Ripoff

rjordan392

Hello,
It's not what you think. That's the term used by our area roofers when they tear off a roof down to the roof boards. I have a flat roof covered with thick paper and tar. My question is: How thick should a roof like mine be allowed to get, before considering having it ripped off. I measured the thickness and I got 1/2 to 5/8 inch's. The square footage is about 15 foot by 35 foot.

talos4

It's tear off.

It's not a matter of thickness, it's all about layers. Just like shingle roofing.

In flat roofing, one roof is considered a layer of insulation (or not) with the weaterproof membrane.

Next layer the same, except the the 2nd layer is installed over the first.

that's it in most cases, 2 layers and it has to come off.

We need mor einfo...

Is this roof over a heated space/room?
Is it leaking?
How old is it?

More to follow after some answers...

rjordan392

The roof is over unheated space. This space is vented with two vents in front and two in back. Its a row home dwelling.
I am not positive that there is no leaks because last winter I heard what sounded like slow water drops hiting my ceiling. I did not hear it since then through Spring or Summer. The dwelling is about 50 years old and I had a roofer put a new roof on about 10 years ago. it was hotcoated about 5 years ago. The roof is not smooth as it has lumpy areas and there are many small cracks in the surface. If its time to tear it off, I am thinking of replacing it with a rubber roof. I learned through my brother who used to work in the trade, that the contractor I hired, does not do tearoffs. That must be a problem for some roofers.

talos4

Whoa! A contractor that does not do tear off's????

My advise, Find another contractor.

Look for a commerical low slope/flat roofing contractor.
Roofing should one stop shopping. Tear off thru installation and service.

No Subs for the tear off,then the membrane then the sheet metal.

Have a good contractor look at it and provide you with a proposal.

If you have questions about the proposal, by all means stop back and ask!

rjordan392

Is the membrane the same thing as roofing paper. I think they call it 10 0r 15 lb paper? There is a roofing business around the corner from me that must be doing a lot of commercial work based on the size trucks he has. I'll check with him. In the past, I only had dealings with small company roofers who's only equipment was a hot kettle and a pickup truck. In fact I never came across anyone tearing off a roof before. It maybe because the property owner does not want to pay the extra cost.
How much of a challange would a roofer have to tear off my roof if access is from the front or back of property. Its a 2 story row home; so he would not be allowed to work off a neighbors roof.
Here are the obstacles:
The front part of the dwelling at the roof line has a 30 to 40 degree slope made up of slate tiles. These appear to be ok. There is a bay window at the first floor level with a overhang (canopy) above it and the stretches across the width of the dwelling. So he would have to manuver past these obstacles. T hen he only has 6 feet of cement patio to lower the roof materials on to. just in front of the patio, there is a flower garden and large tree rose. In front of that is a well cared for lawn that I don't let anyone play on. The worker would have to hand carry the old roofing materials on the patio and walkway to the street.

The back of the roof appears to be the one of choice because there are no obstructions at the roof line. However, there is a wood deck that projects above my driveway and he would have to lower the old roof to the deck first, then to the ground. I am just wondering how a professional would handle this.

talos4

Hard to say without seeing it. But, yes in a general sense.

That's a daily occurrence for us, We generally don't replace roofs without tearing them off. We don't like "recovers".

That's not a roofing company.

As far as the access, even from your description I can't make heads or tails from it. Access is something that really must be seen and evaluated.

A little over 5 square is a fair amount of tear off to hump. But, it's been done!

rjordan392

One other thing I did not mention. I heard that these imatation roofers do not like tearing off a roof due to the difficulty of removing it and having to supply a dumpster to place it in. This probally came from a lack of proper equipment. Well when I call upon a roofing company, the owner will have to work off of my roof without infringing on properties on either side of me. I know I'll have to pay extra on account of the obstacles and I am prepared for it. Thanks for the imput.

talos4

Well, keep us updated, and if you have any questions, let us know.

Good Luck!