Please Help! - Need Flat Roof Info

[houstonlandguy]

I'm considering a mod home in Braeswood Place with a flat roof. I know nothing about these - what can any of y'all share with me about replacement costs and maintenance issues with flat roofs? Are there any roofing contractors that any of you have had good luck with on a flat roof?

Thanks for your help.

[TheNiche]

I'm considering a mod home in Braeswood Place with a flat roof. I know nothing about these - what can any of y'all share with me about replacement costs and maintenance issues with flat roofs? Are there any roofing contractors that any of you have had good luck with on a flat roof?

Thanks for your help.

This is just me, and my background in flat roofs is with multifamily properties, but I'd stay away from them if you have a choice. There's just too great a potential for ponding to occur, and that invites leakage and rot. Also, you can't see what's up there from the ground; you don't want a sapling to start growing up there that puts roots down into your roof. It sounds strange, I know, but I've seen it happen.

[Willowisp]

Mine was re-done in 2000. We bought the house in 2005. No issues yet. The garage is another story, but I don't think that's ever been properly re-roofed. I've invited "mdadm" to join this conversation, as I heard good things about his roofing experience and would consider hiring his guy next time my roof needs work. We'll see if he responds.

[hugoks]

i'd look at it a day or so after the next good rain. short of that, include running a water hose on the roof during your buyer inspection with a followup a couple days later. if there's still ponding, i'd walk away - or at least budget a new roof soon - including replacing some of the rotted decking underneath - and provisions for the missing slope (tapered insulation or modification to the roof deck). flat roofs are supposed to drain, but there are so many opportunities for error in both the design and construction process, settlement with age, and misguided roof repairs, that they don't drain and the ponding does not evaporate quickly enough. the problem is further magnified by the wet leaves/pine needles that accumulate - especially around skylights an junctions with vertical faces (ie where the flat roof meets the gable face of an adjacent sloped area)(and why would one buy and older houston home if it doesn't have trees). along with the realestate criteria location, location, location, i know people who wouldn't even consider a flat roofed house (even with an enthusiasm or tolerance for mods) partly because of that added maintenance, and because of the future difficulty to sell the house.

[houstonlandguy]

Thanks - I greatly appreciate the replies.

[GREASER]

I have a commercial membrane installed by Starfish roofing. The owner is over the green houston roofing assoc, or something like that. Its white rubber and has a infinite life (infinite to me being about 30 more yrs)

[TheNiche]

I have a commercial membrane installed by Starfish roofing. The owner is over the green houston roofing assoc, or something like that. Its white rubber and has a infinite life (infinite to me being about 30 more yrs)

I have one of those on a commercial building. It's more like a woven PVC membrane. Very durable, extremely efficient, and the life span is actually 26 years. But it is a fair bit more expensive than some alternatives, and you need to clean it from time to time to prevent algae growth.

[24zulu]

I'm considering a mod home in Braeswood Place with a flat roof. I know nothing about these - what can any of y'all share with me about replacement costs and maintenance issues with flat roofs? Are there any roofing contractors that any of you have had good luck with on a flat roof?

Thanks for your help.

Try: www.inspectapedia.com for info on this. I've used their info service for a lot of projects, and they are really a good source of info, even if you're not a do-it-yourselfer.