THE PROBLEM
A luxury high-rise oceanfront building, Ocean Plaza, suffered half of their roof blowing off the prior year. The emergency replacement modified bitumen roof was plagued with leaks. Also, recognizing the half of the roof that did not blow off was showing wear from normal aging, accelerated by ponding water and surfacing granule loss, the Condominium Owners Association started investigating cost-effective ways to restore their roof. Their primary objective was to avoid another costly re-roof operation in the near future.
THE SOLUTION
The Condominium Board’s investigation led them to the Barrett Company, a supplier of high-performance roofing and waterproofing systems. An RCI Registered Roof Consultant visited the project to assess the roofs condition and determine if restoration was a viable solution. After a detailed evaluation, including a moisture scan that determined moisture levels were not excessive, a restoration specification was developed, including membrane, flashing and roof penetration repairs.
A ROOF RESTORED
Once the roofs basic condition was brought up to standard, Ram Cold Tar® Plus roof restoration compound was applied. Ram Cold Tar® Plus is a cold applied membrane specifically designed to provide a new weathering surface for aged or damaged bituminous roofing systems. It also offers additional protection for ponded roof conditions.
Applied as a heavy liquid, the Ram Cold Tar® Plus polymer-modified system chemically fuses with the existing membrane forming a tough, thick, seamless elastomeric membrane, adding years of service life to the existing roof. Ocean Plaza selected bright white granules as the finished surface, leaving a seamless, highly reflective, energy saving finish. The project was finalized with Barrett furnishing its 10-year roof restoration warranty for the owners.
Not all roofs are suitable for restoration. But when appropriate, restoration is an extremely cost-effective solution that limits inconvenience to the building occupants, saves existing insulation and reduces tons of waste from going into landfills. Additionally, roof restorations can generally be expensed in the same year, avoiding an expensive 39-year IRS depreciation schedule.
