As an Elsmere commercial roofing contractor, we tear old built-up and modified bitumen roofs off to the deck and install new membrane roofs on Dixie Highway buildings.
Many buildings along Dixie Highway carry a built-up roof with modified bitumen laid over it, so an Elsmere commercial roofing contractor starts by counting layers. The 2018 Kentucky Building Code bars another recover once two roof applications are in place.
A core cut through the roof shows the layer count and whether the insulation is wet before any plan is priced. With two layers confirmed, the job becomes a full tear-off.
Storefront and shop roofs here tend to fail at the same old details: stacked layers, tired parapets, and scuppers that empty toward the alley.
Gravel built-up roofing under a later modified bitumen cap traps water between layers. Leaks travel sideways before they show inside, so the ceiling stain rarely sits under the failed seam. The added weight also loads an older wood plank or steel deck.
Usually Means: Tear-off to the deck, with deck repairs before new insulation goes down.
Open joints in old coping let water into the wall blocking behind the base flashing.
Leaves and grit back water up at scuppers that drain toward rear alleys.
Flashing at a wall shared with a neighbor splits as the two roofs move.
Granule loss and lifted laps on the top layer expose the felts underneath.
Taking an older Elsmere roof down to the deck clears out problems that patches keep inheriting.
Moisture trapped between the built-up roof and the bitumen cap keeps feeding the deck after each patch.
Tear-off removes every layer, so new polyiso and cover board sit on a dry, repaired deck.
Wood plank under years of leaks goes soft, and fasteners for a new roof lose their grip.
Soft plank and rusted steel get replaced while the deck is open and easy to see.
Brittle flashing at parapets and shared walls splits as the building moves through the seasons.
Walls are wrapped with new membrane up and over the parapet and capped with new coping.
Small scupper openings clog fast and back water onto the low end of the roof.
Scuppers are re-lined with sheet metal and tied to new downspouts at the alley side.
After tear-off, the new roof is picked for the building behind the storefront.
A white heat-welded sheet over new tapered insulation suits low-slope retail and office buildings with a few rooftop units and street-facing parapets.
TPO roofing
Rubber sheets with taped seams fit simple rectangular shop roofs where foot traffic stays light and the parapet details are few.
EPDM roofingDrains, crickets, and scuppers get rebuilt with the new membrane so water leaves the deck instead of sitting behind a parapet.
Flat roofingOn a two-layer roof, water can run between the layers before it drips. Call with the stain location and we will start the core cuts there.
Each section comes off and goes back on in the order a shop owner can keep the doors open.
We walk the roof, check the parapets and scuppers, and take core cuts to count layers and test the insulation for moisture.
Shared walls between storefronts need new flashing from both sides, so owners next door hear about work days and wall details early.
Crews remove only the area they can close that afternoon, sending debris down chutes away from the front entrance.
Soft plank or rusted steel gets replaced, then tapered polyiso and cover board move water toward the rebuilt scuppers.
Membrane runs up and over parapets, new coping goes on, and each evening ends with a sealed tie-in to the old roof.
Roof replacement and repair from Elsmere reaches Erlanger and the five Kenton County towns listed here, with permits through PDS.
Your building sits elsewhere? Call us or send us a message.
Airport-area warehouses with long TPO fields and many drains.
All commercial roofing servicesMedical offices where adhesive odor near air intakes matters.
Commercial roofing in EdgewoodStorefront coping and fascia matched to tenant signage.
Commercial roofing in Crestview HillsChurch additions joined to a pitched main roof.
Commercial roofing in Lakeside ParkFlex buildings trading ponding membranes for sloped panels.
Commercial roofing in Crescent SpringsRaised curbs and state HVAC inspection during reroofs.
Commercial roofing in Fort MitchellAnswers for owners of older shops, offices, and storefronts in Elsmere.
Usually they need a full tear-off. Many of these buildings already carry a built-up roof under modified bitumen, and the building code rules out a third covering once two applications are on. A core cut confirms the layer count, and tear-off then exposes the deck for repairs to soft plank or rusted steel.
Each opened section is closed again before evening. Crews size each section to what they can insulate, cover, and seal before evening, then tie the new edge to the old roof so overnight rain stays out. Forecast checks each morning decide how much comes off, and storm days shift to coping or scupper work.
Old coping comes off, the wall blocking is checked for moisture, and the parapet is wrapped with new membrane up and over the top. New coping then goes on with cleats from a wind-tested edge design. Cracked masonry joints found under the coping are noted for the owner before the cap goes back.
Flashing on a shared wall ties into two roofs, so we talk with the neighboring owner before the work starts. Each side gets its own base flashing and counterflashing, and the wall cap is sealed so water from one roof stays off the other. Work near the shared wall is scheduled when both businesses can plan for noise.
Building permits for Elsmere come from Planning and Development Services of Kenton County, the same office that covers Erlanger. Ask PDS which HVAC inspector applies if rooftop units come off their curbs. A full scope, including deck repairs and new scuppers, helps PDS confirm what the permit needs to cover.
Most storefronts stay open. Debris chutes and dumpsters go to the rear alley, interior protection covers open areas above inventory, and noisy tear-off over the sales floor can run before opening hours. Owners tell us which rooms are most sensitive, and those sections get scheduled first or last.
Get a free estimate for tear-off and a new roof, starting with core cuts that count the layers on your building.
Leave a name and number and we will call you back about the roof.
Prefer to talk now? Call (283) 202-7024
