★★★★★
Merrick and the team at Molsbee Roofing were professional, knowledgeable, and reliable. The job started on time, everything was cleaned up before they left, and there were no hidden charges. Highly recommend!Read on Google
Palm Beach, FL 33480
Flat Roof Repair and Replacement in Palm Beach
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Palm Beach · Flat roof repair and replacement
Behind the island's tile there is a good deal of flat roof: the loggia, the garage, the guest wing, the terrace over a wing of a Mediterranean house, and the low-slope sections on the condo buildings. They take salt from the ocean and the lagoon at every edge and termination, they were often coated over rather than repaired, and on a seasonal house a leak in one can run through a summer unseen.
Molsbee Roofing repairs and replaces them in TPO and modified bitumen from our shop across the lagoon in Lake Worth Beach, inside the town's hours and through your property manager where the house is closed. A Molsbee roofer walks the whole membrane, checks every termination for salt, and gives you a written price.
We are a Florida Certified Roofing Contractor CCC1327429; call 561-318-8624 at any hour.
- TPO and modified bitumenflat roof systems
- Manufacturerproduct warranties in writing
- CCC1327429Florida licensed
Before the work starts
Before flat roof work in Palm Beach
Salt at every termination
A flat roof on the island fails at its edges before its field: the edge metal, the termination bar, the counter-flashing at the wall and the cap on the parapet all take salt from both sides, the Atlantic and the lagoon. A repair replaces the failed termination in a grade that stands the salt, copper or aluminium with matching fasteners, and ties the membrane into it; a re-roof uses coastal-grade terminations throughout, fastened to the 170 mph band the whole island sits in.
Sealant over rusted metal is a season's delay, not a repair, and on the island it is a short season.
Layers, and what the tear-off shows
A loggia or terrace roof on an older house in the Estate Section or Midtown has often been coated over more than once, and each layer holds water against the wall a little higher than the last. The tear-off is where the truth comes out: how many layers there are, whether the deck under them is wood or concrete, whether the insulation is wet, and whether the drains sit at the low point.
We find that out before we price, because the honest re-roof takes the layers off to the deck and corrects the slope. Standing water days after rain means a low spot or a blocked drain under those layers.
TPO or modified bitumen, and the review before the permit
A TPO single-ply membrane, heat-welded at the seams, suits the condo buildings and the larger terraces; we are Carlisle-certified to install it. A small loggia roof with walls to climb takes modified bitumen.
We add a secondary water barrier on full replacements. On the island the design review comes before the permit: a re-roof that changes the material or how the house reads from the street goes to the Architectural Commission, a landmarked house to Landmarks, and the permit form asks whether the scope has been before either board.
We are registered in the town's EPL portal and file there.
Repair or replace, on the town's calendar
One seam, one drain or one termination is a repair, with our written warranty on the section rebuilt. A membrane under layers of coating, or a deck that gives underfoot, is a replacement, with the manufacturer's warranty on the membrane, in writing.
The work runs to the town ordinance: December to April, weekdays 8 to 5, no Saturdays, Sundays or holidays, no heavy equipment before 9; May to November, 8 to 6, no Sundays; nothing from December 24 to January 1. Our island work last year was on Royal Poinciana Way, Everglade Avenue and Orange Grove Road.
How it works in Palm Beach
Free inspection, photographedA Molsbee roofer looks at the roof, the deck and the exposed edges, and puts the whole price in writing.
Membrane, insulation and drainage namedTPO or modified bitumen, the insulation, the drains and the terminations at walls and edges are written into the proposal.
Permit through EPL portalWe file the roofing permit with the Town of Palm Beach Planning, Zoning and Building Department through its EPL portal and keep the paperwork aligned with the approved design.
Tear-off, deck, membraneThe old system comes off, the deck is checked, then the membrane is laid, seamed and terminated, with the drainage checked before we leave.
Final inspection and warrantyWe handle the inspection. The manufacturer warranty goes in writing.
Permits and code
Permits in Palm Beach
For work in Palm Beach, confirm requirements with the building department responsible for the property and complete any required historic or HOA review before ordering materials or beginning work.
On the island the roof goes to a design board before it goes to the permit desk. A re-roof that changes the material or appearance goes before the Architectural Commission, which looks closely at roof tile profile; a landmarked house goes to the Landmarks Preservation Commission instead. The permit form asks whether the scope has been before either board and records the existing and proposed roof material. Every contractor registers with the town in the EPL portal first.
The work calendar is town ordinance: December to April, weekdays 8 to 5 with no Saturdays, Sundays or holidays and no heavy equipment before 9; May to November, 8 to 6 with no Sundays; a construction pause from December 24 to January 1. The island is not exempt from the Saturday rule. The whole island is in the 170 mph band, and on the re-roofs we build a self-adhered secondary water barrier is sealed to the deck.
Local conditionsBuilt for the island
- Eighteen miles long, under a mile wide
- Palm Beach is never wider than three quarters of a mile, with the Atlantic on one side and Lake Worth Lagoon on the other. No roof here is far from salt spray or open wind.
- Mizner's tile
- Mediterranean Revival tile is the island's signature, set by Addison Mizner's 67 structures from 1919 to 1924. In the Estate Section and Midtown, matching profile and colour is the job, not an option.
- The south-end condo island
- The guard-gated island off the south end holds ten low-rise associations built from 1968, including Villa Tambour. Building-by-building re-roofs run to the same seasonal clock as the houses.
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What homeowners say
★★★★★
I had a roof leak that needed attention, and Molsbee Roofing was honestly a breath of fresh air. They came out quickly, found the issue right away, and didn't try to sell me on a full roof replacement or push any unnecessary work — just straightforward, honest service.Read on Google
Where we work around Palm Beach
We signed or completed a handful of roofing jobs with a Palm Beach address over the last twelve months.
Most of them cost between about $1,500 and $4,800, and the middle of the pack was around $1,800.
All service areas ↗Your roof, explained
Flat roof repair and replacement questions in Palm Beach
What does a flat roof repair cost on the island?
The figure above is county-wide, every repair we signed across Palm Beach County last year, because our island repairs are too few for a town figure. What moves an island price: copper or aluminium terminations, how many layers have to come off and be carted over the bridge, wet deck or insulation under them, how many drains and walls the membrane has to be tied into, and a work calendar that gives a roofer fewer hours in the day from December to April.
The inspection is free and the price is in writing.
Can you repair the loggia roof while the house is closed for the summer?
Yes, through your property manager for access, with photographs of everything we find and everything we do sent to you wherever you are. Summer is the long-hours season under the ordinance, 8 to 6 with no Sundays, so a closed house in the Estate Section or on Everglades Island is often the easier one to schedule.
It is also when a leak in a closed house goes unseen, which is why we ask the manager to have the ceilings under every flat section looked at after a hard rain.
Why does my flat roof leak at the edge and not in the middle?
Salt. The edge metal, the termination bar and the counter-flashing rust through while the membrane is sound, and the water gets in at the perimeter.
On a house in the North End or off Worth Avenue the metal has salt water on both sides, so galvanised steel does not last. We replace the failed termination in copper or aluminium with matching fasteners, tie the membrane into it, and check the other terminations on that roof while we are there, because they went in together and are going the same way.
Does a flat roof repair go before ARCOM?
Usually not; a replacement may. A repair the street does not see and that changes nothing about how the house looks generally goes straight to the permit; a re-roof that changes the material or the look from the street goes to the Architectural Commission, or to Landmarks on a landmarked house in Phipps Plaza or on Royal Poinciana Way, and we tell you which yours is at the inspection.
Either way the permit goes through the town's EPL portal, and the form records the existing and proposed roof material.
Who repairs flat roofs on Palm Beach, FL?
Molsbee Roofing, a licensed flat roof repair and replacement contractor: Florida Certified Roofing Contractor CCC1327429, a family company since 1975 and Carlisle-certified for TPO. We repair and replace flat roofs on houses and condo buildings across the island, from Sloan's Curve to the North End, from our shop in Lake Worth Beach, inside the town's hours and through your manager where the house is closed.
The inspection is free and 561-318-8624 is answered 24 hours a day.
More for Palm Beach
More roofing in Palm Beach
Roofing in Palm BeachReplacement, repair and every roof type, for this town.
Commercial roofingFlat, TPO, tile and metal for plazas, condos and offices.
Metal roof replacementStanding seam and metal panels rated for the wind off the water.
Roof inspectionA free inspection with photos and a written report of what we found.
Roof leak repairLeaks found, photographed and fixed with closely matched material.
Roof maintenanceSealing, tile resets and the small fixes that add years to a roof.
Roof repairRepair or replacement, with photos of findings and a written scope before work.
Roof replacementA new roof from tear-off to final inspection, with the material choice explained.
Roof replacement costWhat moves the price of a full roof here, in plain terms.
Shingle roof replacementArchitectural shingle rated for coastal wind, with the underlayment done right.
Storm damage roof repairWind-lifted tile and shingle, tarping and honest timing after a storm.
Tile roof replacementConcrete, clay and barrel tile, with the underlayment that decides how long it lasts.