Chaffee Industrial Roofing is an expert in diagnosing your roofing needs and designing solutions. Among the questions we often hear:

Must we tear off an old roof before installing a new one?
It is always a good idea to tear off an existing roof and start fresh. The drawbacks to tearing off a roof are a higher cost and possible inconvenience or disruption to your interior operations and occupants.

You must tear off the existing roof if your insulation is wet or deteriorated, or if there is any concern about the condition of your underlying structural deck.

If the existing construction is sound and you want to save money, you can often leave the roof in place and install new materials over it. Chaffee's infrared moisture analysis can help determine the condition of your existing insulation.


Should we add insulation?
Most roofs that are now ready for replacement were built before energy conservation was important. Although added insulation will increase the cost of your roofing project, often the energy savings over the life of the roof will cover the cost of the added insulation.

Check the building codes in your area. Often they will require a total "R" value of 20 for roofs of new buildings, or if your existing roof is torn off prior to replacement. Typical older roofs have "R" values of less than 10.


Is a single-ply or built-up roof preferred?
Either type of roof, if designed and installed properly, will perform well. Costs depend on the circumstances of your project. The three main criteria are size, amount of detail work involved, and accessibility of the site.

Often a single-ply membrane will be the roof of choice. There are numerous types of single-ply membranes available and differing installation methods for each. Discuss your situation with a qualified, experienced contractor, such as Chaffee Industrial Roofing.


Any particular time of the year to perform seasonal tips?
Maintenance checks are particularly important before the start of winter, once winter is over and before and after major storms, including hurricanes.For more information, see our Seasonal Tips section.