Commercial Re-Roofing in Harahan, LA

In the code sense, the specific decision under International Building Code Chapter 15 Section 1512 about whether a new covering can be laid over an existing one (a recover) or the existing covering has to come off first (a replacement with tear-off). The informal sense of "a new roof on an existing building" is on the commercial replacement page.

A recover leaves the existing covering in place and lays a new membrane over it. A replacement takes the existing covering off first and installs a new assembly from the deck up. The choice is a code decision under IBC 1512 rather than a preference, and the survey settles which one applies.

Section 1512 permits a recover where the existing base is adequate and the covering manufacturer approves the installation, and it names three prohibitions that close the recover route regardless: a water-soaked or deteriorated existing roof no longer an adequate base; an existing covering that is slate, clay, cement or asbestos-cement tile; and a building already carrying two or more applications of any covering. Any one prohibition closes the recover route.

Because laying a new membrane over saturated insulation traps the water in the assembly and the new roof fails from the day it is finished. Section 1512 refuses it for that engineering reason, not as paperwork. The moisture survey on the commercial inspections page is what settles whether the insulation is dry enough for a recover.

Because the deck was designed to carry the covering it originally had, and adding a third one exceeds the load the deck was engineered for. Section 1512 refuses a recover past two coverings for that reason. A core cut or the building record confirms the covering count.

Yes, under Louisiana R.S. 37:3737(I)(1), and it is inspected against IBC Chapter 15. Which office covers the building depends on whether it sits inside the Harahan city limits or in the unincorporated part of Jefferson Parish. Most 70123 commercial buildings go to Jefferson Parish because the commercial belt sits in the unincorporated part.

The scope (recover or replacement), the membrane and insulation, the drainage plan, and the code section the work sits under. A scope defensible against Section 1512 is what the office will accept, and that is why the survey runs before the application rather than after.

A core cut through the assembly is the definitive method: it removes a small area of covering and insulation so somebody can look at how many layers are there. The building maintenance record is a corroborating source, and the two together are what a code inspector will want to see.

On a roof still under manufacturer warranty, both the recover method and any core cuts are agreed with the manufacturer beforehand. Some systems permit a recover with a specific detail; others do not. That sits with the manufacturer, not with the code.

Priced by area, assembly, insulation condition and whether the scope is a recover or a tear-off replacement, not by a per foot figure that would mean anything on this page. The recover route is typically materially cheaper and faster than the tear-off route, which is why the code test matters commercially. Call (504) 800-8196 for a survey and a written scope.