Commercial · Flat Roof Repair
Flat roofs fail slowly. Catch it early.
Ponding water, blistering, open seams, clogged drains, flat roofs telegraph their failures months in advance, if someone's looking.
The early signs
What we look for before it leaks.
Water that stands 48 hours after rain is loading the structure and cooking the membrane. Blisters mean trapped moisture. Seams that catch a fingernail will catch the wind next. Each one is a cheap fix now and a deck replacement later, the whole argument for a walk-through before storm season.
- 48 hrs
Ponding that outlasts two days is a drainage problem, not a rain problem.
- Free
The walk-through, the photos, and the written scope cost nothing.
Commercial services
The rest of the flat-roof toolbox.
TPO
Heat-welded single-ply with a reflective white surface that cuts summer cooling loads. The workhorse for warehouses and big open decks.
Learn moreEPDM
The proven black rubber membrane, decades of field history, excellent in freeze-thaw, and economical to repair as it ages.
Learn morePVC
Chemically resistant and heat-welded, the right answer over kitchens, labs, and anywhere grease or chemicals hit the roof.
Learn moreBuilt-Up (BUR)
Multiple asphalt plies with redundancy built in, a heavyweight for roofs with heavy foot traffic and long ownership horizons.
Learn moreModified Bitumen
Asphalt toughness in rolled sheets, granule-surfaced, well-suited to smaller commercial roofs and mixed-slope buildings.
Learn moreCommercial Repair
Leaks at curbs, seams, and drains, found, documented, and fixed before they reach the deck.
Learn moreQuick answer
Hardesty Roofing repairs flat and low slope roofs across Central Virginia, on commercial buildings and on residential properties including Richmond rowhouses with roofs behind a parapet. Flat roofs fail differently from pitched roofs, most often at seams, flashings and drains rather than in the field. Class A licensed and roofing from Midlothian since 1990. Call 804-523-9955.
Why flat roofs leak
Seams, edges and drainage, in that order.
A flat roof is not actually flat, it is a low slope roof designed to move water to a drain or a scupper. When it stops doing that, water sits, and standing water finds every weakness a roof has. Ponding is the single most useful diagnostic sign on a low slope roof, because it tells you the drainage design or the drain itself has stopped working.
Failures cluster at the transitions rather than in the middle of the field. Seams between membrane sheets, the flashing where the roof turns up a parapet wall, the seal around drains and vents, and the edge detail are where a low slope roof typically lets go.
- Seams
Heat welded, taped or asphaltic depending on the system. Each fails in its own way and each is repaired differently.
- Drainage
Blocked drains and scuppers cause ponding, and ponding accelerates everything else that is going wrong.
- Parapet flashing
Where the membrane turns up a wall is the most common leak point on a Richmond rowhouse roof.
What it costs
Repair or replace is a real question on a flat roof.
On low slope roofs the repair versus replace calculation is genuinely harder than on a pitched roof, because a membrane near the end of its service life will keep failing somewhere new. Repeated repairs on an old membrane frequently cost more over a few years than a recover or replacement would have.
We do not price flat roof work before seeing it. Membrane type, the extent of saturation in the insulation below, and whether the drainage design was ever right all change the answer substantially.
- Membrane type
TPO, EPDM, PVC, modified bitumen and built up all repair differently and need different materials and methods.
- Wet insulation
If water has been sitting, the insulation underneath may be saturated. Patching over wet insulation does not work and we will not do it.
- Drainage
If the roof ponds, fixing only the leak leaves the cause in place. Sometimes the drainage is the repair.
- Roof age
A membrane near the end of its life will fail again elsewhere. At some point repeated repairs stop making sense.
What to expect
How we approach a low slope leak.
Free inspection
We identify the membrane type, inspect seams, flashings, drains and edge details, check for ponding and probe for saturated insulation, and photograph what we find.
Written estimate
You get a written estimate with the options laid out and no vague line items. We explain the tradeoffs and give you our honest recommendation, including when the cheaper option is the right one.
Scheduled work
We schedule around you and show up when we said we would. Crews protect landscaping and vehicles, and magnet-sweep for nails at the end of every working day, not just the last one.
Final walk and paperwork
We walk the finished job with you, answer anything still open, and hand over the warranty documentation. Manufacturer coverage gets registered at closeout, because it is not real until it is registered.
Warranty
Two promises, and they are not the same promise.
Commercial roofs carry two separate warranties. The membrane manufacturer warrants the material and, on some systems, the installed assembly. Hardesty warrants the workmanship. They are different promises with different terms.
Membrane warranty length varies widely by system, by membrane thickness, and by whether the manufacturer inspects the finished job. We tell you what the specific assembly qualifies for before the work is specified, not after.
- 5 yrs
Hardesty's own workmanship warranty on labor. If our installation fails, we come back and fix it.
- Varies
Membrane coverage is set by the manufacturer and varies by system and thickness. Longer terms generally require heavier membrane and a manufacturer-inspected installation.
- In writing
You get the term for the exact material you choose, in writing, before you sign anything.
Common questions
Flat roof questions.
Why does my flat roof have standing water?
Either the drainage design never moved water properly, the drains or scuppers are blocked, or the insulation below has compressed and created a low spot. Ponding is a symptom worth chasing, because water that sits will eventually find a way through.
Can a flat roof be repaired, or does the whole thing need replacing?
Localised damage on a membrane with service life left is a repair. A membrane near the end of its life will keep failing somewhere new, and at that point repeated repairs cost more than dealing with it properly. We will tell you honestly which situation you are in.
I have a rowhouse in the Fan with a flat roof. Do you do those?
Yes. Low slope and flat roofs behind a parapet need a membrane system rather than shingles, and the parapet flashing detail is usually where they leak. It is a common job for us in the City of Richmond.
What is that black rubber roof on my building?
Most likely EPDM, a synthetic rubber membrane that has been in wide commercial use for decades. It is durable and repairable, and because it is black it absorbs heat rather than reflecting it.
How do I know which membrane I have?
You often cannot tell by looking, and it matters because the repair method differs. We identify it during the inspection.
Can you just patch it for now?
Sometimes, and there are situations where a holding repair is the sensible call while a budget gets sorted. What we will not do is patch over saturated insulation and tell you it is fixed, because it is not.
Do you handle commercial flat roofs as well as residential?
Yes. Commercial low slope work is a significant part of what we do, across all five membrane systems.
How long does a flat roof last?
It depends heavily on the membrane, its thickness, and whether drainage works. A well drained membrane of good thickness substantially outlasts a thin one that ponds.
Free Estimate
Put a Hardesty roof over it.
Walk-throughs and estimates are free, written, and scoped for your budget cycle, repair, restore, or replace.
804-523-9955Prefer to talk? Call the shop directly. 14430 Sommerville Court, Suite B · Midlothian, VA 23113
Worried about the cost? We offer in-house financing. Ask and we will walk you through it.
Ask About Financing