Flat and low slope roofing in Los Angeles
The flat roof repair Inglewood homeowners and Los Angeles building owners call for when the roof ponds, blisters or leaks at the seams. And when it's past repair, the torch down, TPO or PVC roof that replaces it, or the coating that saves it.
License #1131531. Bonded and insured. 1 year guarantee on our work.
Get a free flat roof estimate
A crew lead walks the roof, finds the cause and prices repair, coating or replacement side by side. We call you back within one business hour.
Why flat roofs leak, in Los Angeles especially
A pitched roof sheds water. A flat roof has to hold it out. That one difference explains nearly every call we get about a flat roof leaking.
Ponding
Water that sits for more than a day or two after rain. It finds every seam and blister, and it's the reason so many flat roofs fail early. The fix is drainage, not just a patch.
Seams and laps
Every roll of torch down and every sheet of TPO has an edge. When the seam opens, water goes straight under. Rewelded or resealed, this is the flat roof repair Los Angeles homes call us for most.
Flashing and parapets
Where the flat roof meets a wall, a parapet cap or a chimney. The metal cracks or pulls away and the water goes behind it.
Penetrations
HVAC units, vents, pipes, solar mounts and skylights. Every one is flashed, and every flashing has a life. On a flat roof there are usually a lot of them.
Blisters and alligatoring
The Los Angeles sun lifts blisters in a cap sheet and cracks an old built up roofing surface into a pattern that looks like skin. Both let water into the layers below.
Blocked drains and scuppers
Leaves, grit and a tennis ball. A blocked drain turns a good roof into a pond in one storm. Cheapest thing on this list to prevent.
Repair, coat or replace? The honest answer, in writing
Flat roofs are the one place where the middle option, a coating, is often the right one. So we price all three when all three apply.
A seam, a flashing, a drain, a few blisters. The roof around it is sound. Fixed, photographed, guaranteed for a year.
The surface is chalky or cracked, the seams need attention, but the layers below are dry. Fix the seams and the ponding, then a silicone or elastomeric coating over the whole roof for years more service.
Wet insulation, a membrane that's failed everywhere, two roofs already on the deck, or soft decking. Torch down, TPO or PVC, and this time with the drainage designed in.
Not sure which you've got? That's what the free estimate is for. On every flat roof repair Inglewood homeowners book, a crew lead walks the roof and tells you, with photos.
Flat roof systems, and when each one fits
Low slope roofing comes down to four systems and a coating. Plenty of flat roofing contractors Los Angeles wide install one or two of them. We install all of them, so the recommendation depends on the roof, not on what's on the truck.
Modified bitumen, the flat roof most Los Angeles homes and small buildings already have. Tough, repairable, 15 to 20 years, with a cool cap sheet for Title 24.
A single ply white membrane with welded seams. Cool roof rated by default, 20 to 25 years, and the standard for new commercial and flat residential roofs.
Like TPO, but tougher against grease, chemicals and restaurant exhaust. Costs more and earns it on the buildings that need it.
Silicone for roofs that pond, elastomeric for roofs that drain. Over a sound roof, years added for a fraction of a replacement.
Older Los Angeles buildings often have built up roofing, layers of felt and asphalt under a bed of gravel. It lasts, but it's heavy, it hides its leaks under the stones, and it can't be recoated until the gravel comes off. We repair it, and when it's done we usually replace it with TPO or torch down, which weighs a fraction as much.
Flat roofs on homes, and flat roofs on buildings
The systems are the same. The job isn't. Here's the difference.
Homes, ADUs and garages
The mid century, the modern, the addition
- Flat and low slope sections on mid century homes, where the original torch down is decades old
- Modern homes and ADUs designed flat, usually TPO, with the drainage built in from the plans
- Additions and garage conversions where a flat roof meets a pitched one, and the join is where it leaks
- Roof decks, which need a membrane rated for foot traffic and a drainage plan under the pavers
- Title 24 cool roof material on the replacement, which a white membrane gives you by default
Apartment and commercial buildings
Bigger roofs, more penetrations, tenants underneath
- Repairs done with the building open, documented for the owner and the insurer
- Replacements phased by section so nothing is left open overnight
- Coatings as the go to for a sound commercial roof, with no dumpster and no tear off
- Maintenance programs that clear the drains before the rain does the damage
- One roofer for every flat roof you manage
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How it works
Four steps, and you see the photos before you see the price.
A crew lead checks the drains, the seams, every flashing and penetration, and looks for ponding marks and blisters. Photographs all of it.
A leak inside rarely sits under the failure outside. We trace it, and we check whether the layers below are dry before we recommend anything.
Repair, coat or replace, side by side in writing, with the drainage fix included because without it nothing else lasts.
Same crew, watertight at the end of every day, photos at handover, 1 year guarantee on the work and the manufacturer's warranty on the system.
What flat roof work costs in Los Angeles
Three different jobs, three different numbers. Here's what moves each one.
- Repair. How many seams, flashings and drains, and whether the layers below are wet. A drain cleared and a seam resealed is a small job. Wet insulation is not.
- Coating. Roof size, how much repair comes first, and silicone or elastomeric. Priced by area, and a fraction of a replacement.
- Flat roof replacement Los Angeles wide. Size, the system, whether the old roof comes off or gets recovered, tapered insulation to fix ponding, and the number of penetrations.
- Drainage. Added or rebuilt drains and scuppers, and tapered fill, are the line that makes the rest of the work last.
- Access. Height, parapets, and on a building, the hours the tenants allow.
Every estimate is free, in writing, with the photos attached and each option priced on its own line. Read flat roof options for Los Angeles to compare the systems before we come out.
Flat roof repair near you
Our office is on La Brea Avenue in Inglewood, in a city full of flat roofed homes, duplexes and small commercial buildings, so the flat roof repair Inglewood homeowners book with us is usually minutes away for the crew. From there we cover the South Bay, the Westside and most of Los Angeles, and if you searched flat roof repair near me from any of them, we're the local one.
- Inglewood, our home base
- Culver City
- Gardena
Flat roof questions we get asked most
1. Why does water sit on my flat roof after it rains?
Because the roof isn't draining. Either the drains and scuppers are blocked, or the roof has low spots where the deck has settled. A little standing water that's gone in a day is normal. Water still there after two days is ponding, and it needs a drainage fix, not just a patch.
2. How long does a flat roof last in Los Angeles?
Torch down 15 to 20 years, TPO and PVC 20 to 25, built up roofing 20 to 30 if it's kept clear, and a coating adds 10 to 20 on top of a sound roof. The sun does more damage here than the rain, so a cool roof surface and clear drains matter more than they would somewhere cooler.
3. Torch down or TPO?
Torch down if you want a tough, repairable roof that matches what most of the neighborhood has. TPO if you want the cool roof credit, welded seams and a lighter roof. On a commercial building it's usually TPO. On an older home it's often torch down. We price both. See torch down and TPO and PVC.
4. Can my flat roof be coated instead of replaced?
If the layers below are dry and the membrane is worn but not failed, yes, and it's usually the best value on the page. If the insulation is wet or the membrane has failed everywhere, no coating will save it. The assessment tells you which.
5. My flat roof is leaking right now. What do I do?
Catch the water, move what's under it, and call (323) 338 2878. We stop the water first, usually by clearing a drain or sealing a seam, then find the real cause. See emergency roof repair.
6. Do you fix drains and scuppers, or just the roof?
Both, because one doesn't last without the other. Cleared, rebuilt or added, with tapered fill in the low spots if the roof needs it.
7. Can I put a roof deck on my flat roof?
Often, yes. It needs a membrane rated for foot traffic, a drainage plan under the pavers or decking, and a structural check that the roof can carry the load. We'll tell you what your roof can take.
8. What does flat roof repair cost?
It depends on what failed and whether the layers below are wet. A cleared drain and a resealed seam is a small job. A section of wet insulation is a bigger one. Every estimate is free, in writing, with the coating and replacement options beside the repair when they apply.
A flat roof that finally drains
Get a free flat roof estimate. A crew lead walks the roof, finds the real cause, and prices repair, coating and replacement side by side, with the drainage fix that makes any of them last.