Residential Single Ply Roofing

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Author Message Ellis C. Whitby, PE, CSI, AIA, LEED Senior Member Username: ecwhitby Post Number: 462 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Thursday, June 20, 2019 - 11:42 am:    Any recommendations for a low slope roof on a single family home? location is mid-atlantic (in Washington, DC). Slope is 1/4" per foot. A friend asked after his roof was damaged by hail. I have no recent experience with residential and was going to recommend a good quality commercial product, but thought I'd ask around for more ideas. Robin E. Snyder Senior Member Username: robin Post Number: 772 Registered: 08-2004 Posted on Friday, June 21, 2019 - 07:10 pm:    how about coated foam? James Sandoz, AIA, CSI, CCS, CCCA Senior Member Username: jsandoz Post Number: 273 Registered: 06-2005 Posted on Monday, June 24, 2019 - 09:02 am:    Robin, how about not. Here on the Gulf Coast seagulls love to peck at the stuff. What they do with it after they remove it from the roof goodness only knows. Ronald J. Ray, RA, CCS, CCCA, CSI, SCIP, AIA Senior Member Username: rjray Post Number: 192 Registered: 04-2004 Posted on Monday, June 24, 2019 - 09:30 am:    Elis, Since single-ply roof membrane manufacturers typically do not warrant residential installations, it may not make much difference. Whatever system you prefer on commercial projects with, I assume, wood decks, would be adequate for a single-family residence. I have 2 small low-sloped roofs on my home, which I had reroofed with adhered 60-mil EPDM soon after purchasing the home. They lasted over 30 years before they were overlaid with a new cover board and 60-mil adhered white EPDM. Currently. I am looking at a reroof of another low-sloped single-family residence, and am considering PVC and EPDM. A self-adhering systems has some advantages for this particular application, including when one considers the skill level of some residential roofers. I am also considering Carlisle’s velcro attached system. Of course, the home owner likes standing seam metal, which introduces a list of other potential problems. A 2-ply modified bitumen system was eliminated due to the small amount of additional weight, an issue unique to this project, but would be a good choice with the right products. For added hail resistance, I suggest you consider the inclusion of an appropriate cover board, as well as a fleece-backed membrane. Wayne Yancey Senior Member Username: wayne_yancey Post Number: 899 Registered: 01-2008 Posted on Monday, June 24, 2019 - 10:17 am:    Mule-Hide Products Co. now has a fleece-back TPO for attachment direct to plywood and OSB roof decks. As a bonus, the membrane provides a UL Class A fire rating without the need for a fire-retardant board or slip sheet. I have not specified Mule-Hide. I found the above information in the June 2019 issue of Commercial Architecture. Jeffrey Wilson CSI CCS SCIP Senior Member Username: wilsonconsulting Post Number: 294 Registered: 03-2006 Posted on Monday, June 24, 2019 - 11:06 am:    I recently had a smooth-surfaced mod bit roof on my house replaced w/ a white-granule-surfaced self-adhering 2-ply mod bit system. It's simple, reasonably priced, and within the skill set of typical residential roofers. The white color noticeably reduced the summer heat load in upstairs rooms, and should increase the roof's service life by keeping the membrane temperature lower. Jeffrey Wilson CCS CSI SCIP Wilson Consulting Inc Ardmore PA Ellis C. Whitby, PE, CSI, AIA, LEED Senior Member Username: ecwhitby Post Number: 464 Registered: 03-2003 Posted on Monday, June 24, 2019 - 01:26 pm:    Thank you for all the input J. Peter Jordan Senior Member Username: jpjordan Post Number: 1096 Registered: 05-2004 Posted on Monday, June 24, 2019 - 02:05 pm:    Be sure to verify warrantees. Some manufacturers of commercial systems will not install or warrant residential applications. J. Peter Jordan, FCSI, AIA, CCS, LEED AP, SCIP John Bunzick, CCS, CCCA, LEED AP Senior Member Username: bunzick Post Number: 1787 Registered: 03-2002 Posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 - 02:01 pm:    I had a mod bit system on my very low sloped kitchen roof installed a number of years ago. They have a few advantages for residential. They have some color choices (I can see it from my third floor), and the mineral surfacing means that you easily can get on the roof for maintenance - single ply roofs are notoriously slippery when damp. In my case, this roof is also a path of emergency escape from a severe fire - which would not be good if the roof were slippery. Rosa Cheney Junior Member Username: rdcaia Post Number: 2 Registered: 07-2018 Posted on Tuesday, June 25, 2019 - 02:43 pm:    I was also going to recommend self-adhering modified bitumen sheets because they are what I usually see used for low-slope residential applications and they are usually offered by the same manufacturers of residential asphalt shingles. As an example, a quick look at GAF's product line https://www.gaf.com/en-us/products/liberty-sbs-self-adhering-cap-sheet/documents indicates they want a minimum 1/2 inch per foot slope instead of the OP's 1/4 inch per foot slope. Without looking at the product data for competing products, I suspect it may be similar. Even so, I would consider improving the existing slope to 1/2 inch per foot and using the modified bitumen product, if I could, before considering thermoplastic or EPDM products. The self-adhering modified-bit sheet would be more readily compatible with other residential-type products such as the sealants and flashings, etc, that residential construction typically uses (important both for the initial construction and subsequent maintenance over the life of the roof); it would use normal residential installation detailing (at flashings, gutters, and pipe penetrations, etc) similar to asphalt shingles; and it would not require a special commercial roofing contractor to install (residential roofers can install these rolls).