Serving Salt Lake City, UT & Nearby Areas
(385) 438-3591
Serving Salt Lake City, UT & Nearby Areas
(385) 438-3591
Look at the edges. Membrane systems mostly fail at terminations rather than out in the field. That's because the edge detail is where the specification gets skipped. The self-adhered system we install carries a seven-page spec. Inside it is a non-standard drip edge that has to be custom-bent on site. Bending metal takes tools and knowledge, so crews substitute a stock piece. Most of the time when those roofs fail, they fail right there.
Inspect the perimeter and terminations, not the middle of the roof.
Field seams are the easy part; edges are where an unfamiliar crew reveals itself.
Ask any bidder to describe their edge detail and whether they bend it on site.
On a Utah low-slope roof, look at the edges first. That is where a membrane installed by someone learning on your house gives itself away.
Mattie Tueller, Master Roofing
Shingles are forgiving in a specific way: the system sheds water by overlapping. So a crew that gets the general idea right will produce a roof that works for a while even if the details are ordinary.
Membrane does not work that way. It is a waterproofing system rather than a shedding system. That's it either forms a continuous sealed surface or it does not. There is no partial credit at a termination. That is why low-slope roofs are where the gap between companies shows up hardest. Why roofing companies as a group are noticeably weaker at repairing flat roofing than at repairing shingles.
The other reason is documentation. Manufacturers publish detailed installation specifications for these systems, and they are long. The self-adhered system we install carries seven pages of spec for one roof type, covering surface preparation, sequence, laps, terminations, and the metal profiles.
A crew that has not read those pages will still produce something that looks like a finished roof. That is the whole problem: on a low-slope roof, looking finished and being waterproof are separate achievements.
You can do most of this from a ladder at the edge, without walking on the membrane. That is better for both you and the roof.
Photograph anything that looks off, with dates. If you find issues, that documentation is what turns a vague concern into a workmanship conversation.
These are ordinary questions for someone who installs membrane regularly and awkward ones for someone who does not.
So you know what you are aiming at rather than only what to avoid.
Good membrane work is boring and continuous:
You should also expect paperwork: the system name, the certification if there is one, a workmanship warranty separate from the manufacturer's material warranty. A clear statement of what voids each.
One honest caution. A company that tells you low-slope work is not their strength and points you elsewhere has done you a favor. It is worth more than a confident bid from someone learning on your house. Knowing what to say no to is a real credential. It is rarer in this trade than it should be.
If you are still deciding what belongs on that section of roof at all, that is covered in what kind of roof a low-slope section actually needs.
Membrane is where I see the widest gap between companies in this state. It is not because it is harder than shingles. It is because it is different, and most Utah roofing companies came up on shingles.
The self-adhered system we use has a seven-page installation spec. Seven pages, for one roof type. Buried in it is a detail almost everyone skips: the drip edge is non-standard and has to be custom-bent on site to match the system. Bending metal on a job site takes tools, time. Someone who knows the profile, so crews substitute a stock piece and keep moving. Then, most of the time when those roofs fail, they fail at the edge. Not in the field. Not at a seam. At the edge.
Here is the fair part: a shingle crew installing membrane is usually not cutting corners deliberately. They are installing it the way they install everything else. Nobody ever handed them the seven pages.
So Master Roofing holds to the rule that we do not touch anything we are not 90 percent good on. And if you already have a membrane roof, go look at its edges from a ladder: lifting, gaps, or a stock drip edge that does not sit tight against the membrane will tell you what you need to know long before a leak does.
Building codes, permit rules, and licensing requirements change over time, and they differ by city and county across Utah. Verify current requirements with your local building department before relying on anything here, and work with a licensed contractor who knows the rules in your jurisdiction.
This article is general information about Utah roofs, not an assessment of yours. Every roof is different, and no article can tell you what is actually happening on your specific house. Have a licensed roofing contractor look at it in person before you act on anything here.
Quite a bit, actually. From the ground you can see whether perimeter metal is straight and continuous, whether there is staining or streaking down the fascia that suggests water going where it should not, and whether gutters below the low-slope section stay clear. From a ladder at the edge you can see the termination detail itself. That is the highest-value view available to you.
Ponding is a drainage design issue rather than necessarily an installation defect. Some low-slope roofs pond by original design in a way manufacturers tolerate for a limited period. What matters is how long it sits and whether it is over a seam or a termination. Persistent water sitting for days on a detail is worth addressing before it becomes a leak.
Service life varies by system and thickness. The bigger variable here is installation quality rather than the material. A correctly detailed membrane in this climate does well, since the systems handle UV and thermal cycling better than people expect. A poorly terminated one can fail in a fraction of its rated life. That's why the edge question matters more than the brand question.
Then your workmanship warranty is effectively gone and you are working with the manufacturer's material warranty, if any, plus your own maintenance. Have the roof assessed by a company that does membrane so you know its real condition, and document it. Knowing where you stand is worth more than assuming the worst or the best.
It is a useful signal rather than a guarantee. That's because certification means they were trained on that system's spec. Pair it with the other checks: can they show you local work with years on it, do they repair as well as install. Can they describe the edge detail without hesitating. Certification plus those three is a strong picture.
We're here to see what's going on with your roof. A real assessment starts with your history and your attic, not a number from the driveway. You'll get a straight answer about what's up there, what it needs, and what it costs. Sometimes the honest answer is: your roof looks great.