Membrane Roofing for Flat Roofs

I need to help a friend install a roof THEN a tile surface on a entry for a house . The area is approx. 14'wide x 10' deep.They want a traditional style white handrail around the porch area. It is accessed @ 2nd story level.How or can I install a membrane style roof THEN a mounting medium for a tile porch floor? OR.. is there a whole 'nother' way to do this thing? Keeping in mind I need to mount newel posts. Another project is 8" Walnut floors,new construction over Advantech. sub floor or no, floating or not. should I peg it? 8" prone to crowning/cupping? (unfinished and back is grooved)With a tile perimeter. Looking for resources/ advice. Thank You! John Badenhope

John,
Sounds to me like you need a seasoned architect on this job who can produce the much-needed detail drawings that illustrate all of the critical steps.

Is it okay to install the EPDM roof in the winter when temperatures are below 40 and sometimes as low as the teens?

The answer is *maybe*. You must follow the instructions on the adhesive container. Also follow the written instructions of the rubber roofing as you could have expansion/contraction issues when it is 95F next summer!

I am having a contractor do the job and I have two bids. One bid is for the EPDM and one is for hot tar with an aluminum coating. The roof slopes to the middle and the rear of the building with a mostly Northern exposure. The current temperature in Salt Lake is predicted to range between 25 and 41 degrees Farenheit. I am debating which material to go with. Both jobs come with warranties, but it would be nice not to have to exercise that warranty if possible. Your feedback is helpful and much appreciated.

EPDM is my choice. But *get* the written installation instructions from the mfr. to ensure the material is being put down correctly! They are often a .pdf file at their website.

I have a flat roof/ balcony on my house which retains water to 0.5 - 1.0" over the entire surface. The surface is a waterproof membrane with in-built drainage channel about 2" deep, which is also full of water.

The builder of my house assures me this is part of the design that this water lies there. However I believe the water should drain away through the drainage channel fitted. I think the drainage channel has been fitted below the level of the external drain fitted in the wall surrounding the flat roof/balcony and I believe this is a construction fault.

The flat roof/balcony is normally covered by a decking which is above the level of this standing water, and the water is normally concealed by the decking.

What do you think?
Rhod

Hope someone can help me here ,I have a flat asphalt roof over my bedroom,my neighbour above me insists on putting her potted plants on it,she previously had a table chairs etc on there and I asked her to take them off and she did ,now I have noticed the big pots are slowly being put back on ,she is going to think I am just being a miserable git by asking her to remove them once again, the only thing I know about these roofs is that they are not as strong as a "normal" roof what should I say to her ? Help please
Sue x

Rhod,
I think you are right.

Sue,
I think you should send her some flowers and say you were misinformed. The pots will not cause a problem if any and all water is allowed to drain away from the underside of the pots.

I have a flat roof porch floor that used to be covered by sheet metal. A contractor put down a torch down roof, which I had him take off because it smelled bad and I did not think this was an appropriate material for a porch floor. He then put down a rubber roof, which is watertight, but I have not felt comfortable using the porch anymore because I am afaid we might cut it. Is there some material made specifically for this that I can lay over it to allow us to place chairs and walk on it? There is some slight pooling of water, so I would need something that allows evaporation.

Craig,
Get large scrap pieces of the same rubber roofing to act as pads. You will need to figure a way to make them windproof.

Hi-My home isabout 15years old and has 2 tiled balconies with columns. They both leak into the living space below them. I caulked the base of the columns. Doing that did make it only leak in two spot instead of 4. What can I do besides taking up the tile and putting in a walking membrane surface? Thank you for helping.

John,
You can hire a roofer that is an expert in dealing with flat roofs. It is obvious to me that you have reached the outer limit of your roofing skill set. It happens to all of us. I am not very good at installing roofing on church steeples.

I have a low pitch shed style roof to be put on in Newport, OR. I'm exploring PVC membrane or CPA, or Epdm roofing for a residential, single story on the ocean (winds / engineering for 110 mph, etc. Currently the house is in the framing process. I'll be ordering windows and siding soon and looking for contractors to get bids from. Conrad

would it work over a concrete roof, please recommend a brand or type

Augusto,
Yes. Goodyear.

Hi,

I need advice for ventilating a flat roof over a living space. What is the relationship between, ceiling, insulation and decking? Do you vent each joist space individually or drill the joists for cross ventilation?

Is there any membrane roofing that you can attch sleeprs to for a deck above a slightly sloping flat roof?

Thank you,

Tom

Tom,
You need to vent each space if they are not open to one another.

Are membrane roofs stong enough to endure heavy wear? I am buying a new (new to me) house with a flat membrane roof and I plan to spend quite a bit of time on it. Can it withstand, without tearing, people walking on it, lawn chairs, and the occasional flower pot? Would it be a good idea to put something over it or perhaps build a deck over it to protect it?

We have a flat roof where a membrane was installed before, but has begun to leak where the flashing is protruding through the membrane. A roofer is recommending installation of another membrane over top of existing. Is this typical, or should the old membrane be removed first?

My sister-in-law has a boat house that has a flat top in which she uses as a deck to sit with table and chairs. She is interested in replacing a built up roof with a material that will withstand tne traffic and not leak. Do you have a material that will withstand this kind of traffic and how much is it per sq. ft. The surface area is about 20 x 20 ft.

Samantha,
The membrane roofs are not meant for that type of wear. You can get some scrap pieces of the roofing to use as runners and for use under the furniture and pots. But you have to be creative to figure a way so they do not blow away.

Dave,
There are too many variables for me to give you an answer. If you have a pro roofer, trust him.

I am having a new rubber roof installed by a professional. He suggests that I should keep the existing roll-out asphalt for added insulation purposes. I am wondering if there is any downside for not stripping the old roofing material. Please advise.

I am trying to locate who the best suppliers and fixers are in Sydney of synthetic membrane roofing for a residential project that l am designing

Half of my house is tile and half is flat with a history of leaks. Two years ago I had the flat portion done with a white reflective material that helped my a/c bills (I live in the desert) but leaks worse than ever. I am considering a membrane roof... sounds like it may be the answer. Do I need to completely remove the previous layers of roofing material before putting down the membrane?

Thanks

Tom,

I would say absolutely yes so you can check for wood rot. You can also consider trying to create some type of slope at this point to help drainage.

my question is about insulation. is there a way to insulate a existing flat roof? and still get air circulation? how?

Hi
Do you recommend a TPO versus an EPDM roof? What are the pros and cons?
Thanks

hi i like know if mebrane is suitable for montreal quebec canada weather; and how much sell's per square foot. thank you.

I have a flat roof patio that had rolled asphalt roofing on it and leaked. i just finished tearing up the plywood and am getting ready to re install. Should I put the asphalt based stuff back on or should I go with EPDM I've never installed EPDM is it something a do it yoursselfer can accomplish? Thanks for the help- Nick Hricziscse

Hi.
I live in southern California where the temp.s can be extreme.
I have a older single wide mobile home, with a flat tin roof, that has been covered with asphalt about three years ago.
Will this membrane roofing work for me?
If so where can I find the material needed? or do you know of any contractors or distributors in the Southern California area who would know ??

Thanks Cindy

My husband and I are wanting to purchase an old building located on a square in an older town. It is listed very cheap and when we asked why it is because the roof needs to be repaired. It is a flat roof with the old tar and gravel. We are planning to try and do it ourselves. Can you give us any directions and advice on how to do that.
The square footage is about 3960

I have a problem with a flat roof. We have two balcony's outside upstairs bedrooms. Both have decking. The roof is not sloped properly to drain and the rain water sits under the decking. We have lifted the decking, there is a tar substance sealing the deck, but obviously has not been sloped properly for drainage. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I have a new flat fiberglass roof on a dormer conversion. The problem is excessice rain noise. Would adding a layer of pea gravel be a good idea?

Is there a type of roof membrane that works well OVER an existing flat tar & gravel roof (e.g., without having to remove the tar & gravel layer)?

Also, is there a product that you recommend to shore up the areas where a pitched roof (asphalt shingles) meets a flat roof (tar & gravel) area? We're seeing some water damage here, and would like advice on what would work best.

Thanks

I am a contractor looking to replace a flat roof. I want to know if a membrane system can be installed over a asphalt roof by nailing ply over the asphalt then applying the system.

Hi,
I hope you can help. Our basement is just about finished, we would like to waterproof as winter is just about on us. I have done some research and am told it can be done. What would you suggest? I have had people say rubber and asphalt. We want to be able to store things in the basement while the rest of the house goes up and protect what has already been done.
Jacque

After some storm damage, my roofer put what I think is a thin EPDM on the low pitch shed roof of my 20'x12' porch, with a 7 yr labor & 20yr materials warranty. However, it has many 1-4" bubbles and what feels like bits of shingle gravel sprinkled around under the membrane, a couple of puddles near the lower edge, and a 'top to bottom edge' seam about 5' from one end. Are these worthy of concern?

My previous Questions were attempted last week, but did not post. I think they still need an answer, but the roofer, on hearing my concerns, just replaced it. It looks better: very few bits of gravel, no factory seams in this piece, and considerably smoother (flatter, w/ a second layer of fiber-board), and the lower & side edge flashings look considerably better, w/ smaller (<1") puddles than before, but there are still a few flashing seal bubbles (1" to 4" dia.), and now the upper edge of the roof (which starts under the steep shingle roof) is tented up about a half inch over the dihedral angle & joint between the steep roof sheathing & the double layer of fiberboard underlay of the main membrane surface. I was just told this membrane only has a 10 year factory warranty "but should last 20". Is there some way to find the Manufacturers advice about this sort of issue?

How durable are these materials? You mention walking around on it for an annual inspection, but how hard is it to tear the membrane once it's installed?

Thanks!

How much should I expect to pay for a new membrane (rubber) roof for a 1800 square ft house? Please give me an estimate (a bulk figure).

the problem is that if the points of pressure allow the tar to flow around and sink down, piercing the 'tar', it will leak. flat bottomed pots should be fine. If they have edges like a tin can or even some pots, or legs like furniture, that is bad.