Commercial Roofing
in San Diego

Commercial Roofing for San Diego's Coastal and Inland Climates

How a San Diego County roof ages depends on how far it sits from the water. In Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas and on Torrey Pines Mesa, the marine layer keeps roofs damp into late morning through late spring and early summer. Salt air works on everything metal: edge metal, coping, counterflashing, fasteners and drain bodies. Coastal roofs often fail at the metal while the membrane still has years left.

Inland, in Escondido, San Marcos, Poway and El Cajon, summer roof surfaces run far hotter than the air and cool fast after dark. That daily movement opens seams, splits flashing corners and dries out cap sheet and mastic. Around Kearny Mesa and Miramar, on the mesas between, the morning overcast comes and goes, so each roof is judged on its own.

So we choose a system for the building, not from a product line. Coastal roofs and roofs that pond after rain usually point to silicone. Well-drained inland roofs often suit acrylic. Wet insulation rules out both until it is removed, because a coating over it only traps the water. The reasoning goes into the proposal for whoever approves the budget.

Most of the county's rain falls between November and March, after a dry summer that shrinks sealant and fills drains with debris. Fall Santa Ana winds then loosen edge metal and coping, and the first real storm finds every weak point at once. A pre-season maintenance visit in September or October, while the roof is still dry, finds them first.

Re-roofing or recoating enough of a low-slope commercial roof generally triggers California's Title 24 cool-roof requirements, met with a CRRC-rated product. We check each address and specify to it.

We are a Sika Partner contractor, approved to install and warrant Sarnafil PVC, and an approved contractor for SOPREMA, APOC and Western Colloid. We won't recommend a coating or a re-roof that our findings on the roof don't support.

The Buildings We Work On

• Life science and R&D: lab roofs on Torrey Pines Mesa, in Sorrento Valley and Carlsbad's research parks, crowded with exhaust fans and HVAC that change with every tenant improvement.
• Tilt-up industrial and distribution: large low-slope roofs in Miramar, Kearny Mesa, Vista and Poway. Ponding along the parapets and what the core cuts find decide between silicone restoration and a PVC re-roof.
• Business parks and multi-tenant flex: one roof, many tenants and a rooftop unit from each. Leaks cross suite lines, so one ROOF PROTECT™ plan covers the whole roof.
• Retail and restaurant centers: kitchen exhaust grease softens asphalt roofing around every fan. PVC resists it, and containment and cleaning stop it spreading.
• Medical office: work scheduled around patient hours and planned around fresh-air intakes, since some adhesives and primers carry an odor.
• HOA and multifamily: flat roofs over residents, and ROOF INSPECT condition reports written for board meetings and reserve studies.
• Hotels: roof repair and maintenance around Hotel Circle and Mission Valley, planned around occupancy.

How a Commercial Roofing Project Runs

1. 1

   Inspection

   We inspect from inside the building first, then walk the roof, photographing every defect and noting what is sound.

2. 2

   Written Proposal With Photos

   Each item is listed with its location, a photo, the material we'll use and its cost, ranked by what can't wait.

3. 3

   Scheduled Work

   Work is phased around tenants and operations, with off-hours options for labs, medical offices and restaurants.

4. 4

   Documented Completion

   Before-and-after photos and a written summary in one closeout package you can forward to ownership.

Before

After

Common Questions About Commercial Roofing in San Diego