When a commercial roof reaches the end, the first question is whether the old roof has to come off. The answer is in the roof, not in the budget.
When a recover is allowed
Code allows one roof over another when the existing roof is a single layer, the insulation is dry, and the deck is sound. A building with two roofs already on it has to be torn off. So does one with wet insulation, because the water stays trapped under the new membrane and rots the deck.
How we find out
An infrared scan at night shows where the insulation is holding water: wet insulation holds heat longer and shows up warm. Core cuts confirm it and show what the layers are. This takes an evening and is included in every scope.
When recover is right
Dry, single-layer, sound deck, and the owner needs the cost advantage. A recover with a cover board and a new membrane gets a full manufacturer warranty and should last as long as the membrane.
When it is a mistake
Any wet insulation. A contractor who proposes a recover without a scan is guessing with your deck.
The honest number
On our scopes over the last three years, about 40% of roofs qualified for a recover. The other 60% had wet insulation, two layers, or a deck problem. The scan decided every one.
A recover over wet insulation is a roof that fails in five years and a deck that fails in eight.
TPO vs. PVC in Arizona: which single-ply roof your building needs
The two most common commercial roofs, what each is good at, and the three building types where PVC earns its higher price.
Why commercial roof warranty claims get denied
A twenty-year NDL warranty is only worth something if the claim is paid. Four reasons they are not, and three are the owner's to control.
What an infrared moisture scan finds that a roof walk does not
Wet insulation does not show from the top. A two-hour scan at night shows exactly where it is and how much, before anyone signs a contract.
Tell us about the roof. We will walk it, scan it and send a scope with photos.
A Ridgeline estimator replies the same business day. Program clients reach a foreman on the 24-hour line, any time.