Frequently asked
Questions we hear most.
What’s the cost difference between TPO, EPDM, and PVC?
Installed cost in NE: TPO $5.50–$9.50/sq ft, EPDM $4.50–$8.00, PVC $7.00–$12.00. For a 5,000 sq ft commercial roof, that’s roughly $22,500–$60,000 total. We don’t always recommend the cheapest — for a restaurant with grease exposure, PVC’s chemical resistance makes it the lowest-cost option over 25 years even though it’s the most expensive at install.
How long do commercial flat roofs really last?
Properly installed TPO and PVC: 25–30 years. EPDM: 30–40 years (the most forgiving membrane in NE freeze-thaw). Mod-bit: 20–30 years. Standing-seam metal: 50+. These are realistic numbers; the manufacturer’s printed warranty (often 20-year) is conservative.
Can you handle the permit and tenant-coordination work?
Yes. We handle commercial permitting in all 6 NE states — most require licensed-contractor sign-off and engineering review for any flat-roof replacement over a certain square footage. We coordinate with tenants directly when the property manager prefers, or work through the manager. Standard.
Do you do warranty repairs on roofs you didn’t install?
Selectively. If the original membrane manufacturer is still in business and the membrane is in otherwise sound condition, we can usually do warranty-eligible repairs that the original installer would have done. If the membrane is at end-of-life, we’ll be honest about that and quote replacement instead of repeated patches.
What about a capital-replacement plan across multiple buildings?
We do this regularly for HOAs and multi-property owners — typically a 20-year capital plan that sequences roofs by remaining useful life, budgets per year, and identifies which roofs to push and which to do early to consolidate crew mobilization costs. It’s a separate engagement from any individual replacement; we charge a survey fee that gets credited against the first project.
Next step
Get an honest written quote.
Photo-documented assessment. Itemized quote. We’ll tell you if repair makes more sense than replacement.
Our commercial process
Predictable, documented, capital-ready.
STEP 01
Site survey + tenant impact plan
Roof condition survey, deck cores if condition is unclear, identification of HVAC and equipment that needs to be coordinated. We map out tenant impact — what we’ll do to minimize disruption.
STEP 02
Spec + capital-ready proposal
Engineered specification suitable for permit and insurance. Itemized by line so you can compare bids accurately. Capital-replacement-cycle math included so you can model the project against your reserves.
STEP 03
Schedule around tenants
We work around restaurant hours, tenant move-ins, retail traffic. Phased install where one large roof can’t be torn off in a single weather window. Daily progress reports during the install.
STEP 04
Closeout + warranty
Manufacturer warranty filed (10–30 year membrane warranties available on commercial systems). Lifetime workmanship warranty on installation. Capital-asset documentation for your books.
Frequently asked
Questions we hear most.
What’s the cost difference between TPO, EPDM, and PVC?
Installed cost in NE: TPO $5.50–$9.50/sq ft, EPDM $4.50–$8.00, PVC $7.00–$12.00. For a 5,000 sq ft commercial roof, that’s roughly $22,500–$60,000 total. We don’t always recommend the cheapest — for a restaurant with grease exposure, PVC’s chemical resistance makes it the lowest-cost option over 25 years even though it’s the most expensive at install.
How long do commercial flat roofs really last?
Properly installed TPO and PVC: 25–30 years. EPDM: 30–40 years (the most forgiving membrane in NE freeze-thaw). Mod-bit: 20–30 years. Standing-seam metal: 50+. These are realistic numbers; the manufacturer’s printed warranty (often 20-year) is conservative.
Can you handle the permit and tenant-coordination work?
Yes. We handle commercial permitting in all 6 NE states — most require licensed-contractor sign-off and engineering review for any flat-roof replacement over a certain square footage. We coordinate with tenants directly when the property manager prefers, or work through the manager. Standard.
Do you do warranty repairs on roofs you didn’t install?
Selectively. If the original membrane manufacturer is still in business and the membrane is in otherwise sound condition, we can usually do warranty-eligible repairs that the original installer would have done. If the membrane is at end-of-life, we’ll be honest about that and quote replacement instead of repeated patches.
What about a capital-replacement plan across multiple buildings?
We do this regularly for HOAs and multi-property owners — typically a 20-year capital plan that sequences roofs by remaining useful life, budgets per year, and identifies which roofs to push and which to do early to consolidate crew mobilization costs. It’s a separate engagement from any individual replacement; we charge a survey fee that gets credited against the first project.
Next step
Get an honest written quote.
Photo-documented assessment. Itemized quote. We’ll tell you if repair makes more sense than replacement.
TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin)
Single-ply heat-welded white membrane. 25–30 year service life, excellent UV resistance, reflects heat (reduces summer cooling cost), strong return on investment for most NE flat commercial. Our default flat-roof recommendation for new commercial.
EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer)
Single-ply rubber membrane, black, mechanically attached or fully adhered. 30+ year service life. Better in extreme freeze-thaw than TPO, slightly less UV resistance. Our default for triple-deckers and older multi-family where existing EPDM is being replaced.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
Single-ply heat-welded, white or gray. Higher cost than TPO, but chemical-resistant — required for restaurant rooftops, some industrial uses where rooftop grease exposure is a factor. 25–30 year service life.
Standing-seam metal (low-slope)
24-gauge steel mechanically locked seams, applicable down to 1:12 pitch. 50+ year service life. Best for historic mill conversions, prominent commercial frontages, and properties where a 30-year capital-replacement cycle is unacceptable.
Modified bitumen (mod-bit)
Multi-ply asphalt-based torch-down or peel-and-stick. Older technology, still excellent for high-traffic rooftops (HVAC equipment access, deck construction), 20–30 year service life. Lower upfront cost than single-ply.
Roof asset management plan
For HOAs and multi-property owners, we build a 20-year capital plan: which buildings to replace when, which to maintain, which to defer. Itemized by year so you can budget reserves accurately. The plan is a deliverable; you own it whether or not you hire us for the work.
Our commercial process
Predictable, documented, capital-ready.
STEP 01
Site survey + tenant impact plan
Roof condition survey, deck cores if condition is unclear, identification of HVAC and equipment that needs to be coordinated. We map out tenant impact — what we’ll do to minimize disruption.
STEP 02
Spec + capital-ready proposal
Engineered specification suitable for permit and insurance. Itemized by line so you can compare bids accurately. Capital-replacement-cycle math included so you can model the project against your reserves.
STEP 03
Schedule around tenants
We work around restaurant hours, tenant move-ins, retail traffic. Phased install where one large roof can’t be torn off in a single weather window. Daily progress reports during the install.
STEP 04
Closeout + warranty
Manufacturer warranty filed (10–30 year membrane warranties available on commercial systems). Lifetime workmanship warranty on installation. Capital-asset documentation for your books.
Frequently asked
Questions we hear most.
What’s the cost difference between TPO, EPDM, and PVC?
Installed cost in NE: TPO $5.50–$9.50/sq ft, EPDM $4.50–$8.00, PVC $7.00–$12.00. For a 5,000 sq ft commercial roof, that’s roughly $22,500–$60,000 total. We don’t always recommend the cheapest — for a restaurant with grease exposure, PVC’s chemical resistance makes it the lowest-cost option over 25 years even though it’s the most expensive at install.
How long do commercial flat roofs really last?
Properly installed TPO and PVC: 25–30 years. EPDM: 30–40 years (the most forgiving membrane in NE freeze-thaw). Mod-bit: 20–30 years. Standing-seam metal: 50+. These are realistic numbers; the manufacturer’s printed warranty (often 20-year) is conservative.
Can you handle the permit and tenant-coordination work?
Yes. We handle commercial permitting in all 6 NE states — most require licensed-contractor sign-off and engineering review for any flat-roof replacement over a certain square footage. We coordinate with tenants directly when the property manager prefers, or work through the manager. Standard.
Do you do warranty repairs on roofs you didn’t install?
Selectively. If the original membrane manufacturer is still in business and the membrane is in otherwise sound condition, we can usually do warranty-eligible repairs that the original installer would have done. If the membrane is at end-of-life, we’ll be honest about that and quote replacement instead of repeated patches.
What about a capital-replacement plan across multiple buildings?
We do this regularly for HOAs and multi-property owners — typically a 20-year capital plan that sequences roofs by remaining useful life, budgets per year, and identifies which roofs to push and which to do early to consolidate crew mobilization costs. It’s a separate engagement from any individual replacement; we charge a survey fee that gets credited against the first project.
Next step
Get an honest written quote.
Photo-documented assessment. Itemized quote. We’ll tell you if repair makes more sense than replacement.
Different math, different roof
We treat commercial work like a financial asset, not a home improvement.
On a personal home, you might pay extra for slate because you want it. On a 12-unit apartment building, you pay for the membrane and assembly that delivers the lowest cost-per-year over a 25-year hold and minimizes the chance of a leak shutting down a rentable unit. That math is different — and it leads to different material choices.
We handle four common NE commercial scenarios: flat-roof multi-family in dense Boston/Providence/Hartford neighborhoods (TPO or EPDM membrane); small-commercial flat or low-slope (TPO, PVC, or modified bitumen depending on rooftop traffic); historic mill buildings being converted to mixed-use (standing-seam metal or asphalt over re-engineered low-slope); and HOA shared-roof systems with capital-planning constraints. Each gets a different recommendation.
TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin)
Single-ply heat-welded white membrane. 25–30 year service life, excellent UV resistance, reflects heat (reduces summer cooling cost), strong return on investment for most NE flat commercial. Our default flat-roof recommendation for new commercial.
EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer)
Single-ply rubber membrane, black, mechanically attached or fully adhered. 30+ year service life. Better in extreme freeze-thaw than TPO, slightly less UV resistance. Our default for triple-deckers and older multi-family where existing EPDM is being replaced.
PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
Single-ply heat-welded, white or gray. Higher cost than TPO, but chemical-resistant — required for restaurant rooftops, some industrial uses where rooftop grease exposure is a factor. 25–30 year service life.
Standing-seam metal (low-slope)
24-gauge steel mechanically locked seams, applicable down to 1:12 pitch. 50+ year service life. Best for historic mill conversions, prominent commercial frontages, and properties where a 30-year capital-replacement cycle is unacceptable.
Modified bitumen (mod-bit)
Multi-ply asphalt-based torch-down or peel-and-stick. Older technology, still excellent for high-traffic rooftops (HVAC equipment access, deck construction), 20–30 year service life. Lower upfront cost than single-ply.
Roof asset management plan
For HOAs and multi-property owners, we build a 20-year capital plan: which buildings to replace when, which to maintain, which to defer. Itemized by year so you can budget reserves accurately. The plan is a deliverable; you own it whether or not you hire us for the work.
Our commercial process
Predictable, documented, capital-ready.
STEP 01
Site survey + tenant impact plan
Roof condition survey, deck cores if condition is unclear, identification of HVAC and equipment that needs to be coordinated. We map out tenant impact — what we’ll do to minimize disruption.
STEP 02
Spec + capital-ready proposal
Engineered specification suitable for permit and insurance. Itemized by line so you can compare bids accurately. Capital-replacement-cycle math included so you can model the project against your reserves.
STEP 03
Schedule around tenants
We work around restaurant hours, tenant move-ins, retail traffic. Phased install where one large roof can’t be torn off in a single weather window. Daily progress reports during the install.
STEP 04
Closeout + warranty
Manufacturer warranty filed (10–30 year membrane warranties available on commercial systems). Lifetime workmanship warranty on installation. Capital-asset documentation for your books.
Frequently asked
Questions we hear most.
What’s the cost difference between TPO, EPDM, and PVC?
Installed cost in NE: TPO $5.50–$9.50/sq ft, EPDM $4.50–$8.00, PVC $7.00–$12.00. For a 5,000 sq ft commercial roof, that’s roughly $22,500–$60,000 total. We don’t always recommend the cheapest — for a restaurant with grease exposure, PVC’s chemical resistance makes it the lowest-cost option over 25 years even though it’s the most expensive at install.
How long do commercial flat roofs really last?
Properly installed TPO and PVC: 25–30 years. EPDM: 30–40 years (the most forgiving membrane in NE freeze-thaw). Mod-bit: 20–30 years. Standing-seam metal: 50+. These are realistic numbers; the manufacturer’s printed warranty (often 20-year) is conservative.
Can you handle the permit and tenant-coordination work?
Yes. We handle commercial permitting in all 6 NE states — most require licensed-contractor sign-off and engineering review for any flat-roof replacement over a certain square footage. We coordinate with tenants directly when the property manager prefers, or work through the manager. Standard.
Do you do warranty repairs on roofs you didn’t install?
Selectively. If the original membrane manufacturer is still in business and the membrane is in otherwise sound condition, we can usually do warranty-eligible repairs that the original installer would have done. If the membrane is at end-of-life, we’ll be honest about that and quote replacement instead of repeated patches.
What about a capital-replacement plan across multiple buildings?
We do this regularly for HOAs and multi-property owners — typically a 20-year capital plan that sequences roofs by remaining useful life, budgets per year, and identifies which roofs to push and which to do early to consolidate crew mobilization costs. It’s a separate engagement from any individual replacement; we charge a survey fee that gets credited against the first project.
Next step
Get an honest written quote.
Photo-documented assessment. Itemized quote. We’ll tell you if repair makes more sense than replacement.
TPO · EPDM · PVC · Standing seam
Roofing for buildings that earn money — or house people.
Triple-deckers, mixed-use mill buildings, small commercial, HOAs, multi-family. The economics are different from residential — the roof is a depreciating capital asset, not a personal aesthetic decision. The right roof is the one that lasts the longest per dollar with the least operational risk to the people or businesses underneath it.