Full-system tear-off and replacement on Dallas commercial flat roofs — scoped against your capital horizon and closed out with manufacturer warranty documentation that holds up over time.
Most commercial roof replacements in the DFW metro get scoped reactively. The roof leaks, someone calls three contractors, and the lowest bid wins. That replacement runs the same membrane on the same insulation against the same parapet detailing — and then leaks again in eighteen months.
Our replacement scope starts with a roof walk and a moisture-core pull on any roof we suspect has saturated insulation. We document deck condition, parapet flashing condition, drain status, every penetration, and every prior repair. The replacement scope then specifies the membrane, the insulation stack (including R-value to current Dallas energy code), the fastener density to code wind-uplift, the manufacturer warranty path, and the maintenance contract that keeps the warranty active.
The deliverable at closeout is the warranty document, the roof zone diagram with all closeout photos, the maintenance contract, and a written record that the next reroof cycle can build against — not a stack of receipts that the next building owner has to reconstruct from scratch.
Recover-versus-replace is the first decision in any aging-roof scope. We pull moisture cores in five-to-ten representative locations on roofs we suspect have insulation saturation. If more than 25% of cores read wet, replacement is the honest scope — recovering wet insulation traps the moisture and voids the new warranty. If under 25%, a recover with targeted insulation replacement at wet areas can extend the asset another 15-20 years at roughly half the capital cost of full replacement.
Deck condition is the second decision. We pull deck inspection ports under wet cores and at obvious deflection points. Corroded metal deck or rotted plywood means deck replacement, which moves the project into a different cost band and a different sequencing plan. Owners need to know this before the project starts — not when the crew opens up the roof and stops work.
Membrane: TPO 60-mil or 80-mil for most Dallas commercial buildings; EPDM 60-mil for industrial with high mechanical traffic; PVC 50-mil or 60-mil for restaurants and high-chemical exposure; modified bitumen for buildings with existing BUR systems where the recover path makes sense. We are not married to any one manufacturer — we specify based on building use, manufacturer warranty terms, and what the building's capital horizon supports.
Insulation: We spec to current Dallas energy code (IECC 2021 minimum R-25 for low-slope, often higher depending on building use). The stack typically runs polyiso primary insulation plus a cover board (HD polyiso, gypsum, or HD polyiso depending on membrane). Tapered insulation packages are designed against the existing drain layout and the actual ponding patterns we documented during inspection.
Fastener pattern: Designed against IBC 2021 wind-uplift requirements for the building's zone and exposure category. Dallas is mostly Exposure B or C depending on adjacent buildings; tall buildings or those near open exposure get more conservative pattern density.
Manufacturer warranty path: 20-year NDL (no-dollar-limit) warranty is standard for most TPO and EPDM systems. PVC systems can carry 25-year warranties. Restoration coatings (silicone fluid-applied) carry 10, 15, or 20-year manufacturer warranties depending on mil thickness.
