from being in contact with asphalt and also from deck fastener punctures. Roof insulation also serves its primary purpose of improving thermal insulation properties of your roof.



Before we install insulation though, we first install a perimeter wood nailer that serves as a rigid nailing base for the PVC-coated drip edge. Once wood nailer is in place, we lay out the insulation sheets and fasten them to the roof deck, using FM Global 60 or 90 mph wind rating standard – 8 or 10 plates + fasteners per 8×4 feet insulation board (although this is unnecessary, since it is a mechanically attached system). Once the wood nailer and insulation are in place, we install one or more rows of perimeter half sheet, which is a 3 foot wide roll of membrane, vs a standard 6 feet width for field rolls. The perimeter half sheet is installed to prevent wind uplift, and is fastened either 12″ o.c. or 6′ o.c. (for high wind areas).

Flat roofing – tapered insulation


Average 1500 s.f. Roof Prices in US

Asphalt Shingles
$5718
Flat Roof
$9869
Metal Roof
$14711

See costs in your area Start Here - Enter Your Zip Code



If there is a ponding water situation, the fastest and most cost-effective way to solve the ponding is to install a so called tapered insulation system, which creates slight roof pitch, which helps divert the water in a required direction and improves roof drainage.

Tapered insulation is basically the same thing as extruded PolyISO insulation with a fiberglass facing. The only difference is that tapered insulation is wider along one edge and narrower along the other. A tapered insulation system can have a roof slope ranging from 1/8″ per one foot run, to 1/2″ rise per one foot run or more.

Flat roof installation – mechanically attached assembly

A reinforced PVC single ply roof allows installers a choice of installing the roof in a fully adhered assembly (sheets of membrane glued to the insulation) or a mechanically attached assembly, where each sheet or roll of the roofing material is screwed to the roof deck substrate with heavy duty, corrosion resistant fasteners, and barbed plates. Each roll is screwed to the roof deck on one side, and then the next roll, overlaps a row of screws, and is welded to the first roof, right next to the screws. Then the process continues in the same manner, until the whole roof is covered by the membrane.



As you can see in the roof installation picture above, the narrow roll of membrane is installed around the roof perimeter and wider rolls are in place, and are ready to be installed. However, before you get to this point, there is a lot of prep work that has to be done first, and the actual membrane installation is the easy part.

Normally, we use a 1/4″ tapered insulation system which raises roof level 1″ for every 4×4′ insulation piece.

Drip edge detail

As we mentioned the perimeter half sheet is installed along roof edges, and fastened on the inside with screws and plates – what is holding the half sheet along its outer edge? Well, this is the question that homeowners often ask me. The way IB PVC roof system is designed, allows us to attach the outer edge either directly to the drip edge or run in over the roof edge by a couple of inches, nail it to the fascia board and install a drip edge metal over the membrane.

Both ways are acceptable, but most of the time we use the second method – especially in high winds area. Once the roofing material is installed and flipped down, over the edge of the roof, we install 10 foot sections of 22 ga PVC coated galvanized or stainless steel drip edge, and fasten it to the deck with the roofing screws, either 12″ or 6″ o.c. Then we weld a 5″ wide cover strip of the membrane to the roof and to the drip edge, to seal the screw holes and bake the whole detail water-tight.

Check out our video on how drip-edge metal is installed:

Once the 10-foot sections of drip-edge are installed, the joins are sealed using an aluminum tape and a PVC patch to mack the joint water-tight and protect the patch from metal expansion and contraction. After the joints are complete, the cover tape is welded to drip edge starter and the roof itself, and its now time to do the rest of the roof.

As a side note, there are many options for drip edge detail. Although the most used drip edge is the 2 or 3″ wide face, white starter, you can also choose it to be as much as 8 or more inches wide, as well as in gravel stop style (if you need to divert the water flow or prevent it from going over the edge of the roof.

Gravel stop drip edge has a 1″ bump-out, which stops water from spilling over, and makes it run down the roof – toward a drain or a gutter. Drip edge comes in two colors – white and dark bronze, and also can be painted any other color with acrylic paint. IB roofs also offers 16 oz. copper drip edge, with PVC material adhered to the flange, and can produce any style drip edge, with different angles, kick-in or kick-out face and in various widths.

Flat roof installation – field sheets, roof penetrations and roof to wall termination:

After all edge detail is complete, we install the field rolls of membrane and all penetration flashings, such as pipes, drains, HVAC / Skylight curbs, roof hatches, chimneys, etc.



IB Roof Systems produces a wide variety of flashing accessories, which allow installers to quickly and easily flash almost any roof penetration. Since all roof components are made of PVC, they are all welded together, and the use of any adhesives or glues is completely eliminated, as well as most installation errors by roof mechanics.

All curb and up-the wall flashing is installed using a two-step process. First, the roof is terminated that the wall, and then a separate piece of membrane is installed up the wall and welded to the roof.

After the flashing is installed and welded to the roof, the inside or outside corner flashing is welded to make a permanent watertight joint.

All IB flashing accessories are made of 60-mil non-reinforced flashing membrane and can stretch to perfectly adhere to any shape of a penetration on the roof. Pipe flashings and drains have a reinforced flange to be welded to the roof.

Bellow is a video demonstrating the curb flashing installation around a skylight:

As you can see in the video, the roof penetration flashing is a very clean process, and a chance of a leak is minimal to none. Unlike flashing details on a rubber roof, where a membrane cannot and should not be terminated at the base of the curb, due to high possibility of a leak caused by adhesive failure, the hot air welding process used in sealing overlaps and seams on a PVC roof, eliminates leaks, as well as membrane pull-out caused by contraction of the roofing material in cold weather.

Special flashing details

IB roof spec manual does not cover all installation details, as in the real world you often run into situations where you have to “improvise”, while your roof must still be watertight. One such example is the ridge vent detail on flat / low slope roofs such as shed dormers. While many low slope roofs are considered “flat”, they were built as sloped roofs with ridge / soffit ventilation in mind. However, many roofing contractors that install EPDM rubber roofs, block the ridge vent opening completely to prevent roof leaks.

We’ve developed a special assembly method, which allows us to still use the ridge vent, and keep the roof watertight. We run our roof up-to the ridge opening, weld additional strip of membrane, install a 2×4 wood to raise the level off the roof, flip the strip of membrane back and wrap the 2×4 with it. This prevents wind driven water from penetrating the roof, and ridge vent + ridge cap is installed on top, 2 inches up.

As you can see, IB PVC roof can be adjusted to virtually any type of flat roof, and roof penetrations. We recommend that you check out more roof installation videos on our Roofing Videos channel on YouTube.

You can see more examples of flat roof installations that we have done all over New England: Roofing in Massachusetts and roofs in Connecticut. We provide residential roofing and commercial roof installation services in all New England states. However most of our work takes place in MA, CT and RI.

Also, if you have a flat roof deck that is leaking, check out our roof deck section, to learn more about IB roof installation on flat roof decks, patios and balconies, using special slip-proof roofing material called IB DeckShield.

Flat Roofing Insulation

Posted on by Leo - CoolFlatRoof

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 would spend on a 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, you will contribute to the reduction of carbon monoxide emitted into the atmosphere. Moreover, by using recycled insulation, you save space in our nation’s landfills, another invaluable benefit to 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.

Another option you have is 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 features 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.

Green Roofs – Benefits, Design and Cost

Posted on by Leo - CoolFlatRoof

The concept of green roofs, or roof-top gardens that create healthier cities is great, and fortunately it is not just for enthusiasts. However, despite their many benefits to the environment and homeowners, green roofs still face many obstacles in becoming main-stream. Some of those obstacles are technical and, some (the most important ones) have to do with the price tag associated with a green roof.

Green Roofs carry numerous benefits from reducing the heat-island effect and extending a roof's life span, to creating a great aesthetic feel, which enhances productivity of office workers, and ultimately creates a healthier city.

We will review green roofs, not only from the Eco-friendly perspective, but also from a roofer’s point of view, as it is the roofer that makes green roofs work. We’ll also discuss recent technological breakthroughs in the green roofing industry, which have to do with simplifying design, installation, and greatly reducing costs.

Cost of Green Roofs

Green roofs are expensive – no doubt about that. The 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, as these plants must be able to survive in a limited amount of soil and if a drought hits, these plants might not survive. It may also be necessary to set up some kind of a sprinkler system to maintain the required moisture level.

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 the sun and the elements. A green roof will also make your building a lot cooler, as it absorbs most of solar heat.

Technical (installation) issues

To reap all these benefits of a green roof, 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 it begins to leak – now you have to disassemble it: 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; all seams must be checked and double checked in order to ensure a leak-free, functioning roof.

IB Roof and GreenRoofBlocks

IB Roof and Green Roofing Blocks create a perfect combination for a long lasting, easy to maintain and inexpensive green roof.

To make the installation and maintenance of a 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 is 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.

Flat Roof Installation and Consulting

Posted on by Leo - CoolFlatRoof

Cool Flat Roof - full service roofing company. We provide installation and Consulting services
We are an Eco-Friendly, full service flat roofing company specializing in installation of Cool Roofing systems for a 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.

Installation Services

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. 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, and will help you conserve energy, as well as benefit environment.

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.

Installation Service Details:

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

Unmatched Labor Warranty

While a standard labor warranty in the roofing industry (a minimum required by law) is the 2-year period, all our roof 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).

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 will we fix it, but we will also give you a check for $250.

Licenses and Registrations

    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


Consulting Services

Cool Flat Roof - full service roofing company. We provide installation and Consulting services
We offer roofing consultation services which include a complete analysis of your present roof condition, inspection of structural components, roof deck and roof insulation. We analyze your roof’s 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 with 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 needed items, and eliminating unnecessary and costly ones. This will prevent future “change orders” and up-charges from your GC / Architect / Contractor, and save you money and frustration.


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 the winter and cooler in the summer. Thanks guys. I recommend you to everyone who mentions a roofing problem. – Jack from Providence, RI

Flat Roof Leaks and Repair Information

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.

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 for rubber roof repair and tar & gravel roof repair for immediate steps you can take to temporarily stop roof leaks, until you can perform a complete re-roof. You can also read our comprehensive Flat Roof Repair Guide to gain insight into issues associated with leaks, costs involved in repair, and ways to minimize your expenses.

Discover different types of flat roofing materials and choose the best roofing product for your home or business. It is a shame that in the 21st century many roofing contractors still use 19th century roofing technology, which 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

Residential Flat Roofing – Forget About Your Roof Leaking With IB Roofs

Posted on by Leo - CoolFlatRoof



  • Does your low-slope roof leak due to Ice Dams problems? Does your ridge vent leak, or did you have to completely remove the ridge vent to stop leaks? Poor ventilation and attic insulation is causing your ice dams, but now you can solve this problem efficiently and economically.

    • An IB PVC Membrane is a solution that will keep your home, probably your biggest investment, watertight and ice dams free for decades to come!

Residential IB Cool Roof in Wallingford, Connecticut. This 80-mil grey roof perfectly blends with the house, keeps the water out, and homeowners happy. No more patching or repairs, no more worries!

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 walls. These damages are extremely expensive to repair, as it would require hiring 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 the inside of 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 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 cause more damages to structural walls and insulation, destroying your home from the inside, increasing your energy-related expenses, and causing more heat loss, which creates bigger ice dams…

One negative effect caused 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. The 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.

IB Membrane Solves Ice Dams Problems

An IB membrane is a perfect way to eliminate Ice Dams on a low slope roof, as it is a seamless blanket over the entire roof. Hot air welded seams prevent water from backing up and re-freezing, as is the case with shingles and rolled asphalt roofing, therefore 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 from entering your attic space through the holes in the ridge vent, while allowing the warm air to escape the attic. Check out our special Low-Slope roof ridge vent assembly, which improves your attic ventilation and eliminates leaks!