FLAT ROOF TEAR OFF?
My name is Nick Kontzamanis. Owner of Leak Master Roofing. I have done thousands of Flat Roof inspections over the past 30 years. The most frequent asked question by the home owner is, “do I need to tear off my existing roof”. Very rarely does an existing Flat Roof need to be torn off. Even…
My name is Nick Kontzamanis. Owner of Leak Master Roofing. I have done thousands of Flat Roof inspections over the past 30 years. The most frequent asked question by the home owner is, “do I need to tear off my existing roof”.
Very rarely does an existing Flat Roof need to be torn off. Even if there are many existing layers on it.
There is NO LAW in NYC for Flat Roof tear offs. Unlike Shingled Roofs, where there is a law that you can have no more than 2 or 3 Layers. Depending on the location of the home.
The reason is that the weight of the roofing material effects Shingle Roof buildings differently than it does Flat Roof buildings.
If you have any questions cocerning this topic please call 718-421-2000 or post a comment. Thanks, Nick
I used Nick K. to redo our flat roof at the end of Feb. Nick was very up front and honest about what the job would entail. He stayed in contact with me through before the job and even after he finished to see if it held up against some heavy spring rains. He even worked with my solar panel installer to come up with the best roof configuration. I highly recommend Nick and his crew!
I used Nick K. to redo our flat roof at the end of Feb. Nick was very up front and honest about what the job would entail. He stayed in contact with me through before the job and even after he finished to see if it held up against some heavy spring rains. He even worked with my solar panel installer to come up with the best roof configuration. I highly recommend Nick and his crew!
i used Nick K to fix my flat roof(2 years ago). He did a great job and i have no more leaks .
Thanks for the reassurance. I had my roof redone two years ago (not Mr. Nick K) and was told the exact same thing. At the time we were freaking out because we didn’t have the money to do a tear off. I really appreciate your posts and find them very informative. Thanks for your time.
I also used Nick, very recently, to repair the flat roof on my extension and one of the skylights on the main. Although two other contractors claimed I needed much more extensive repairs, Nick pooh-poohed all that hype. And the proof of his thrifty-but-wise skills of problem solving is that, since he worked on my home, we’ve had some big storms, but my roof and skylight no longer leak! I found Nick to be more than competent at his task and fair in price. He was also extremely personable and courteous and he seemed to enjoy answering any and all questions. And, yes. I did ask him why a tear off of my flat roof was unnecessary. LOL! I recommend Nick, without reservation, as well.
Nice job promoting yourself
This is Nick again. I’d like to elaborate a bit, on the effect that the roofing weight has on a structure. First on shingled roofs and then on flat roofs.
On a slope roof, you nail on roofing shingles.
The slope of the roof causes the weight of the roofing material not only press straight downward. But it also presses in the direction of the slope. Consiquently the walls on the building tend to swell or balloon a bit, as each layer of installed shingles are added.
Thus NYC has made a law that you can have no more than 3 layers of shingles on your roof. On Long Island the law allows you to have only 2 layers of shingles.
Flat Roofs on the other hand have no local laws on the amount of layers.
The reason is that the weight of the layers of roofing on a flat roof, press straight downward only. And do not have the same effect on the walls like a sloped roof.
Also the beams under the decking of a flat roof, on virtualy all flat roofs are larger in dimension than sloped roofs and can withstand ten times the weight.
Also most flat roofs in NYC are attached and each house is supported by the other. To some measure.
You will be able to tell when you need to tear off your flat roof by the condition of the decking.
If the decking is severely warped. Or it sinks down in the middle. Then you would need to tear it off and probably change the wood decking and mabee the beams also.
I would be more than happy to give a roof inspection at no cost if you would like!
I hope I was able to adequately answer any questions that you may have had as far as tear offs are concerned.
Your Local Roofer,
Nick Kontzamanis
Leak Master Roofing
718-421-2000
leakmasterroofing@yahoo.com