Flat roof: repair or replace?
What we look at on Harrisburg-area homes.

How flat roofs usually fail

• Seams. Rubber roofs are made of sheets joined together, and those seams can open up.
• Edges. When the edge pulls loose, wind gets under it and tears it further.
• Flashing at walls and chimneys. The roof has to turn up the wall and be sealed right.
• Standing water. Water that sits for days wears the roof out faster.
• Old patches. Patches on top of patches eventually stop holding.

When a repair makes sense

If the roof is mostly sound and the leak comes from one seam, one edge or one flashing, a repair is usually the right call. On a Steelton twin, one re-flashed joint stopped the leak. See that repair.

When replacement is the better money

• The membrane is torn or brittle in a lot of places, not just one.
• Seams are opening all over the roof.
• The deck underneath is soft or rotted.
• Water has gotten into the insulation.
• It's been patched so many times there's nothing solid left to patch to.

When we replace a flat roof, we tear it off, fix any rotted deck, put down board and install a new rubber membrane with new edge metal and flashing. Here's one in Harrisburg, and one in Steelton where we found rotted deck boards at tear-off.

What changes the price

Size, how many old layers have to come off, how much of the deck is rotted, and how hard the roof is to get to. You get pics of the problem and a flat price before any work starts, and our quotes don't expire to rush you.