Flat roofing in Northern Virginia,
with the water somewhere to go.
Porch roofs, additions, modern homes and the low-slope rear sections on so many Northern Virginia townhouses. We fix the drainage first, then put on the membrane that fits what's underneath. Our own crews, free inspection, itemized price in writing.
- Serving Virginia · DC · Maryland
- Licensed & insured
- Own crews, never subcontractors
- Written quote before any work
- Most repairs done within the week
Small flat roofs, big share of the leaks.
Shingles need pitch to shed water. Below a certain slope they hold it, the seams wick, and the ceiling under the porch stains. A surprising number of Northern Virginia homes have a low-slope section somewhere, and it's usually where the trouble starts.
Townhouse rear sections
Brick townhouses in Falls Church, Arlington and Fairfax often carry a low-slope roof over the rear bump-out or the garage. We see shingles on these all the time, and they leak. They belong in membrane, tied properly into the main roof.
Fix my rear section →
Porches & additions
The seam where a porch or addition roof meets the house wall is the leak point. We flash it into the brick or siding, slope the membrane away from the wall, and give the water a gutter at the low edge.
Get a porch-roof quote →
Modern & mid-century homes
Flat-roofed moderns in Vienna, McLean and Arlington were built for the look. Replacing one means tapered insulation to build slope the original never had, then a TPO or EPDM membrane over it.
Plan a replacement →Office, retail, HOA or church building? That's on the commercial roofing page.
Standing water is the whole problem.
Water still sitting on a flat roof the day after rain means the roof has nowhere to send it. Every membrane on the market fails faster under a pond. So before we talk material, we fix the slope.
What causes ponding
- ·A sagging deck between joists, usually from an old leak
- ·A drain or scupper blocked by leaves, granules or a tennis ball
- ·Slope that was never built in, common on older additions
- ·A gutter at the low edge pitched the wrong way
How we fix it
- ·Tapered insulation to build slope toward the drain or the edge
- ·Crickets behind chimneys, curbs and skylights so water goes around them
- ·New or relocated drains and scuppers where the roof actually wants them
- ·Deck repair before the membrane goes on, never a membrane over a sag
Membrane choice comes second. TPO is white, reflective and heat-welded, good over living space where summer heat matters. EPDM is black rubber, flexible in the cold and the easiest to patch, good under a deck. Modified bitumen is asphalt in layers, tough underfoot and a visual match for a shingle main roof. The inspection tells us which fits.
Three steps. No runaround.
Free inspection
After rain where we can, so we see where the water sits. We probe for soft spots, check the tie-in to the shingle roof and photograph all of it.
Written quote
Itemized, with the drainage fix as its own line so you can see what you're paying to solve. Repair if a repair will hold; replacement if it won't.
Install
Most porch and townhouse sections are done in a day. The same crew does the membrane, the flashing and the tie-in, so nobody can blame the other guy later.
"The LCR crew said my roof didn't have to be replaced yet, but still gave me a quote. It was lower than the four others I'd received."
Roberto Andrades — Roof replacement quote
Flat roof questions, answered.
Is standing water on a flat roof a problem?
Yes, if it's still there the day after the rain. A pond adds weight, bakes the membrane in summer, freezes into it in winter and finds every seam. The fix is slope, which is why our quotes start with drainage. The longer answer is in is standing water on a flat roof a problem.
Can't you just put shingles on it?
Shingle manufacturers set a minimum pitch, and below it the warranty is void and the roof leaks at the seams. If your low-slope section already has shingles, that's likely why it leaks. We replace it with membrane and run the membrane up under the shingles above it so the two roofs work as one.
How long does it take to replace a flat roof?
Most residential sections are torn off and finished in a day. Tapered insulation or deck repair can add a day, and we don't open a flat roof with rain coming. Your written quote says what to expect.
Will it match the rest of the house?
A flat section is mostly out of sight from the street, but the edge metal and the tie-in are visible. We color-match the drip edge and flashing to the main roof and tuck the membrane under the shingles so there's no raised lip. If you can see it from the yard, we'll show you a sample first.
Flat roof guides, written for Northern Virginia.
Porch stain, soggy ceiling, water sitting up there? Let's look.
Free inspection, often the same day, with the drainage fix priced as its own line. Tell us what's going on and a real person calls you back. Water coming in now? Call 703-595-7031.