Apartment Building Roof Replacement in San Diego, CA

What does a multi-unit roof need before the work starts?

A survey of the roof, the access, the units below and the drains. It sets the order of the work and the points where the building must be protected.

The survey also records the condition of the existing covering and the decking. A multi-unit roof often carries several layers from earlier repairs, and the count decides how much must be removed in each phase.

Access is measured as well as the roof. A stair that is too narrow for a pallet, or a gate that cannot take a skip, changes the plan before the first tear-off.

The survey also looks at the roof's uses. Rooftop equipment, satellite dishes, solar conduit and water tanks sit on many apartment roofs, and each one must be disconnected, lifted and re-set during the work. The technician lists every item on the roof and agrees its removal and re-fixing with the owner, so no piece of equipment is damaged or left unsupported when the covering goes down.

How is the unit below protected during the work?

Protection means sheeting over the ceilings, a closed path to the stairs, dust control on the top floor and a clear schedule shared with the occupants.

Water is the main risk to the units below. The crew keeps each strip covered at the end of the day and checks the weather before opening any new area.

The occupants are told the days when the roof will be worked over their heads, so they can plan for the noise and the dust. A notice is left at each door with the phone number for questions.

Noise planning is part of the protection. Heavy work is timed for the hours the building allows, and the crew avoids starting a phase before the occupants have had notice. Where a tenant works from home, the schedule for that floor is agreed separately, so the work does not interrupt a call or a deadline without warning.

Where a unit has a balcony or a rear door opening onto the roof area, that door is kept clear and the route to it is protected. The technician agrees the path with the occupant the day before the work, so nobody is surprised by a barrier across a doorway or a crew member on the stair. A sign at the stair foot shows the route for the day and the time the strip will end.

Why are the drains and parapets given so much attention?

They are the places where a flat roof holds water and where the flashing carries the membrane up the wall, so they are the two most likely sources of a leak on an apartment block.

A drain that is set too high or too small leaves a pool that stresses the new covering. The drain is corrected during the re-roof, not left as the next owner's problem.

The parapet flashing is re-made at each phase so the joint between the old and new covering is sealed and lapped correctly.

Parapet caps on an apartment block are often the most fragile part of the roof, because they were built in sections and each joint has its own history. Caps that rock are re-set during the phase that works that edge, and the flashing beneath is re-made in the same visit, so the edge is sealed before the next phase begins.

The drains on an apartment roof are often shared between units or fed from a common outlet on the rear wall. Clearing one drain can change the flow to another, so each one is tested in turn and the test is recorded against the drain's number. That record makes it possible to see later whether a blockage has moved to a neighboring drain.

What is the handover and the record?

The handover is a written record of the phases, the tests, the photographs and any repair made inside a unit. It gives the owner a file for the building's future.

The record shows which drains were cleared, which flashing was re-made and where the decking was replaced. A later repair or a sale can then start from known facts.

No warranty is stated on this page. The terms of any manufacturer or workmanship promise are written into the owner's contract and read before signing.

Where a tenant asks for a copy of the record, the building owner decides what to share. The record is written for the owner and the building file, and the owner can summarise the work for the occupants in a notice that the technician helps prepare.