Commercial Roof Repair That Finds Where the Water Gets In
Water on a ceiling tile is almost never directly under the hole that let it in. It runs along the deck, follows a beam, and drips wherever gravity gets bored. Commercial roof repair is mostly the work of tracing it back to where it started.
Veteran BuiltCypress, Texas
Most commercial leaks start at the details; the open field of the membrane is rarely the problem. Flashing at parapet walls pulls loose. Pitch pans around old pipes dry out and crack. Seams on modified bitumen or TPO open where they were made poorly or where the roof moves. Drains lose their clamping ring seal. Rooftop unit curbs leak at the corners, where flashing was folded instead of made. And service techs working on equipment drop screws and panels that puncture the membrane, which is why leaks so often follow an HVAC visit.
Finding the source means starting inside. We look at where the water appears, what’s above it, and how the deck slopes, then go up and work backward from the closest likely entry point. Sometimes a water test settles it, running a hose on one detail at a time while someone watches below. Wet insulation around the leak gets cut out and replaced, because leaving a wet patch under a new membrane just moves the leak a few feet.
Repairs are made in the roof’s own material. TPO gets welded patches after the old sheet is cleaned and prepped, modified bitumen gets torched or adhered patches, built-up roofs get layered repairs, and metal gets fasteners and seam work. Sealant earns its place as a backup to a proper flashing. After a Houston storm, repair calls also turn up blown-off edge metal and coping, which has to be refastened quickly, before the next wind gets under the membrane behind it.
On the Gulf Coast the weather writes most of the work orders. Hail in March and April, tropical storms later in the year, and a long hot summer that bakes a poorly vented attic. We check decking, ventilation and every penetration, because the roof surface is only one part of whether a roof is still doing its job.
The straight answer on commercial roof repair
We would rather tell you it is the wrong job than sell it to you anyway. Here is how we decide.
- You have a leak at a specific spot, and the rest of the roof is holding up in decent shape.
- An HVAC visit or a storm left a puncture, a loose flashing, or edge metal lifted along one side.
- The roof is aging but has some life in it, and you need it tight until a planned replacement.
- If repair calls are coming every month in different spots, the money is better spent on an inspection and a plan, and we’ll tell you the repairs have stopped making sense.
- If core samples show wet insulation across most of the roof, patching the surface won’t stop the water already inside it.
- If the leak turns out to be a rooftop unit’s condensate line or a cracked wall above the roof, we’ll point it out, and the fix belongs to that trade.
How we run it
- I
Inside first
We start at the stain or drip, note what’s overhead, and check how the deck slopes toward it.
- II
Trace on the roof
We work back from the nearest likely entry points, water-testing one detail at a time when the source isn’t obvious.
- III
Repair in kind
The failed detail is rebuilt in the roof’s own material, and any wet insulation around it is cut out and replaced.
- IV
Photos and notes
You get before and after photos and a short note on what else on the roof is likely to need attention next.
What we ask before we price it
- When did you first notice the problem, and has it changed since?
- Can we get into the attic, and is there a clear path to the access?
- Does the HOA need to approve materials or colors before work starts?
- Has anyone else inspected it, and what did they tell you?
- Is anyone in the house bothered by noise, dust or early starts?
Why is my roof leaking far from where the water shows up inside?
Water gets under the membrane or through the deck and travels along it until it finds a seam, a fastener or a low spot to drip from. That can be several feet from the entry point. We trace backward from inside.
Can you repair any type of commercial roof?
We repair the common low-slope systems around Houston, TPO, modified bitumen, built-up and EPDM, plus metal roofs. Repairs are made in the same material, because mixing incompatible products causes its own leaks.
Do leaks really come from HVAC service visits?
Often enough that we ask about them. Dropped screws, panels set down on the membrane and boots kicked loose all happen. Walkway pads around the equipment cut down on it.
Is caulk a real repair?
As a backup to a proper flashing, sealant is fine. As the whole repair it usually lasts until the next hot summer or the next time the building moves. We’d rather rebuild the detail.
Can you come during a storm?
We won’t put anyone on a wet commercial roof in lightning or high wind. We can talk you through protecting the inside, and get up there as soon as it’s safe to work.
How do I know if I need a repair or a replacement?
One or two leaks on a roof that’s otherwise flexible and dry is repair territory. Repeated leaks across the roof, wet insulation in many spots or a brittle membrane point toward replacement. We’ll tell you which one we think you’re looking at, even if it’s the smaller job.
Who you are hiring
Google reviewers have given us 5.0 across 19 reviews, and the word that keeps coming up is honest. We would rather talk you out of a job than sell you one you do not need.
Military families and first responders take 10% off, and financing is available through Acorn Finance with a no-obligation prequalification. Ask about either when you call.
Leland Cannon spent 21 years in the Army and retired as a First Sergeant. Geoff Schardien served in Air Force Security Forces and has more than twenty years in residential construction. One of them walks every job before it starts, and you keep one phone number from the first visit to the last day.