What we fix · Flat & Low-Slope Roofing
Flat and Low-Slope Roof Repair
A flat roof is not flat. It is built with a deliberate slope, usually created by tapered insulation, so water reaches the drains. When water stands on a low-slope roof forty-eight hours after rain, either the slope was never right or the deck has moved.
Photographs and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, you will get that answer.
67
Florida counties we are licensed to build in
HVHZ
Miami-Dade and Broward product approval, done properly
GC
A general contractor, so the structure below is our problem too
25%
The code rule that decides repair vs. replace
The stack
What is actually up there
A roof is a stack of layers, and almost nobody has seen the stack. Knowing which layer keeps the water out changes what you should be paying for.
The problem
Why this goes wrong
Ponding is not merely cosmetic. Standing water accelerates membrane ageing, adds significant weight, magnifies ultraviolet damage, and finds any weakness in a seam. It is also the single clearest diagnostic on a flat roof: where the water sits is where the problem is.
Recognise it
What it looks like
Drawn rather than photographed, so each one shows the mechanism instead of one particular roof.
Water still standing after 48 hours
The clearest signal on a flat roof. It means the slope, the drain or the deck is not doing its job.
An open seam
Membrane rarely fails in the field. Seams and terminations are where a low-slope roof lets go.
From the ground
Signs to look for
- Water standing more than forty-eight hours after rain stops.
- Seams that have opened, lifted or gone chalky.
- Blisters or ridges in the membrane.
- Vegetation or silt rings marking where water sits.
- Interior leaks in the middle of a room rather than near a wall.
Scope
What we actually do
- 01Map where water actually stands, ideally after real rain.
- 02Check every drain and scupper for blockage and for correct height.
- 03Probe the insulation for saturation — a wet core is not repairable by coating.
- 04Seam-by-seam inspection rather than a general look.
- 05Establish whether the answer is a repair, a tapered correction, or a re-cover.
- 06Photographs, moisture findings and a written scope.
Worth knowing
This is where South Florida commercial and residential work overlap, because the same low-slope details appear on a strip centre and on a mid-century flat-roofed house. Romco builds commercial low-slope roofs; the diagnostic approach is identical on a home.
FAQ
Common questions
- Is ponding water actually a problem?
- Yes. It ages the membrane, adds weight, and eventually finds a seam. Manufacturers commonly treat prolonged ponding as a warranty issue.
- Will a silver coating fix my flat roof?
- It will reflect heat and can extend the life of a sound roof. It will not fix an open seam or wet insulation, and over a saturated roof it traps the water in.
- How do I know if the insulation is wet?
- Probing or a moisture survey. Wet insulation has to come out — no coating or membrane placed over it will last.
- Can you add drains?
- Often, and it is sometimes the correct fix rather than more membrane. It is a structural and code question as well as a roofing one, which is where being a general contractor helps.
Areas served
Where we work
HVHZ
Fort Lauderdale
Our home city, and a genuine mix: barrel tile on the mainland, flat and low-slope on the mid-century houses near Victoria Park, and metal appearing steadily on the newer waterfront builds. Broward is HVHZ, so every product on your roof needs a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance.
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HVHZ
Wilton Manors
Compact lots and a large stock of 1950s and 1960s single-storey houses, which in practice means low-slope and shallow-pitch roofs rather than tile. Those roofs rely on membrane and flashing detail, so the failures here look different from the tile failures a mile east.
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HVHZ
Oakland Park
A lot of housing built either side of 1970, now reaching the point where an original underlayment has certainly been replaced once and may be due again. HVHZ rules apply, and Oakland Park permitting is generally straightforward compared with the barrier-island municipalities.
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HVHZ
Pompano Beach
Two different roofing markets in one city: older single-family inland, and a wave of oceanfront towers built in the last decade. The beachfront work is almost entirely low-slope with heavy salt exposure, which shortens the life of fasteners and terminations well before the membrane.
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HVHZ
Lighthouse Point
Canal-front houses with long-tenured owners, which is exactly the profile where a tile roof has looked fine for twenty-five years while the underlayment quietly reached the end of its life. Salt air on the canals is hard on exposed fasteners and metal trim.
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HVHZ
Deerfield Beach
The northern edge of Broward, and the last city before the HVHZ boundary — cross into Palm Beach County a mile north and the product approval rules change entirely. Large stock of 1970s and 1980s condominium with low-slope roofs held in common by the association.
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Next step
Find out what is actually wrong with it.
An inspection, photographs of what we found, and a written scope. If the honest answer is that it can wait another season, that is the answer you will get.