[morrisonhome]

Hi,

I need to replace my roof and have had a few quotes. One suggests a rubber roof, which I guess is the best kind of roof for a FLAT roof. My house has a FLAT roof. The roofer suggests I could have old roof removed for an extra $1,200 or I could put the rubber roof over the old one which is made of asphalt and tar. A friend says he would get rid of the old roof, why keep it - and it will puncture the rubber. The roofer said he would put a membrane and then insulation over the old roof, but I still wonder if the asphalt will puncture the rubber or if not, are there other reasons to get rid of the old roof?

Thanks for help.

Kathleen

 

[WhatRnsdownhill]

the edpm rubber roof is some tough stuff....but getting the extra weight off the roof would be reason enough to remove the old roof...I think you have it backwards..insulation over old roof then top layer would be the rubber....

 

[craig11152]

Is there gravel on the old?
Are you in snow country?.... the weight of two layers and snow could be an issue.
Tearing off the old is always the better option.

 

[morrisonhome]

Rubber roof for a flat roof

Hi,

We're in the Boston area and my roof was fine last year. However, I had a stain in a bedroom which caused me to investigate further and ended up getting an engineer to look at the structure of roof. The joists are undersized and I am going to get them cisterned and then go back and see if structure needs more work before I put on roof.

So snow can be a problem. Last winter I had snow removed from my roof at the suggestion of our mayor. No leaks, no ice dams One roofer had thought something was wrong with structure, but other roofers did not think so.I feel good that I got it checked out.

I wonder if flat roofs are less susceptible to ice dams than roofs that slope?

Thanks for your response. I think getting rid of old roof is way to go.

Kathleen

 

[firehawkmph]

Kathleen,
My younger brother is a commercial roofer, 35 years at it. Does everything from places like Ford Plants, schools, to small little addition roofs. He does mostly rubber now and almost always tears the old roof off and starts from scratch. Flat roofs need to be done correctly or you're in for a lot of headaches. Detailing is very important.
Mike Hawkins:smile:

 

[craig11152]

Given what you have said I would 100% say pay the $1200 for a tear off.

 

[carpdad]

Don't think $1200 is going to solve the old roof problem. Once the roof is off, and any problem with the decking seen, your cost may go up. This is one of those problems where you just have to go for it and hope the structure is in good condition.
Ice dams happen because the shingle roof is dependent on the gravity for seal. Shingle roof is just overlapped drainage and actually full of holes.
If it is in the budget, and your roof has no slope, it would be time to put down a slope. Specify foam that is pre-sloped. One roofer in past used layers of fiber boards and called it a slope. Even if I got $1000 refund, I never went back to that company and made me decide do my parent's roof.
Make sure the roofer has insurances (medical and liability). Ask for the proof of insurance and call the insurance company to confirm.
Don't try to install/add insulation from the top. You can't add enough to be cost effective.

 

[MI-Roger]

Any foot traffic on the roof at all? How do they intend to attach the EDPM roof, river stone ballast, patio blocks, or fully adhered? Personally, I would go for a two ply Modified Bitumen system over EDPM, unless you have multiple roof penetrations that must be flashed. The more pliable EDPM makes it the better choice in such situations.