Rain Right Roofing | Tampa Bay Roofing Contractor

Project Overview

Westshore Medical Associates, a busy medical practice located at 4502 George Road in the Westshore business district of Tampa, contacted us regarding their failing flat roof. The 3,279 sq ft single-story medical building had a 22-year-old EPDM rubber roof that was heavily ponding water, showing UV deterioration, and had developed multiple seam failures causing interior leaks in exam rooms and the medical records storage area.

Dr. Martinez, the practice owner, was extremely concerned about business continuption. The medical practice sees 40-50 patients daily and operates Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Any roofing work during business hours would be disruptive to patients and create liability concerns with noise, equipment, and roof access. Additionally, medical equipment worth $400,000+ was housed in the building, making leak prevention critical.

During our initial inspection, we found the existing EPDM roof had reached end of life. Multiple ponding areas (water standing 48+ hours after rain) had accelerated deterioration. Three active leak points had damaged ceiling tiles in exam rooms. The practice needed a permanent solution with minimal business disruption. We proposed a weekend installation schedule using a fully-adhered TPO roofing system with enhanced drainage improvements.

Scope of Work

Pre-Construction Planning

Scheduled work for Saturday-Sunday (practice closed on weekends)
Coordinated building access with property management company
Protected HVAC units and rooftop equipment
Arranged for after-hours dumpster delivery and removal
Obtained Hillsborough County commercial roofing permit

Tear-Off & Substrate Preparation

Complete removal of existing EPDM rubber membrane (3,279 sq ft)
Removed deteriorated rigid insulation in ponding areas (40% of roof)
Inspected structural metal roof deck - found excellent condition
Power-washed and dried all substrate areas

Roof Improvements

Tapered Insulation System: Installed polyiso tapered insulation to eliminate ponding water (crickets to all drains)
R-Value Upgrade: Increased insulation from R-19 to R-30 (energy code compliance + tenant comfort)
New Roof Drains: Replaced 4 roof drains with overflow scuppers per code
Cant Strips: Installed new wood cant strips at all parapet walls

TPO Membrane Installation

Membrane: GAF EverGuard TPO 60-mil white membrane (fully adhered system)
Adhesive: Low-VOC water-based bonding adhesive (safer for occupied medical building)
Seams: Hot-air welded seams (superior to glued seams, 100% tested)
Flashing: All parapet walls, penetrations, and equipment curbs flashed with TPO membrane
Edge Metal: New aluminum coping cap and drip edge at parapets
Walkway Pads: Installed TPO walkway pads to HVAC units (roof protection)

Business Continuity Measures

Friday 5:00 PM: Building secured, no work during business hours
Weekend: All roofing work completed Saturday-Sunday
Sunday 6:00 PM: Final cleanup, building returned to practice
Monday 8:00 AM: Practice opened as usual, zero patient disruption

Challenges & Solutions

Challenge 1: Zero Tolerance for Business Disruption

Problem: Medical practices cannot afford downtime. Rescheduling 40-50 daily patients is logistically complex and financially costly. The practice absolutely required zero business disruption, but flat roof replacement typically takes 3-5 business days.

Solution: We scheduled the entire project for a single weekend (Saturday-Sunday). Our commercial crew worked extended hours (7:00 AM - 7:00 PM both days) to complete tear-off, insulation, and TPO installation in 2 days instead of the typical 4-5 days. We pre-staged all materials on Friday evening and had a 6-person crew (vs. typical 3-person) to accelerate timeline. The practice opened Monday morning with zero indication that roofing work had occurred.

Challenge 2: Eliminating Ponding Water

Problem: The existing flat roof had severe ponding issues. Four areas routinely held 2-4 inches of standing water for days after rainfall. Ponding water accelerates roof aging, creates leak risks, and voids manufacturer warranties. Simply installing new TPO over the old deck wouldn’t solve the drainage problem.

Solution: We installed a tapered polyiso insulation system that created positive drainage slopes (1/4” per foot minimum) to all four roof drains. This “cricket” system ensures water flows to drains rather than ponding. We also upgraded the roof drains to larger 6” diameter drains (vs. old 4” drains) and added overflow scuppers as secondary drainage per Florida Building Code. Post-installation testing showed zero ponding after heavy rains.

Challenge 3: Medical Equipment Protection

Problem: The building housed $400,000+ in medical equipment including X-ray machines, EKG equipment, exam tables, and a large medical records storage area. Any roof leaks during construction or material falling through the deck would be catastrophic.

Solution: We maintained 100% weatherproof coverage throughout the weekend. On Saturday, we completed tear-off of the entire roof by 2:00 PM, then immediately installed the new TPO membrane starting at 2:15 PM. By Saturday 7:00 PM, 60% of the roof had new TPO installed and was fully waterproof. Sunday focused on completing the remaining 40%, flashing, and details. At no point was the building interior exposed to weather. We also worked in sections, ensuring each area was weatherproofed before moving to the next.

Challenge 4: Working in Occupied Building Complex

Problem: The medical building shares a parking lot with a restaurant (open on weekends), retail shops, and a fitness center. Our dumpster, material staging, and crane equipment needed to avoid blocking tenant access or customer parking.

Solution: We coordinated with the property management company to reserve designated parking spaces for our dumpster and material staging. We delivered materials on Friday evening after most tenants closed. Our crane delivery of TPO rolls and insulation occurred at 6:30 AM Saturday before retail tenants opened. We used a 15-yard dumpster (smaller than typical 30-yard) to minimize parking impact. Zero complaints from neighboring tenants.

Timeline

Friday (Pre-Construction Day):

5:00 PM: Medical practice closed for weekend
5:30 PM: Delivered and staged materials on-site
6:00 PM: Dumpster delivery
6:30 PM: Final walkthrough with property manager, building secured

Saturday (Day 1 - Tear-Off & TPO Start):

7:00 AM: 6-person crew arrived
7:15 AM: Began EPDM tear-off starting at northwest corner
10:30 AM: Tear-off 75% complete
12:00 PM: Lunch break (worked through to save time)
12:30 PM: Completed tear-off, removed deteriorated insulation
2:00 PM: Power-washed substrate, began installing tapered insulation
4:00 PM: Tapered insulation 100% complete, began TPO membrane
7:00 PM: TPO membrane 60% installed, roof weatherproof, cleanup

Sunday (Day 2 - TPO Completion):

7:00 AM: Crew arrived
7:15 AM: Continued TPO membrane installation
10:00 AM: Membrane 100% installed, began seam welding
12:00 PM: Brief lunch break
12:30 PM: Completed seam welding, tested all seams
2:00 PM: Installed parapet flashing and coping cap
3:30 PM: Flashed all roof penetrations and HVAC curbs
4:30 PM: Installed walkway pads to HVAC units
5:00 PM: Final cleanup with magnetic nail sweep
6:00 PM: Removed all equipment, final walkthrough with property manager
6:30 PM: Building secured, ready for Monday opening

Monday (Business Resumes):

8:00 AM: Medical practice opened as scheduled
Zero patient disruption or awareness of roofing work

Week Following:

Tuesday: Hillsborough County commercial roofing inspection (passed)
Wednesday: GAF contractor submitted warranty registration
Dumpster removed

Results

Inspection & Code Compliance

Hillsborough County commercial building inspector performed final inspection on Tuesday and passed on first attempt. Inspector specifically noted the quality of the tapered insulation system and proper TPO flashing details at parapets and penetrations.

Commercial building permit closed successfully with all code requirements met including energy code compliance (R-30 insulation).

Business Owner Satisfaction

Dr. Martinez (practice owner):

“Rain Right completed our flat roof replacement entirely over a weekend so our medical practice never missed a day. The project manager coordinated everything perfectly and the crew worked efficiently. No disruption to our patients and the new TPO roof looks great. Professional commercial roofing done right. I’ve already recommended them to other medical practice owners in Westshore.”

Property Manager (building owner):

“Managing commercial roofing projects is always stressful, but Rain Right made this seamless. They worked around tenant schedules, kept the site clean, and delivered exactly what they promised. The weekend-only schedule was perfect for minimizing business impact.”

Business Continuity Success

Zero patient appointments rescheduled
Zero revenue loss (practice operated normally Monday-Friday)
Zero complaints from neighboring tenants
Zero weather delays (completed on schedule)

Warranty Coverage

20-year GAF Total System Warranty (membrane, insulation, flashings)
15-year workmanship warranty from Rain Right Roofing
NDL (No Dollar Limit) coverage on manufacturer warranty (full replacement if failure)

Energy & Performance Benefits

Ponding eliminated: Tapered insulation ensures positive drainage, extends roof life
Energy savings: R-30 insulation (vs. R-19) reduces cooling costs by estimated 15-18%
Cool roof: White TPO reflects 85% of solar heat (vs. dark EPDM absorbing heat)
Annual savings: Estimated $1,200-1,500/year in reduced HVAC costs
ROI: Energy savings will offset roof cost in 12-15 years

Cost Breakdown

Total Investment: $19,700

Itemized:

Materials: $9,200
- GAF EverGuard TPO 60-mil membrane: $4,100
- Tapered polyiso insulation system: $2,800
- Bonding adhesive (low-VOC): $850
- Roof drains + overflow scuppers: $580
- Parapet coping cap aluminum: $420
- Cant strips, walkway pads, misc: $450
Labor: $8,200
- 6-person crew × 2 days (extended hours) @ $685/day/person
- Weekend premium (20% upcharge for weekend work)
- Commercial roofing expertise
Equipment & Logistics: $950
- Crane for material delivery: $400
- Dumpster rental (15-yard): $350
- Power washer rental: $200
Permits & Engineering: $850
- Hillsborough County commercial permit: $625
- Energy code compliance calculations: $225
Insurance/Overhead: $500
- $5M commercial general liability insurance allocation
- Workers compensation allocation

Commercial Pricing Notes: Commercial flat roofing averages $6.00-7.50/sq ft in Tampa. This project came in at $6.01/sq ft, which is competitive pricing for a fully-adhered TPO system with tapered insulation and weekend installation premium.

Why weekend work costs more: Weekend installation adds 15-20% to labor costs due to premium pay for crew, but saves businesses thousands in lost revenue and customer disruption.

Photos

Before: Deteriorated EPDM roof with visible ponding water and failed seams During Tear-Off: Exposed metal deck, removed deteriorated insulation Tapered Insulation: Cricket system installed to eliminate ponding TPO Installation: White membrane with hot-air welded seams After: Clean white TPO roof with zero ponding, new coping cap

Materials Used

Membrane: GAF EverGuard TPO 60-mil white (reinforced polyester scrim)
Insulation: Tapered polyiso insulation system (R-30 at low point)
Adhesive: Low-VOC water-based bonding adhesive
Drains: 6” commercial roof drains with overflow scuppers
Coping: Aluminum coping cap (.032” thickness)
Flashing: TPO membrane flashing at all penetrations
Walkway Pads: 1/4” thick TPO walkway pads
Fasteners: Commercial-grade corrosion-resistant fasteners

Lessons Learned

What Went Well

Weekend-only schedule achieved zero business disruption
Tapered insulation eliminated chronic ponding problem
6-person crew completed work in 2 days vs. typical 4-5 days
Weather cooperated (clear skies both days)
Property management coordination seamless

Challenges Overcome

Accelerated timeline required precise crew coordination
Material staging in shared parking lot required careful planning
Maintained weatherproof coverage throughout construction
Navigated multiple neighboring tenants without complaints

Commercial Roofing Expertise

This project demonstrates our commercial roofing capabilities:

Why Commercial Roofing is Different:

Business Continuity: Zero tolerance for disruption requires creative scheduling
Code Compliance: Commercial buildings have stricter energy codes, fire ratings, drainage requirements
Larger Scale: Commercial crews, equipment, and project management required
Warranty Requirements: Commercial owners need 15-20 year systems with NDL coverage
Liability: Higher insurance requirements for occupied commercial buildings

Our Commercial Roofing Services:

TPO flat roofing (most popular commercial choice)
EPDM rubber roofing
Modified bitumen systems
Commercial metal roofing
Tapered insulation and ponding solutions
Weekend/after-hours installation
Minimal disruption scheduling

Service Area

We provide commercial roofing services throughout Tampa Bay:

Commercial Project Inquiries: Available for site visits and proposals Free Commercial Roof Inspections: We provide detailed assessment reports for building owners and property managers

Tampa Commercial Flat Roof - TPO

Project Details