Different opinions on roof fixes

Like many people in the city, the recent heavy rains worsened a number of the leaks in my roof that I already knew to be there, and created a few others.  Since then, I’ve had 5 different contractors come and take a look at it, and I’ve gotten widely varying opinions.  I know roofing and opinions on roofs are not an exact science, but I’d love to hear what you all think about the various opinions.  (I should note that it’s about a 2500 sq ft roof, currently black tar asphalt installed about 10 years ago, and there’s at least one other layer underneath it.  There are several sizeable leaks and a few smaller ones, at least those that are visible.) One very legitimate contractor suggested a total recover – he showed me sponginess in the roof that he said was everywhere, and that there could be a lot of leaks we didn’t know about.  He also suggested raising the level of the external door, replacing a skylight that he said had been installed too low, and reflashing. Another legitimate guy said only repairs were needed – new flashing, some new tar, some changes to the drainage area. Another suggested changing the shingles on a parapet, and tarring over some of the seams in the roof membrane. The latest guy suggested new flashing, and also suggested completely removing some chimneys and capping them (!).  He said nothing about fixing the roof membrane itself- Some of them suggested putting an extra layer below where the deck is on the roof, others said it didn’t matter so much. Given the wide variety of fixes suggested (and variety of bids that came with them), I’m really not sure what to do.  Any suggestions?

anon200

in Roofers 13 years and 6 months ago

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wyckoff | 13 years and 6 months ago

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The only way to be totally sure you address all the issues is to do a tear-off, but I’d go with guy #2 and see how it works.  If you still have problems, then go with a tear off.  That’ll probably cost you the same as having an engineer do a study to reccommend a tear-off.

randpc | 13 years and 6 months ago

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To properly assess the contractors’ bids, you will need an engineer or architect to evaluate your roof and develop an accurate scope of work that includes preliminary budget projections for the repairs. (Full disclosure: Rand is an engineering and architectural firm.) The scope of work will then be used to prepare specifications and drawings (construction documents), which are used to solicit bids from qualified contractors. The construction documents are also needed to file a work permit with the Buildings Department. With the contractors bidding on the same scope of work, you’re now in a position to do an apples-to-apples comparison of their costs, which is difficult to do when they are proposing widely different repair programs. Similarly, you should also get proposals from several engineering/architectural firms to evaluate your roof.