Commercial and Multifamily Roofing in Richmond, KY

Commercial roofs fail differently than a house roof does. Most of them are low-slope membrane roofing systems, and the damage that matters is often invisible from the ground, a small puncture, a seam pulling apart, or water pooling in a low spot after every rain. On multifamily buildings the added complication is that the roof sits over occupied units, so access, noise, and scheduling all have to be worked out before anyone climbs up with tools.

Deferred maintenance is what turns a small problem into a large one on these roofs. A membrane puncture the size of a coin, left alone, lets water track sideways under the surface for a long distance before it ever shows up as a stain on a ceiling below. Ponding water that sits for more than a day or two breaks the membrane down faster than it should wear, and poor coordination with property managers during repair work leads to leaks that go unresolved because nobody could get access to fix them properly.

TPO and similar single ply membranes reflect heat and are common on newer low-slope roofs. EPDM, the rubber membrane, has a long track record and handles ponding reasonably well. Modified bitumen is a heavier built up system still used on a lot of older commercial buildings. Preventative maintenance inspections catch small issues before they turn into a line item on next year's capital improvement budget.