It was a hot summer day and a call came in from a Westshore property manager. The 15,000-square-foot retail building in question was built about 12 years ago with a dark surface roof. The AC units were running day and night. The tenants were feeling the heat. The roof was not leaking, but it was done. What would we do with this building?
We installed a white 60-mil TPO roof on this building. Her cooling costs went down. Her heat discomfort went down. Proper installation of a TPO roof for a Tampa building can provide these types of results.
Hearth Concrete Roofing has been installing TPO roofs in Tampa for years. We know what works and what does not in commercial flat roofing in Tampa, as well as how the unique climate in Tampa affects other types of roofs not designed for this type of weather.
TPO Roof Installation
TPO stands for thermoplastic polyolefin. That’s the technical name, but here’s what it means for your building: it’s a single-ply white membrane that reflects sunlight, resists UV damage, and withstands ponding water. For Tampa, that’s about as close to a perfect flat roof material as you’re going to find.
When we do a TPO roof installation, we start by stripping back to the deck if needed, checking for soft spots and rot, fixing drainage issues, and then laying the insulation and membrane correctly. The seams are hot-air welded, which makes them stronger than the membrane itself when done right. Improper seaming is the root cause of many TPO failures we encounter in buildings we are called to repair. Cold-welded seams, seams done in the rain, seams that weren’t fully fused. We don’t cut those corners.
We install TPO roofing on commercial buildings throughout Hillsborough County, including Tampa, Brandon, Riverview, Plant City, and Temple Terrace. Warehouse buildings, retail centers, office complexes, apartment rooftops, restaurants. If it’s flat and it needs a new roof, we can handle it.
Flat Roof Installation
Although we recommend TPO membrane for the majority of the flat roofs in Tampa, there are other systems that may be more suitable for a given building. Prior to making a recommendation for any given roof, we consider the roof’s slope, drainage, substrate, budget and how long the building will be owned by the current occupant.
We will not recommend a product to get the highest margin for ourselves. We have been installing flat roofs for many years and want to provide the best solution for any given problem, not the easiest sale. Most of our work comes from recommendations and repeat business. We don’t want to put the wrong roof on anyone’s building.
Installing Sunrooms on flat roofs in South Tampa, Channelside, Ybor City and Westshore (in the center of the business district) can be a challenge. These roofs experience extremely high heat, heavy rain, and occasional high winds from hurricanes.
Commercial Roofing
The majority of the TPO work that we do is commercial roofing. We work with property managers, building owners, general contractors, and facilities directors. Commercial roofing is much different than residential roofing. It is much larger in scale; it requires a great deal of scheduling coordination, and the consequences of failure are much greater as well.
We can’t disturb your tenants for a week, so we schedule our install to try and complete it within business hours where possible. We complete one section of the building at a time and keep the site clean and tidy at the end of each day. We obtain all required permits, have the correct insurance in place, and provide all required warranty documentation for your property records.
We have completed many commercial roofing projects, including a small restaurant roof in Hyde Park as well as very large industrial warehouse-type roofs in the Port of Tampa area. We can also set up a service agreement with you to come out and inspect all of your properties on a regular basis and make any repairs needed to maintain your roofs in good condition.
EPDM Roofing
Although 50 years old, EPDM rubber roofing still has its place on certain buildings. It lasts as long as it has been correctly installed and on some occasions we opt for fully adhered EPDM systems as opposed to TPO.
A key consideration when evaluating roof membranes is that black EPDM roofs absorb heat. While this may not be a concern for some buildings, in Tampa for example, it could add to already high cooling costs for other buildings. A white TPO roof may be a better choice in these cases. We can explore the trade-offs with you to help determine the best choice for your building.
EPDM is also excellent for more complex roof shapes. The material is flexible and can easily be cut and welded around penetrations and corners of a building. On certain building types, an EPDM roof may even last longer than a TPO roof. Of course, TPO is more common these days, but we won’t advise against EPDM for no reason.
Flat Roof Repair
While many calls regarding TPO roofs do require a complete roof removal and replacement, many roofs are in good condition overall and only have isolated areas of damage, including open seams, pulled-away flashing from walls and other structural features, and cracks in drainpipes. Tampa flat roof repair is what we offer for situations such as these where a complete replacement is not required and where we can respond quickly to attend to active leaks.
We fix many leaks on roofs that were wrongly installed by other contractors. Frequently, we find that the seams have not been properly welded, the flashings have not been folded up sufficiently, or the drains are too small. All these are errors of the original installation which reveal themselves in the form of leaks after a year or two.
Flat roof repair involves identifying the root cause of a leak as opposed to just seeing a wet spot on a ceiling. The point where water enters a building is often some distance from the point where the roof’s membrane has failed. This has to be traced and repaired.
Roof Coating
Your aging TPO roof may still have much life left in it. Instead of replacing it, a roof coating can restore reflectivity and all waterproofing properties while saving a large portion of the cost of a total new roof. We coat existing TPO roofs as well as other membrane-type roofs with silicone and elastomeric coatings.
Roofs with major structural or drainage problems cannot be saved with a coating. However, if a roof is in good structural condition but shows signs of aging, a coating can extend its service life by 10-15 years. We first inspect the roof and then provide you with a clear assessment of whether coating or replacement would be better for you.
White silicone coatings are a particularly effective reflective coating for structures located in sunny climates such as Tampa. The coating’s unique properties, which include heat reflection, seamless application, and durability in heavy rainfall, can provide building owners with noticeable savings on cooling costs after application.
Roof Inspection
We provide roof inspections for property owners, buyers and property managers. Having your flat roof inspected prior to the start of hurricane season is wise. We have inspected many properties in Carrollwood and in Brandon for instance, and found hidden problems that would have caused a massive interior flood had a single storm come through.
A flat roof inspection from us includes a complete walk of the membrane surface, checking all seams and flashings, inspecting drains and gutters, and examining any penetrations, such as HVAC curbs, vents, or skylights. Those penetration points are where most leaks start.
We provide a detailed written report complete with photos of what we found. The report provides a clear description of the items found and we will not try to sell you items that we believe do not require replacement. The report provides a clear and accurate account of what we found.
Emergency Roof Repair
As anyone from Tampa will tell you, hurricane season is a long time. There are days of afternoon thunderstorms dropping 3 inches of rain per hour, long stretches of time where tropical storms push water in every direction, and the occasional direct hit. It’s no fun when your leaking roof turns into an emergency situation. You need someone to respond quickly.
We do emergency roof repairs all over Hillsborough County. We can send out a roofer to tarp and secure a roof in an instant and set up a time to fix it for good. We have gone to Seminole Heights, Ybor City, Westshore and many other locations all over Hillsborough County after a storm went through.
An active roof emergency can be called in 24/7. We will come to your site and you can see for yourself if it is going to dry out or not. In Florida’s humid environment, water in a building creates perfect conditions for mold growth. The faster the emergency response, the less expensive it is in the long run, as damage continues to accumulate with waiting.
Tampa’s TPO Roofing Contractor Since 1996
TPO Roofs in Tampa – We have been installing TPO Roofs in Tampa for decades. We know the neighborhoods, the types of buildings and the requirements of Florida’s climate for a flat roof system. Seminole Heights, South Tampa, Westshore business district and Brandon and Riverview are just a few examples of the areas where we complete installations correctly the first time.
Free roof inspections and estimates. We come to your home, take a look at your roof and tell you exactly what we see. Then we’ll tell you exactly what we think it will cost to fix it. No sales pitch, just facts. Call us or fill out the form below.
< soğuk a href=”https://avatarroofing.com/residential-roofing-tampa/new-roof-installation-tampa/” type=”page” id=”63601″>Read More About New Roof Installation in Tampa
