When Seven Different Roofs Become One

By SureCoat Sytems.

The contractor was tasked with repairing seven roofing areas with four different extremely weathered and failing roof systems.

Westminster Canterbury, a serene retirement community nestled on the waterfront of the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia Beach is where one comes in their later years to enjoy relaxation doused in sand, sun, and salty breezes – a lifestyle its residents have worked hard to achieve. Upkeep of the facilities is a top priority in maintaining a place of serenity. When residents no longer want to enjoy views of the bay due to leaky, peeling, tar and gravel roof systems, it’s definitely time for repairs. Enter father-son team, Tom and Brandon Rowe, owners of Contractor Services, a Virginia Beach-based construction business tasked with repairing seven roofing areas with four different extremely weathered and failing roof systems.

The Stats:

• Type: Commercial Residential Community
• Scope & Size: Nearly 16,000 square feet of tar and gravel, elastomeric covered EPDM, elastomeric covered foam roofing, and elastomeric covered TPO filled with large river rock.

Phase One: Not so Easy EPDM

Tom, Brandon and the team decided they would knock out the elastomeric covered EPDM system first – clean and install a new roof system – a piece of cake. This, they quickly realized, was not the case. There were areas of peeling and the not-so-tame 60 mph winds rolling off the bay that were pulling the flapping pieces of weathered coating further and further off the substrate.

Phase Two: Goodbye Gravel

The next task was to remove the loose gravel. This seemed simple enough, but challenges ensue when there is no room for vaccum trucks on site. However, no challenge is too big for the boys of Contractor Services. The father/son duo developed their own transport system out of PVC pipe and old 55 gallon detergent drums fashioning a large funnel from roof to dumpster. After a few days, the team removed 8,000 square feet of rock from the roof surface.

Phase Three: A Smooth Roof for a Steep Price

Now that the roof was clear, the team was ready to prep and grind down the rough aggregate roof surface that was left behind. Tom and Brandon fashioned their own grinding machines, but the roof was so rough, it was damaging the machines. They knew there had to be a quicker and easier solution, so they got in touch with SureCoat Systems’ tech team to help reassess the job. After putting all heads together, they developed a new plan to fill the roof with a layer of concrete and then install the SureCoat Roof System on top. This solution worked like a charm and looking back would of saved them some time on the front end.

Phase Four: A SURE End in Sight

“Finally, with a fresh, smooth surface we were ready to sure up the roofs,” says Brandon. “The boys hoisted 200, 56 pound, five-gallon buckets of the SureCoat Roof System up and down ladders to each roofing area and that was the last of our worries, from here on out it was smooth sailing – minus whipping out my rusty geometry skills to work around a few unusually shaped roofing penetrations.

This was our first time using SureCoat, and we did it all with the help of their YouTube videos, Facetime, and phone conversations with team member, Jeff, who walked us through every question and concern coaching us to the best installation possible. Coming back the day after our first coat, I was in awe of how excellent this product is. It dried hard as a rock, like a flexible rock. It was like putting a waterproof cast on the roof. It’s as simple as apply, roll, apply – once we got into our application groove, the roof took no time to install. And, leak-free was our result. The roof was important to us and the Westminster community because we have developed relationships with many of the residents during the past ten years there. We wanted to do the best job possible for all of them to make their home more comfortable. I literally had people yelling out windows at us ‘Hi Tom and Brandon.’ One of the staffers that works in the laundry room said, ‘Hey, you fixed my leak!’ and fixed we did.”

Tom and Brandon offered a solution that solved all the problems of the old pummeled roofing that previous coatings and roofing solutions attempts couldn’t fix. Westminster Canturbury is now the proud owner of a cost-effective, all weather roof backed by a manufacturer’s written warranty that not only covers ponding but is renewable for the life of the roof. This project was finished in the fall of 2017 and since then, there has been no more leaking and no more repairs.

“SureCoat Systems has surely the best roofing system available on the market—it is in a league of its own. With this unique system, one can repair, rehabilitate, or replace almost any flat or low-grade roof. For us at Contractor Services, finding SureCoat was a silver lining. We have experience with most roofing products available. Not many are as durable and as easy to install asSureCoat. Using this unique three-ply polyester reinforced system is like putting a cast on your roof, and I mean this almost literally. Once we complete the installation process, your roof will be as hard as a rock, but a very flexible rock. When repairing or replacing commercial or residential roofing systems, after using SureCoat, I do not even consider using alternative products. My advice to you, if you have a broken roof, we can surely fix it, with nothing but the SureCoat Roof System.” – Tom Rowe & Brandon Rowe, Owners, Contractor Services

“After years of leaking and built up roofing systems that never really worked we’re excited to have a system in place that hasn’t failed us yet and we’re almost a full year out from Tom and Brandon finishing installation,” says Joe Lucy, maintenance supervisor at Westminster Canterbury. “Not only that but most of our residents looked down on the roof systems in question and it was impeding their vast views of the Chesapeake Bay. Contractor Services is a trusted business in our community and they have proven themselves throughout the years implementing fixes that other contractors in the area just couldn’t do.”

To learn more about the SureCoat Roof System or if you’re ready to price out your next project, call or click today! 877-8 BE SURE – www.SureCoatSystems.com.