Commercial Roofing in Gardendale, AL

Growth means additions. Every addition creates a tie-in, the seam where the new roofing is joined to the old. Tie-ins fail first. The old roof and the new one move at different rates. The seam between them opens.

We look at every tie-in. We check the flashing, the sealant and the slope. When the existing roof is close to the end of its life, we tell you. Sometimes it is smarter to replace both sections together. Sometimes it is smarter to repair now and replace later. We price both and give you the line in writing. Drainage changes at a tie-in too. A new addition can send water onto the old roof, and the old drains may not keep up. We check the slope and count the scuppers. If the old roof ponds, we say where and how much.

Gardendale has 24 churches and 4 schools. These owners plan on long cycles, often tied to a campaign or a board vote. A leak in the wrong month can throw off the plan.

Here is our advice. Ask for a roof report ahead of the budget meeting. It should show where repair gives way to replacement, with a cost on either side. Then the board votes on facts. We give you a written report with photos, so volunteers and trustees can read it without a roofer in the room.

Church roofs often have steeples, valleys and complex flashing. School roofs often have many sections. We walk all of them. Volunteers often hold the keys. Tell us who has roof access, who has the alarm code and when the building is empty. Weekday mornings are easiest for many congregations. School buildings are easiest in summer. We plan around both.

In Gardendale the weather comes from Dixie Alley: the F5 storms of 1977 and 1998 and, later, the EF4 of April 27, 2011. The main storm season is spring, with November into early December the second, and central Alabama was hit by softball-size hail on April 25, 2003.

The routine: a hail check each late winter and a storm walk after every big blow. Hail dents metal and bruises membrane, while wind lifts edges and bends flashing, and we look for both. Claims cluster in March, April and November, which makes the weeks ahead of them the best time to call. A roof walked in February can be trusted in April. Edges take the first hit, and a bent coping cap or lifted edge metal lets wind under the membrane. We carry the parts and sealant, and mark each repair on the roof sketch.

Drain cleaning and small repairs belong in fall. The hail check and replacement planning belong in late winter. By spring, claims are bunching up in March, April and November.

Birmingham-area heat and humidity wear on membranes: a summer of 90-degree weather lasts roughly two months, and rainfall totals about 56.6 inches. Budget for that wear.

On a replacement, the insulation depth that ASHRAE/IES 90.1-2013 and the adopted code require can change the price, and you hear about it before signing. If you build in phases, budget the roof by phase. Each phase has its own tie-in and its own warranty clock, so we keep a running file and the third phase holds no surprises.