System sheets
Commercial roof systems
The seven system families that cover nearly every commercial roof in North America. Each sheet opens with the assembly cross-section and layer schedule, then the numbers: service life, installed cost range, and what to watch for.
TPO (Thermoplastic Polyolefin)
15 to 25 yrThe default budget-conscious choice for most low slope commercial roofs, especially cooling dominated climates
$6.50 to $12.00 per sq ft installed
EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer)
20 to 30 yrProven 50 year track record, forgiving in cold climates, easy to repair for decades
$6.00 to $11.50 per sq ft installed
PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride)
20 to 30 yrRestaurants, food plants, and anywhere grease, chemicals, or standing water punish lesser membranes
$7.50 to $13.50 per sq ft installed
Modified Bitumen
15 to 25 yrHigh traffic roofs and small commercial where redundancy and puncture resistance matter more than reflectivity
$6.50 to $12.50 per sq ft installed
Built-Up Roofing (BUR)
20 to 30 yrInstitutional buildings that want maximum redundancy and a century of installed track record
$7.00 to $13.00 per sq ft installed
Standing Seam Metal
30 to 45 yrSlopes above 1/2:12, owners who want the longest service life and can fund the first cost
$10.00 to $18.00 per sq ft installed
Roof Coatings and Restoration
10 to 20 yrBuying 10 to 20 years on a sound, dry roof at roughly a third of replacement cost, often as a maintenance expense
$2.50 to $6.00 per sq ft installed