Flat roof don’ts are important to consider, and calling a contractor is likely in your best interest. There have been a lot of flat roofs that have been lifted up or completely blown off buildings here in the Phoenix area due to monsoon storms kicking up severe, heavy wind gusts. Fortunately, most of the time, injuries are avoided, but the peeled away roofs are a reminder that flat roofing on a home is no place for amateurs.
If the homeowner or property manager happened to be up on the roof to do something they thought was simple, like checking the drains and gutters for debris, when the monsoon storm hit, as an example, much worse results would have occurred and made for major, tragic headlines. Unnecessary rooftop visits are just one practice to avoid with residential flat roofing.
Rooftop visits that aren’t necessary are just one practice to avoid with flat roofing systems. Some homeowners think of their roof as their personal property, the same as you might look at something you own like a guard dog. But, you know guard dogs can sometimes bite the hand that feeds them. Your roof should be treated with the same kind of caution – it will be there, inviting you to climb up on top of it, but roofs can be very unpredictable. The less time you spend on your roof, the safer you are. Leave inspections and repairs to the experienced professionals like Mikku and Sons Roofing. We have the trained crews, specialized equipment and certified training to walk your residential flat roof safely and securely.
Another poor behavior to avoid is procrastinating your roof repairs. Ignoring the trouble signs of a potential leak – ponding, musty odors in your interior, ceilings that have stains, or moisture damaged roof insulation – will only cause your eventual repair to be more costly. If your home has any of these signs pointing to a leak, get that small repair made as fast as you possibly can, before it turns into a major roof replacement project. You can also avoid damage to your insulation and roof decking with quick attention to repairs. This quick repair strategy will always save you money in the long run.
Some homeowners think they can do minor roof repairs themselves. You, or a property manager, might think of yourselves as some sort of “handyman”. Why would you risk your health, your job and your well being by going up on a roof to try to make an amateur repair? The do-it-yourself approach might work for a while to clear a clogged scupper or something simple, but for most residential flat roof repair, you need the guidance and experience of a professional roofing contractor.
In the Desert Southwest, spray foam roofing is a great solution for flat or low sloped roofs, but there are a lot of myths and misconceptions about this roofing choice. As a result, many customers tend to have concerns about taking advantage of this option. To show consumers the value and versatility of spray foam, we hope to shed light on several of these myths.
Spray foam roofing is very affordable compared to other options. The cost is about the same as a single layer of asphalt shingles. In fact, with the rising cost of oil, the expense of oil based asphalt shingles is going up. On the other hand, spray foam pricing has remained fairly constant.
Research has shown that properly applied roofing foam can last as long as 50 years when applied correctly and maintained by re-coating it on a regular basis. There are foam roofs that were applied over 40 years ago that are still holding up well.
Spray polyurethane foam is just a type of plastic that has been altered slightly and has been used to make the millions of bottles that are used in the food manufacturing industry — bottles that are used for bottled water, soft drinks, ketchup, mustard, mayo and hundreds, maybe thousands of other products that are consumed in households throughout our country every day.
Foam roofing is a great option for insulating your property or business from heat, especially on flat or slightly sloped roofs. The closed cell structure gives SPF one of the highest R-Values (thermal resistance) of all roofing materials that can be used on your property, and it makes it very moisture resistant as well as being highly fire resistant, which is great for insurance rates.
Texas A&M University studied the energy use of its campus buildings before and after they applied Spray foam on its building’s roofing systems. They studied more than eight million square feet of SPF roofing on their campus, and found that their energy savings completely paid for the expense of Texas A&M’s SPF roof systems in three to four years.
When people imagine a house, many picture a building with a pitched or A-shaped roof. However, this is far from the only option available for your home or business. One style to consider is a flat roof, which is a horizontal roof that is usually tilted at a very low angle.
People choose flat roofs for a variety of reasons. Some simply like the way they give a home a more modern look. Others appreciate advantages such as:
However, it is important to note that there are also disadvantages to living in a building with a flat roof. For example, these roofs require careful maintenance, or they can be damaged by weather and gradual wear and tear. They can also be prone to water pooling and flooding.
Before choosing a roof design for your home, it is important to be fully informed about your options. Our roofing specialists can help you review your choices when designing a home or constructing a new roof.
Foam roofing is the most energy-efficient roofing material available, over 500% more efficient than conventional roofs. It’s the first intelligent roofing technology for flat and low-sloped roofs, combining insulation and roofing into one material. That means no roofing seams or multiple layers – eliminating the expanding and contracting and separating that allows water and microbes to seep in and damage your roof.
Each Mikku and Sons foam roof is custom installed. The foam is sprayed on as a liquid mixture, and within a few seconds will expand to up to 30 times its original volume. It will become a watertight, seamless solid that custom forms to the roofing substrate. Take a look at the advantages of a Mikku and Son’s foam roof:
Usually, a polyurethane foam roof costs about equal to a Built-Up Roof (BUR) with underlying insulation. However, foam roofs are unique because they are the only roof type that both insulates and protects against leaks with a single monolithic barrier.
There are a lot of flat roofing materials, but all are not equal in quality. An EPDM (rubber roof) or single-ply roof, sealed either by tars or adhesives are not as high quality as a typical BUR roof.
The reason is they usually last less than 10 years, while a higher quality BUR roof may last a lot more than 10 years. Usually, a BUR roof is built with a few semi-flexible membrane layers, and then water-proofed with water-resistant modified bitumen.
Remember, coal tars are a known carcinogen (not as severe as asbestos – otherwise, this would be more widely known). Modified bitumen, however, comes from oils, refined at much lower temperatures than coal tar, and is a much safer substance.
The fluctuating prices in the cost of a barrel of oil get passed on to the roofing industry. As the costs of asphalt roofing materials continue to increase, and the cost of a high-quality polyurethane foam roof remains more steady, that makes SPF or foam roofing more affordable for consumers.
Cost, of course, can vary due to a lot of factors, like geographic location, and the size and type of the project. Prices might be estimated anywhere between $3-$12 per square foot, and this can be affected by several other factors – the quality of the materials used, the labor costs to install these materials, and any associated warranty, contractor insurance, or bonding costs which will get passed on to the customer.
If you’re going to install a roof, it’s good to think about the long-term cost impact. If you have decided to install a foam roof, the insulation factor can pay off big in the long run.
Also, think about adding cool roof coatings; just by changing the color of a roof to something reflective can lower summer cooling bills by 30% or more.
Medium Density Sprayed Polyurethane Foam Roofing conforms to the corners and angles of a roof and usually has an R-Value around 6 to 8 per inch of thickness. In layman’s terms, one inch of foam is as effective as 6 to 8 inches of solid wood.
In reality, due to things like vapor trapping (foam forms a barrier), and the density of foam (it is light, but heavier than air–of course), foam can be 4 times more effective than fiberglass.
If you have lived in an older, poorly insulated home, you know that heating and cooling bills can really get out of control with poor insulation.
This is just one final cost factor that should be considered when you’re comparing an insulated roof like SPF with other roofing materials, like EPDM, Single Ply, or BUR, with no insulation. Watch out for the myths of foam roofs.
Some maintenance do’s and don’t’s and basic rules for taking care of a flat roof are common sense. You would be surprised what some flat roof owners do to jeopardize their roof. The worst thing you can do is neglect it. Small issues can turn into big problems quickly.
You should clean your roof during and after the fall season, especially if you have trees that can drop debris. Here in Arizona, you should always inspect your roof after monsoon storms. Strong winds can throw debris up on your roof, even from other properties. You may not even know there is damage causing debris up there if you don’t take a look. Always keep your flat roof clear of organic debris that could cause punctures or residual damage.
Make sure any equipment that must be attached to roof is properly attached without causing punctures to the roof materials. If possible, mount equipment on top of a platform to limit damages to the roof materials. If your material uses fasteners, make sure they are tight and secure.
Check draining systems and clean out any debris. Make sure you have adequate draining for your roof, if you notice a lot of ponding water you may need better drainage, clean them, or possibly have an area that needs something to stop ponding water. Some spots that have ponding water need leveling to help the water flow to the drain system. Ponding water can cause a flat roof to deteriorate quickly, so once its detected, remove it as quickly as possible and make sure the drain systems keep it from re-occurring.
Flat roofs will have issues with pressure from too much weight, such as too much heavy equipment for the way the structure of the roof was built, snow and ice weight, water weight or even random things on the roof that shouldn’t be there. You should have some sort of documentation from the builders and designers that specifies the amount of weight your flat roof can withstand. If there is an area that is not supported well and too much weight exists there, the roof can eventually collapse, causing all kinds of damage and even jeopardize your families well being.
If you haven’t had it inspected for some time, or have put off repairs that need to be done for some time, do not wait. Call a professional flat roof contractor to inspect your roof and give you advice on the best way to maintain or repair it. The number one reason flat roofs have to be replaced is due to neglecting the roof’s need for repairs and maintenance.
Exposure can cause damage to the material or other damage to the roof decking. Some roofing materials can become damaged with other products that aren’t made for the specific type of roof you may have.
Polyurethane spray foam roofing has been used for a long time. However, it has recently become much more popular given the advantages of having a foam roof here in Arizona. If your old roof needs to be replaced, switching to foam could make sense in a lot of ways.
Foam roofs don’t have seams, and form a tight, even seal around vents, pipes and chimneys. This provides a waterproof seal that reduces the odds of moisture getting into openings. Because of this, one of the most important foam roof advantages is that it provides better leak protection than other roofing. Foam also doesn’t contract and expand over time, which means the tight seal won’t break either.
Spray foam is an excellent insulator that can greatly lower your heating and cooling expenses. Since it has no seams, heat can’t easily escape from your property during the winter. Also, because this roofing material is white means it will stay cooler in the summer too.
Foam also insulates well against outside noise, which means your home will be mare quiet and calm inside after having Mikku and Sons Roofing add this material to the surface of your roof. This is a big advantage if you live in a highly trafficked area or, if maybe you currently have a metal roof, which transmits a lot of sound.
Foam roofs don’t ever wear out, provided you are maintaining it correctly. Ideally, the roof should be re-coated after five years to keep it in top shape. After the first re-coating, you’ll only need to have this service repeated once every twenty years. As long as you follow the recommended maintenance routine, you shouldn’t have any problems with your roof at all.
Not only do foam roofs last longer than other roofing systems, but they are also rugged and sturdy enough to walk on. Which means you won’t have to worry about safety whenever it’s time to clean the roof or have someone perform repairs.
Spray foam can be installed directly over the top of other roofing materials, which could mean eliminating the need to rip them off the roof and dispose of them in a landfill. Also, since foam roofs last so long, you won’t have to worry about adding to landfill waste at a later time either. And, one last thing regarding the environment, the foam used in foam roofing is non-toxic and doesn’t produce any harmful fumes, making it safe to be inside using your your home while the work is going on up on the roof.
Your roof shouldn’t be just for protection, but also add to the beauty and curb appeal of your property as well. Foam roofs are attractive, and work well with homes of all styles and construction types. White foam matches well with any exterior siding, but, you can also have foam tinted beige, tan or light gray if that would match your property better. One big advantage of white foam, however, is the fact that it doesn’t fade when exposed to UV rays, so your roof will continue to look like new much longer than tinted ones.
