# Flat roof questions, advice, ballpark estimate



## johnk (May 1, 2007)

I know a very good roofer in the Chicago area,who could answer all of your questions very thoroughly.He should be around anytime,His name is Ed.


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## Michael Thomas (Jan 27, 2008)

Not to further complicate your problem, but one thing to consider is that the source of the roof leak _could _be at one of the adjacent roofs - water can sometimes travel a considerable distance under a flat roof membrane or along the roof structure below it before it's observed in a living space below. (How how likely this is to be happening depends a good deal on the nature of fire separation between the units immediately below the roof surface.)


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

You have got a boat load of information there for me to consider. I couldn't get on the site earlier due to a virus picked up elsewhere, but my first instinct tells me that this is something that definitely needs pictures and probably a site visit.

Prices are irrelevant at this stage.

You are very correct about the liability of encroaching on a neighbors roof property. If tied in incorrectly, there is a whole new can of worms.

Ed


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## Michael Thomas (Jan 27, 2008)

Ed,

If you decide to take a look at this job, and I'm free that day, I'll buy you lunch - I'd like to meet you in person since we keep stumblingly across each other on the net.


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

Michael, e-mail sent to you.

Jerry,

Please post some photos so we can properly head you in the right direction.

I also know a really good contractor besides myself, who is on the North Side, if you need a referral.

Ed


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## the roofing god (Aug 2, 2007)

strip the old decking-problem is checking w/in a few ft on either side to assure neighbors stuff is ok,and you need to put a quality seam there,when putting down the new deck use a sleeper system(with extra strips of bitumen material laid out where the sleepers will be to lower the amount of pressure the weight of decking will put on your roof system),with parquet squares you can take up to deal with problems,also be sure the sleepers are laid to go with the pitch direction of the roof,to allow for proper drainage--use a reputable roofer with liability,and cmp insurance,it`s best to strip it,with a deck going on,I would be most comfortable with a modified bitumen roof system,preferably doubled up,and you should have the a/c disconnected,removed,and reinstalled after the work is done for the best job---you should also realise at 18 years of age,you should be talking to all your neighbors as all the roofs are at the end of their life cycle(in most cases)---the roof should be protected/closed up every day--for mold have a mold inspector who will check with a moisture detector,and possibly infra -red(separately)-a good roofer will have contacts for these things(a/c,mold inspection),and it`s usually best to work with people who work well together---your guarantee should be plenty to cover you,although you can pay to have the roofer come back in a year to inspect ,if it makes you feel better---always take references,and speak with the people about their experience,and also check your local consumer protection agency to see if the "roofers" have had complaints,what they were,and how were the complaints dealt with----if you`re lucky to be in ED`s neighborhood,consider it a win/win situation as he is very good,if not there`s 1 or 2 other chicago area contractors we can recommend for you


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## the roofing god (Aug 2, 2007)

cost---around15-20,000 for decking,and 7-10,000 for the roof
closest I`LL GUESS WITHOUT PICS,AND NOT KNOWING HOW BAD THE REMOVAL JOB IS

Nonetheless,getting the right job is worth every penny
expect around a 20 year warranty on the roofing
I would also look at heavy thermoplastic,or PVC systems
with IB pvc systems(recommend 80 mil),it is possible for a lifetime warranty


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

For moisture detection, in a non-destructive method and non-penetrating way, you could contact various Home Inspectors and have them use an "Infrared Thermal Imaging Camera" which would detect moisture by "Imaging" the different temperatures of we versus dry building materials.

Here is a link about how the devices operate:
http://www.flirthermography.com/media/2003_Wood-WebeFINAL.pdf


Here is another link that will tell you more about Thermal Imaging:
http://www.thehomeinspector.com/Clients/Thermal.html

And another one too:
http://www.advhi.com/thermal-imaging.asp

Ed


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## Michael Thomas (Jan 27, 2008)

One thing to keep in mind about IR imaging of roofs: time of day, weather conditions, coating reflectivity, the amount of ballast, the ability of the roof to absorb moisture, the amount and type of patching and a number of other factors affect the ability to get optimum (and sometimes even meaningful) results - for example the best time to image the roof is a few hours after sunset, while at midday with a clear sky it may be nearly impossible to get meaningful results.

Another is that thermal is most useful for locating specific leaking/deteriorating areas, and at 18 years of age and leaking we already know this roof is coming off at least down to the sheathing or below, at which point we could take direct moisture readings if useful for some reason.

So I would be reluctant to take someone's money to image such a roof unless we were able to define in advance something that would be done differently depending on what I found. 

That said, one justification of IR in this situation would be if you could establish that this was a traveling leak from an _adjacent_ roof field (IR would be at best just be suggestive BTW, you would need to directly verify this fact), another would be if you could convince the HOA - or at least the owners of adjacent units - to do an external and internal survey, if one roof is obviously leaking there is a good chance others are as well, and if so you might be able convince other owners to re-roof at the same time.


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## the roofing god (Aug 2, 2007)

on connective townhouse/condo roof systems,it`s always best to act like leaks are coming from the other neighbor roofs as well,whether they are or aren`t :thumbsup:


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## JerryH (May 7, 2008)

Thanks everyone for the information.

Have been very busy, so I haven't had a chance to get back to this or take pictures. I had my AC checked this morning though and was up on the roof, and I looked around a bit. (I should have taken pictures then, but didn't think of it). 

Tearing down the rooftop deck is going to be a real pain. There are railings around my everyone's roof deck that are held up by upright posts nailed or bolted to the base. Where my deck and the neighbor's deck railings meet, they share an upright post. So when I remove my deck, that may affect the structural integrity of the neighbor's railings I think. Also, one neighbor has a satellite dish mounted on one of the upright posts. Great, so now I have to pay to get his dish moved. 

Ed, I will contact you privately for your contact information or a referral.


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## JerryH (May 7, 2008)

To Ed:

I tried to send you a private message, but it said something about needing 20 posts before I can do that. How may I contact you privately? I'm interested in perhaps your services if you do work in my area or a referral you mentioned. If I post a visitor message does it go only to you? 
Thanks,
JerryH


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## the roofing god (Aug 2, 2007)

THIS IS ED`S E-MAIL [email protected]


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

That information is correct that TRG posted for me in my absence.

Thanks TRG.

Ed


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

JerryH said:


> To Ed:
> 
> I tried to send you a private message, but it said something about needing 20 posts before I can do that.
> 
> ...


 
That has never come up before.

Why don't you try, just to see how or if it works.

Ed


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## vianak (Oct 9, 2008)

Hi, I have a similar situation and just posted about it. Would love some advice if you have any!


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## angelamor1983 (Nov 7, 2008)

I'm a woman and do not know alot about roofing.but could someone answer my questions please?my husband is going to roof (I was told it was called roll roofing, but not sure)a flat roof about 3,000 sq ft.How much do professionals normally charge for labor?


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## Ed the Roofer (Jan 27, 2007)

angelamor1983 said:


> I'm a woman and do not know alot about roofing.but could someone answer my questions please?my husband is going to roof (I was told it was called roll roofing, but not sure)a flat roof about 3,000 sq ft.How much do professionals normally charge for labor?


True professionals that are doing things above board must include workers compensation rates and liability insurance rates and other overhead figures into their costs, so a comparison as to what professionals would charge would be totally irrelevant regarding what he has to charge. Also, some towns require the roofer to be a Licensed Contractor to even be considered to do the job. 

I really think that if he does not know what amount of time and other costs he will have into the job, he should not contemplate doing the work.

Does he have experience installing flat roof membranes from the recent past?

Ed


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