Need a new roof for apartment building.

[MarkTorgerson]

Hello

I am putting on a new roof for a 12 suite apartment building. The traditional "tar and gravel" quotes are coming in around the $50,000 mark. I am getting quotes for a new product called Duro-Last. It is basically a single ply thermoplastic and comes with 15 year warranty on material and labour. The company has been around several years and they have some good testimonials. The price quotes are coming in around $20,000 to $25,000 so the savings are stagering. Has anyone had experience with this type of product or have suggestions on something else?

Thanks

 

[bizaro86]

No personal experience, but I`d be very interested in hearing which way you decide to go.

I found a thread on the subject (on a do-it-yourself forum) regarding these alternative roofing products, which you may find helpful.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f9/duro-last-flat-roofing-24502/

This thread on a roofer`s forum discusses the pro`s and con`s of duro last and other brands.

http://www.roofing.com/forum/about8578-0-a...c20b0420a6d1e1c

Hope that helps,

Michael

 

[MarkTorgerson]

QUOTE (bizaro86 @ Jul 6 2010, 02:58 PM) No personal experience, but I`d be very interested in hearing which way you decide to go.

I found a thread on the subject (on a do-it-yourself forum) regarding these alternative roofing products, which you may find helpful.

http://www.diychatroom.com/f9/duro-last-flat-roofing-24502/

This thread on a roofer`s forum discusses the pro`s and con`s of duro last and other brands.

http://www.roofing.com/forum/about8578-0-a...c20b0420a6d1e1c

Hope that helps,

Michael


Thanks for the links Michael.
I will keep you posted and would be very interested in any other feedback from anyone who has experience with this alternative option.

 

[hotbunz4]

see what it costs to get rafters put in with a metal roof and don`t look back for 50 or so years.

 

[RebeccaBryan]

I can try and find out some names for you. Baker Ventures Inc. (AKA my Mom) has replaced two roofs in the past few years. It was discovered in one case that the previous roofer tarred right over the bathroom vents!!! Just make sure you get lots of references and be around when they do it checking up on what they are doing. That`s my advice. Ask lots of questions, "Such as do your employees know not to tar over bathrooom vents?" Sounds like a dumb question, however, it will alert the roofing company that you are aware of potential problems.

 

[Thomas Beyer]

QUOTE (hotbunz4 @ Jul 8 2010, 05:26 PM) see what it costs to get rafters put in with a metal roof and don`t look back for 50 or so years.
A metal roof costs 2x to 3x that of tar shingles .. and is also usually not done on flat roofs !

For flat roofs an option is to add trusses and as such, a gabled roof, as it it cheaper to replace. However you need a building permit, which might be denied due to height, and the initial new gabled roof + new shingles costs you more than a tar + gravel roof.

We are doing 4 (flat) tar + gravel roofs right now .. and for an average 15 - 24 suiter it is about 50K .. slightly less if boards below stay .. slightly more if boards and insulation have to replaced also !

A great new business for entrepreneurs as their customer service is lacking and there is a high demand, and waiting lists of 2-3 months sometimes !

 

[angielily18]

You might want to consider putting a metal roofing. It is a bit more expensive compared with other type of roofing. However it will last long and can withstand all types of weather. Moneys worth in the long run. Check http://www.metalroofingwholesalers.com/, they might be able to give you a good price.

 

[brentdavies]

A dozen or so years ago, one of the auto tire makers came out with a single ply rubber roofing product, that went over the roof and had a rock ballast on top. Great product to use on a large box store, but a poor choice to use on multi family or high rise building. Potential for damage due to 1 small leak is huge in residential, but for a warehouse, not so much.

We used a 2 ply torched on product, SBS roofing system that is more expensive than a typical tar and gravel roof, but has a longer life.

Since we were spending a large amount of a client`s money, we used a roofing inspector to oversee the work and products. Money well spent in my view.

We have seen 2 issues with metal roofing. One condo project had aluminum shingles, and the snow would slide off the roof under certain conditions and heaven help you if were standing outside your door when that happened. After 2 lawsuits for injuries, the condo board replaced the metal roofing. The other roofing issue was condensation that builds up on the underside of the metal roofing. Have seen wood rafters rot due to poor ventilation. Good design and construction should look after this.

Last item, pine shakes had a 15 year warranty. Very few people were able to claim and replace under the warranty, as the companies were broke by the time the rotten and leaky roof problems became common place. (mid 1990`s)

 

[housingrental]

Great info, thanks Brent

 

[Cory Sperle]

I was faced with the same decision 2 years ago, and decided to go with the truss system since it was the best bang for the buck. The contractor gave me a materials list, I bought them, and they did the work and I`m sure this saved some since most will inflate the materials cost into their estimate. Total cost for a 12 suiter was about $50,000. A good option for a long term hold or if you require CMHC financing.