I wanted to talk a minute about flat roof maintenance for residential homes. I have done a number of inspections this past month or so that were flat foam roofs. There were a few built up roofs in there as well and the maintenance on those is even more critical.
The foam roofs should be re coated every 5 years. I have personally just re coated my flat roof and the coating should have been done at year 4 as it was a bit past the kind of wera that I feel comfortable with. The roof is cleaned, washed, and then coated with elastomeric coating. I then broadcast sand into the roof and apply another layer of coating over the sand. This is really a commercial application as the sand makes the roof stand up to foot traffic and it makes it harder for birds to peck through it. The important note here is the time line. Sooner rather than later is preferred. It is possible you can extend the life of the roof many years if you coat on time or early. Once the roof starts to go, it is likely there will be to much damage and the roof won't be able to be saved , costing you thousands of dollars.
The built up roofs are a different matter. It is really important they be inspected yearly. The layers of material can easily leak and allow water into the roof material. When this happens, the roof will never dry out and can start to cause a number of issues. I just did a 20,000 sq.ft. Infrared roof scamn and there were approximately 7,000 sq.ft. of wet areas around the roof. The bad part is the roof warranty expired about 2 months ago and now the owner needs to spend money on repairs. The point of this is that a prescribed predictive maintenance program can save you money.
I am always available to talk to you about Phoenix Home Inspections or Phoenix Infrared Inspections, give me a call at 480.415.7977 to see how I can help you.
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