I have a four unit apartment building with a flat roof in Washington
DC. It's two stories with two units on each floor. The top two units
have experienced leaks in the ceilings, to the point where the dry wall
in one of the units is actually sagging. The leaking only occurs when
it rains hard I'm in the process of getting quotes from different
roofers, and so far I'm recieving very different estimates. When I
bought the building 18 months ago, it passed the roofing inspection.
The roof was installed around 5 years ago.

The first roofer actually went on top of the roof, and looked for
possible problem areas. He said the roof was pretty good(made of
ruberoid bitumen?) and that he could tell it was pretty new. However,
he said the flashing was done in an inferior manner. He recommended
rdoing the front flashing wall, and around the vent pipes, skylght and
where ever it's needed. For this he'd charge $3500

The second roofer, didn't go on top of the building(the receptionist
told him it was an estimate for aluminum siding so he didn't have a
ladder with him). I showed him the leaks from inside the two units,
and he said I needed to replace the whole roof. He said he could do it
for $6200.

I'm still taking estimates, but it seems strange that the second roofer
could redo my entire roof for less than twice what the first roofer
would charge me. Any insights, or thoughts would be appreciated.

wrote:
I have a four unit apartment building with a flat roof in Washington
DC. It's two stories with two units on each floor. The top two units
have experienced leaks in the ceilings, to the point where the dry wall
in one of the units is actually sagging. The leaking only occurs when
it rains hard I'm in the process of getting quotes from different
roofers, and so far I'm recieving very different estimates. When I
bought the building 18 months ago, it passed the roofing inspection.
The roof was installed around 5 years ago.

The first roofer actually went on top of the roof, and looked for
possible problem areas. He said the roof was pretty good(made of
ruberoid bitumen?) and that he could tell it was pretty new. However,
he said the flashing was done in an inferior manner. He recommended
rdoing the front flashing wall, and around the vent pipes, skylght and
where ever it's needed. For this he'd charge $3500

The second roofer, didn't go on top of the building(the receptionist
told him it was an estimate for aluminum siding so he didn't have a
ladder with him). I showed him the leaks from inside the two units,
and he said I needed to replace the whole roof. He said he could do it
for $6200.

I'm still taking estimates, but it seems strange that the second roofer
could redo my entire roof for less than twice what the first roofer
would charge me. Any insights, or thoughts would be appreciated.


IMO the second roofer (no ladder!?) doesn't give me a good feeling. He
thinks a 5 year old roof needs to be replaced? The fact that it only
leaks from hard rain tells me the roof is generally sound.

I'd go with the flashing fix the roof still has a lot of years left in
it.

btw how big is the roof?

cheers
Bob

Probably about 35 ft x 45 ft. Thanks for the input. I'm going to try
and get a few more estimates before I choose someone.

Many times, a roof leak is due to improper flashing. Another reason for
a leak (in the case of modified bitumen), is the failure to weld the
seams together. For the leaks to show up on your ceilings, it might be
the fact that you have both: areas where water is pooling, faulty
seams. If you do not have adequate slope for drainage, a portion of
your roof will have to be re-done to build up a slope to a drain.

In the case of a minor leak around flashings, all qualified roofers
should be able to spot the area where water is getting in. Roofing
compound with a UV top-coat is a pretty good fix that can last you a
couple of years.

In the case of a re-roof, you should opt for a hot-mopped (tar) roof
with a cap sheet (preferably granulated) roof. It's cheap (though they
might charge more for labor) and it lasts a lifetime. Roofers hate it.

-Vic