Commercial roofing in Washington, DC

Our commercial work is mostly the smaller buildings that make up DC's corridors: two- and three-story storefronts on Georgia Avenue, H Street NE and Rhode Island Avenue, corner markets with apartments above, churches in Brookland and Congress Heights, medical and law offices in converted rowhouses, and one-story strip centers out in Prince George's and Fairfax counties.

Nearly all of them have low-slope roofs: built-up tar and gravel from the mid-century, modified bitumen from the 1990s and 2000s, or newer single-ply TPO and EPDM. Many carry rooftop HVAC units, exhaust fans from a restaurant kitchen, satellite dishes and old abandoned curbs. Each of those penetrations is a likely leak point and has to be flashed properly.

Churches add their own mix. A brick church may have a steep slate main roof, flat roofs over the side aisles and the parish hall, box gutters behind the parapets and a copper-clad steeple. We handle the low-slope portions, gutters and flashing ourselves and tell you plainly where a specialty trade is needed.

We begin with a core cut in an inconspicuous spot to see how many layers are on the deck and whether the insulation is wet. A moisture survey across the roof tells us whether the leak is isolated or water has spread through the insulation. Wet insulation loses most of its R-value and keeps the deck damp, so it has to come out.

If the membrane is sound and the insulation is dry, targeted repairs at the seams, curbs and edges are the right move. If the membrane is weathered but still watertight, a restoration coating can add years for a fraction of replacement cost. Once more than about a quarter of the insulation is wet, or the roof has two layers already, replacement is usually the better spend.

You'll get a written summary with photos of the core, the problem areas and the options side by side, so the owner, the board or the property manager can decide with the full picture.

For most small commercial roofs we install a mechanically fastened or fully adhered TPO membrane over new polyiso insulation, often 60-mil Carlisle or GAF TPO in white. Heat-welded seams and a reflective surface suit the long summers here. DC energy rules push reflective membranes on low-slope roof replacements, and white TPO meets that need.

EPDM makes sense where the roof has lots of foot traffic or where the owner wants a long-lasting, simple membrane, especially on churches and older buildings. Two-ply modified bitumen with a reflective cap sheet is a strong choice around heavy rooftop equipment and on roofs that take a beating from maintenance crews. Our TPO roofing page goes deeper on that membrane.

Insulation is where commercial replacements earn back money. Adding tapered polyiso during a tear-off fixes ponding, improves drainage to the outlets and brings the roof up to current energy code, which lowers cooling bills for the floor below.

• TPO: white, heat-welded, cool-roof friendly
• EPDM: durable, simple, handles foot traffic
• Modified bitumen: tough around equipment and walkways
• Tapered polyiso: drainage and energy code in one layer

We plan commercial tear-offs to keep the building open. Restaurants usually want work done before lunch service, so we start early and keep the kitchen exhaust running. For churches, we finish loud work and material lifts before weekend services and keep the entrance clear. For office tenants, we post notices, schedule the noisiest cutting first thing in the morning and close each section watertight by the end of every day.

On corridor buildings, the street side is often the only staging area. We arrange public space permits with DDOT where a dumpster or lift needs curb space, and we coordinate with the building's HVAC contractor when a rooftop unit has to be lifted so the curb can be reflashed. DC roof replacements generally need a permit from the DC Department of Buildings, which we pull before work starts.

In Maryland and Virginia, the county permit office handles similar requirements, and we include that paperwork in the job.

Most commercial roof leaks start at the same handful of spots: rooftop unit curbs, pitch pans around pipes, parapet base flashing, edge metal and clogged drains. A twice-a-year check that clears outlets and reseals those details catches small failures before they become ceiling tiles on the floor. Our roof maintenance plans are built around those points.

We also keep a simple record for each building: photos of the roof, the date and scope of every repair and the condition of each outlet. Property managers and church facility committees find that record useful when planning budgets or showing an insurer the roof has been looked after. If you manage a building with a leak today, call (202) 771-7443 and tell us the address and roof type.