Built Up Roofing in Orlando, FL

BUR roofs age in recognizable patterns. Alligatoring — the cracked, scaly surface texture that develops as the surface bitumen oxidizes and loses elasticity — is cosmetically alarming but structurally expected on an aging BUR surface. It does not by itself indicate replacement urgency. Blistering — bubbles under the membrane surface, typically six to eighteen inches across — develops as moisture vapor or air pockets accumulate between plies. Closed, firm blisters can be monitored. Blisters that have ruptured or are actively growing indicate moisture migration and require action.

Ponding water accelerates BUR deterioration in Orlando faster than in most U.S. markets because Central Florida's June-October rainy season produces extended standing water events after major storm systems. Orlando has recorded over 5 inches of rainfall in a single day during tropical weather, and drainage systems on 1970s and 1980s commercial buildings were not designed for those events. We document ponding patterns during every BUR inspection and include drain condition and slope-to-drain adequacy in every written report. An Orlando BUR roof that holds water for more than 48 hours after a storm is degrading faster than its original installation expected.

Core cuts are the definitive diagnostic we use. We pull 3-inch core plugs at representative locations — typically one per 5,000 square feet, minimum six cores on any building we inspect. Core locations sample all roof zones: field areas, areas near drains, reported leak zones, and any areas showing surface anomalies. A BUR with dry plies and gravel in good contact with the cap sheet has remaining service life. A BUR with wet plies or delaminated felts is a replacement scope, not a repair scope — and in Orlando's high-rainfall environment, delamination in one zone spreads faster than owners realize.

The clearest replacement indicators on Orlando BUR roofs: more than 25% of core cuts reading wet, multiple active leak points that have recurred after repair within a 12-month period, gravel cap sheet with broken contact to the underlying bitumen across more than a third of the field, or deck deterioration found during core investigation. On the older Downtown Orlando office towers and the pre- hotel structures, deck corrosion at drain bowls and perimeter edges from years of ponded water is more common than owners expect. We pull deck inspection ports under wet cores and at visible deflection points. Corroded metal deck means deck replacement — that is a scope and cost change that ownership needs to know about before the project starts.

When we scope BUR replacement on a Downtown Orlando tower or an older Uptown medical office building, the first decision is what system replaces it. Modified bitumen (SBS) is the most common choice for low-slope Orlando commercial buildings replacing BUR — it achieves comparable performance with less installation complexity and without the hot kettle and asphalt fume exposure that new BUR installation requires. TPO is the choice when the owner wants a reflective surface, a longer manufacturer warranty path, and a lower installed cost. Both options are specified against Florida Building Code wind-uplift requirements — because even a well-installed replacement on an older building is a failure if the fastening pattern does not

Florida building code limits commercial flat roofs to one recover layer over the original roof system before full tear-off is required. On the older Downtown and International Drive building stock, we frequently find that a recover was done in the late 1990s or early 2000s and the building is now approaching its second reroof cycle. Buildings in that situation require full tear-off — there is no code-compliant path that involves adding another recover layer. We identify the layer count during core investigation and include it in the written report.

If core cuts return dry and the BUR surface is in fair condition — no active blistering, no broken contact between gravel and cap sheet across significant areas — a recover system can extend the asset meaningfully. The most common recover path on an Orlando BUR roof is: clean and prime the existing surface, apply a modified bitumen cap sheet or a fluid-applied silicone coating over the existing BUR, and extend the roof life 10-20 years depending on the system selected and its warranty terms.

Before committing to a BUR recover on any Orlando building, we verify two things that go beyond surface appearance: moisture core results and layer count. A BUR that looks recoverable from the surface can have wet insulation below that will void a new warranty within three years of installation. We do not skip cores to save inspection time — the cost of that shortcut is paid by the owner when the new warranty fails. The layer count matters because Florida's building code does not allow a second recover, and some buildings in the downtown and Uptown inventory already have one recover layer that is not obvious without a core pull.

Recover economics on a qualifying Orlando BUR roof are compelling: the cost delta versus full tear-off is typically 40-50% in favor of recover. On a 60,000-square-foot SODO industrial building that qualifies, that difference can represent six figures in deferred capital. We present both paths in writing, with system options and installed cost estimates for each, so the owner is making the decision based on documented data rather than a contractor's preference.

Sometimes. If the leak is isolated to a failed flashing at a penetration or parapet and the BUR field membrane is otherwise sound — confirmed with core cuts at the area surrounding the leak — targeted repair is the correct scope. If the leak is coming from failed plies in the field, patching the obvious wet spot will produce another leak nearby within the next rainy season. We will tell you which situation applies, in writing, before any scope is proposed.

Gravel tear-off generates significant debris volume and is labor-intensive. On Downtown Orlando and Uptown buildings where dumpster staging is constrained by city ROW or parking structure access, we use rooftop vacuum systems for gravel removal. The gravel is collected separately and can be directed to aggregate recycling — we coordinate disposal documentation when the building owner's sustainability reporting requires it.

Rarely. New BUR installation has been largely displaced by modified bitumen — which achieves similar multi-ply performance with less installation complexity and without the hot kettle and open-flame exposure. For most Orlando commercial buildings requiring a multi-ply waterproofing system, SBS modified bitumen or torch-applied cap sheet is the honest recommendation for new work. We can specify and install new BUR when the building situation requires it, but it is not the default.

Our project managers will walk the roof, pull moisture cores, and produce a written recover-vs-replace assessment with system options and installed cost estimates for both paths.