Anyone Experienced with a Flat Roof (Atlanta, Avalon: home, neighborhood, contractor)

[cautious-mom]

Okay gang, we have a contract (finally!) on a terrific mid-century California ranch in a great Atlanta neighborhood. Problem: it has a flat roof that needs repair/replacement.

We love the architectural interest of the roof, but it leaks a lot. So far, we've found only one roofer who even deals with a roof like this. (It's not a rolled-roof.)

Does anyone out there have a roof like this, know anything about this kind of roof, or have any recommendations?

Thanks in advance!

[BobKovacs]

If it leaks "a lot", it most likely has to come off. You say it's not a roll roof- do you know what it is? EPDM? TPO? How old (hopefully it's not the original roof)? Is the roof framing sloped, or is it on tapered insulation? What's the decking material? Is it a fairly simple layout, or is it all cut up? How big is the roof?

As you can see, there's a lot of questions to answer, and you may want to start with a commercial roofing contractor, since most residential guys are clueless on membrane roof systems.

[Joe Kelley]

As moderator said there are many types of flat roof material(PVC, EPDM, CPE, PIB, etc.). I would not be as concerned with what type of roof you have, as I would be with the type that you are going to replace it with.
Since you know that it is leaking at the very least some decking will have to be replaced. It is possible that some of the framing will have to be replaced. Like the moderator I would recommend a good commercial roofing contractor.

Joe Kelley
Avalon Home Inspections
AvalonHomeInspections.net

[cautious-mom]

Oops! I misspoke. I don't know what the original roof was, but it currently has a roll roof on it. The decking material is wood plank. Although the roof is in fair condition, it's already 10 years old. Plus, it's the cheapest, most short-lived roof out there. Our inspector said this one had standing water because of an insufficient slope. He recommended something called a tray or pan roof.

If we go through with this, I think a commercial roofer might be the way to go. So thanks for the suggestion. Sadly, I think it's going to be so expensive that it will kill this deal.

[darkangl72]

Originally Posted by cautious-mom

If we go through with this, I think a commercial roofer might be the way to go. So thanks for the suggestion. Sadly, I think it's going to be so expensive that it will kill this deal.

From your description, I believe that this is the same type of roof that we had to replace on a 1900s home that we renovated in downtown Atlanta. We used Southeastern Shingles Roofing Company. They did a good job for us. The home was roughly 2,600 sq ft and the roof ended up costing us $7,500 which included tearing the old roof off and replacing it with a new one. I wouldn't let a roof kill the deal if you really like the home.