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flat roof repair

17 years ago

We've been getting estimates on flat roof repair. In addition to the estimates and warranties varying wildly, some contractors have said we should absolutely have an aluminum-based coating put over the rolled rubber material, while others have said it's not necessary. Some contractors have said it's better to attach the material with a torch while others have said you should never do that. Any general thoughts/experiences with similar repair would be much appreciated.

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Comments (4)

brickeyee
17 years ago
Torch down is not actually rubber. It is bitumin.

If you want a permanent roof use EPDM membrane.
It can be glued down or balasted, or even secured with flaps on the back side.
For smaller areas try Resource Conservation Technology, Baltimore, MD.
They can supply a turn key kit with all the materials and a factory seamed roof that uses hidden flaps at the seams to hold everything down.
Life span is at least 30 years.
ron6519
17 years ago
Are they all speaking about the same roofing material?
Ron
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Don't get me wrong. I love my house the way it is, but I have gone thru two membrane systems in six years and am in a constant state of anxiety, wondering where my next leak will be. If it weren't such an issue, here in Western Pennsylvania, I would embrace it and run with it. Finding a roofer to work on it is nearly impossible as they are so uncommon locally (except for commercial spaces....and those guys don't care about residential projects). The last roof has created an issue that has destroyed the cedar in the back of the house, which the last roofer denies responsibility for. It has been a fight and I am tired of it.
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3katz4me
17 years ago
I have an EPDM flat room on my garage - in MN. It lasted about 25 years. It does have a cedar deck over it - deck as in patio/deck - so it's protected from UV, etc. We had it replaced and the estimates varied widely - some were twice as much as others. I ended up having one of the less expensive people do the work and I think they did a good job - other than not being all that attentive to the details of putting the deck back on. I was just thankful to find someone who would do the whole thing - pull the deck off, replace the flat roof, put the deck back on.
garycook
17 years ago
The time had come to re-roof my condo and this is what I chose after getting bids and doing research about flat roofs.

Here is a link that might be useful: SPF foam roof

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