Flat Roof Replacement

Flat roof replacement is quite different in several ways from projects that involve traditional pitched roofs. The primary difference for us is that a flat roof replacement does not use metal as the roofing material. This is exceptional for us, since the majority of roofs we do are metal. However, there are some nice benefits with a flat roof replacement. More on that in a minute.
The most common places to see a flat roof is on a commercial building. In fact, the procedure and the materials that we use for a flat roof replacement are essentially those of a commercial project. However, there are some flat roofs found in some residences – usually this is a sun room, or a “Florida” room as we like to call them here. The rest of the roof on the home is pitched, but just that one section is flat.

When we are working with a flat roof, our goal is to cause it to have a slight pitch. When we are finished, it will still “look” like a flat roof replacement because the pitch will not be very noticeable. But when rainwater falls on that roof, it will travel down to the lowest point and drain off. This is the reason we make sure there is a pitch; to prevent water from “ponding” in a certain spot on the roof. If this section of roof were actually flat from end to end and side to side, water would pool in a location and eventually it would leak through. Water will always find a way, if you give it an opportunity and enough time. Giving the flat roof a bit of a pitch prevents that. The way we allow that pitch to be present in an essentially flat roof is through the use of insulation. But not just any insulation – this is a tapered insulation board. This just means that one side is slightly higher than the other side. The higher side gets lined up with the side of the roof that connects to the house, and the lower end it out at the edge of the roof, so the water will run that direction and drain off.

On top of the insulation is a white thermoplastic membrane; this is the primary component of our flat roof replacement. This material has some great benefits:

The membrane comes in 100 foot sections that are either 5 or 10 feet wide, and the seams are heat welded. Since most of the residential installations that we do are on small rooms, you essentially have a seamless roof. This is a real advantage
the fewer seams, the less chance of one of them coming apart.
Since the material is white, it is highly reflective. This reflective material, in combination with the insulation that is under it, means that the temperature in the room will be cooler in the hot summer months. In fact, many power companies see this type of flat roof replacement as a “cool roof”, which means you could qualify for a rebate on your utility bill. You can ask us about this when we do your estimate, or check directly with your utility company.
This type of installation is also considered environmentally “green”, which means you may also qualify for a tax rebate/incentive from the federal government.
Since there is no tar, no granules, no gravel and no mess, you won’t find yourself sweeping all those little things off your patio -and out of your pool. There is also nothing to clog up your gutter or downspout.

Flat roof replacement projects as described here come with a 20 year warranty, which includes both labor and materials.

If you are considering a flat roof repair or replacement, we would love to provide you with an estimate for a flat roof replacement.

We provide flat roof replacement in Tampa, St Petersburg, Clearwater, Bradenton, Sarasota, Orlando, Gainesville, Ocala, and the Villages.