Commercial Roof Replacement in Livonia, MI & Metro Detroit
Repair, Restore, or Replace
Not every failing commercial roof needs to come off. At Shain Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. we walk the roof first, and we tell you plainly which of three paths fits your building.
- Repair when the membrane or metal is sound and the trouble is local: an open seam, a split flashing, a clogged drain, a puncture from a dropped tool. Our commercial roof repair crews fix the failure and leave the rest of the roof alone.
- Restore when the roof is aging but still dry underneath. A fluid-applied coating roof system seals a sound membrane or metal roof, adds reflectivity and buys years of service without a tear-off.
- Replace when the insulation is wet, the deck is compromised, the membrane has run out of service life or a coating would be covering up problems instead of solving them.
We do all three, so we have no reason to steer you toward the biggest job. A core sample and a moisture survey tell the truth about what is under the surface, and that is what we base the recommendation on.
Signs Your Commercial Roof Is Past Repair
A commercial roof rarely fails all at once. It fails a seam at a time, and the repair bills creep up until patching costs more than it saves. These are the signs that tell us a roof has reached that point.
Wet insulation. Once water gets under the membrane it spreads through the insulation boards. Wet insulation loses its R-value, adds weight to the deck and keeps feeding leaks that show up far from where the water got in. A moisture survey that finds saturation across a large share of the roof is usually the end of the repair conversation.
Leaks in new places after every repair. When each fix is followed by a leak somewhere else, the membrane itself is done, not just the spot we patched.
Widespread seam failure, blistering or alligatoring. Open seams across the field of an EPDM roof, blisters and cracked surfacing on a modified bitumen or built-up roof, or shrinkage pulling flashings away from the walls mean the material has aged out.
Ponding that will not drain. Water standing more than 48 hours after rain points to a deck that has sagged or insulation that has collapsed, and neither is fixed with a patch.
Rust-through, loose panels and failed fasteners on metal. Surface rust can be coated. Perforated panels, ripped fastener holes and failed end laps across the roof cannot.
A roof that already has two layers. The building code allows no more than two roof coverings, so a roof with two layers on it must be torn off before anything new goes on.
If your roof is showing more than one of these, contact us for an assessment. If it is showing none of them, a maintenance program is probably the better spend.
Replacement is usually the answer when:
Our Commercial Roof Replacement Process
Every replacement we do in Livonia and metro Detroit follows the same five steps. Our own crews do all of them. No subcontractors, and the sheet metal is fabricated in our own shop.
1. Assessment
We walk the roof, photograph every problem area, take core samples to see the layers and insulation, and run a moisture survey to map where the water is. You get a written report with repair, restoration and replacement options and a plain recommendation.
2. Tear-Off or Overlay
If the existing roof is a single dry layer over a sound deck, a re-cover over the old system can save the tear-off and disposal cost. If the insulation is wet, the deck needs repair or there are already two layers, the roof comes off to the deck. The core samples decide this, not a guess from the ground.
3. System Selection
We match the new system to the building: slope, drainage, rooftop equipment, foot traffic, budget and how long you plan to own it. On low-slope roofs that means EPDM, TPO or PVC, modified bitumen or built-up roofing. On sloped roofs it usually means standing seam metal. We also size the new insulation to meet the Michigan energy code.
4. Installation
We stage the roof in sections so the building stays dry every night and your operation keeps running underneath. Deck repairs, new insulation, the membrane or panels, and every flashing, curb and edge metal go in by our crews, with the metal cut and formed in our Livonia shop to fit your building.
5. Disposal and Closeout
Tear-off debris goes into our containers and off your site, the roof and grounds are swept for fasteners, and we finish with a final inspection, the manufacturer warranty paperwork and our own workmanship warranty.
Commercial Metal Roof Replacement
Metal roofs on schools, plants and warehouses across metro Detroit are reaching 30 to 40 years old, and the failures follow a pattern: rust at the end laps, fastener holes that have opened up with thermal movement, and panels that have lifted in wind. Surface rust on a sound panel can be coated. Rust-through, loose seams across the roof and failed fasteners mean replacement.
Because Shain fabricates its own sheet metal, a metal roof replacement is not a catalog job. We form the standing seam or exposed-fastener panels, ridge caps, gutters, trim and flashings to your building. Where the structure allows, a retrofit framing system lets us install the new metal roof over the old one and add insulation in the cavity, avoiding a full tear-off. Where it does not, the old panels come off and the purlins or deck are repaired before the new roof goes on.
See our metal roof systems page for panel profiles, finishes and warranties.
Commercial Flat Roof Replacement
Most commercial roofs in Livonia, Dearborn, Canton, Novi and the rest of metro Detroit are low-slope, and a flat roof replacement is mostly a decision about the membrane and what goes under it. The systems we install:
- EPDM rubber: the most economical membrane for large roofs, fully adhered or mechanically fastened, with a long track record in Michigan winters.
- TPO and PVC: heat-welded white membranes that reflect summer heat and cut cooling costs on offices, retail and medical buildings.
- Modified bitumen: a multi-ply asphalt system that stands up to foot traffic and rooftop equipment service.
- Built-up roofing: layered asphalt and felts for a thick, durable surface on roofs that see a lot of wear.
Under the membrane, a flat roof replacement is the one chance to fix the things that caused the last roof to fail: adding tapered insulation to drain the low spots, raising curbs and drains, replacing rotted wood nailers and bringing the insulation up to the current R-value. We design all of that into the replacement rather than putting a new membrane over old problems.
Commercial Roof Replacement Cost Factors
Two buildings with the same footprint can get very different replacement quotes, and it is almost always because of one of these five things. We price every job from a site visit and core samples, never from a square-foot number over the phone.
Roof size and layout. Square footage sets the material quantity, but the number of rooftop units, drains, skylights, walls and penetrations sets the labor. A clean warehouse roof is a simpler job than a medical building of half the size with dozens of penetrations.
Roof system. EPDM, TPO, PVC, modified bitumen, built-up and metal each carry different material and labor costs, and within each system the membrane thickness, attachment method and warranty term move the price.
Tear-off versus re-cover. Removing the old roof adds labor and disposal, and it is the right call when the insulation is wet or the roof already has two layers. A re-cover over a single dry layer is less expensive up front, when the roof qualifies for it.
Insulation. Thickness, type and whether the design calls for tapered insulation to correct drainage all affect the cost. Wet insulation discovered during tear-off is the most common change order on a replacement, which is why we core-sample before we quote.
Code requirements. The Michigan commercial energy code sets a minimum R-value for insulation above the deck when a roof is replaced, and your city or township may require a permit, a stamped letter for ballasted roofs or inspections. Meeting those is part of the price of doing the job legally and getting the warranty honored.
When you request an estimate, we itemize each of these so you can see what is driving the number and where there is room to choose.
Commercial Roof Replacement FAQ
It depends on the roof size, the system and whether the old roof is torn off. A small re-cover can be done in days, while a tear-off and replacement on a large industrial roof runs several weeks. We work in sections so the building is watertight at the end of every day, and we give you a schedule before the first crew arrives.
Yes. Nearly all of our replacements happen over occupied buildings. We stage the work so tear-off, odors and noise are planned around your operation, coordinate crane lifts and material deliveries with you, and keep the roof sealed each night. Tenants and staff are told in advance which areas will be worked over on which days.
In most metro Detroit communities, yes. A re-cover or full replacement of a commercial roof generally requires a building permit, while small repairs are often exempt. Requirements vary by city and township, some ask for a stamped engineer letter on ballasted roofs or sealed plans for deck replacement, and inspections are part of the process. We pull the permit and schedule the inspections as part of the job.
A coating restores a roof that is aging but dry underneath. It is the wrong choice when the insulation is wet, the seams are failing across the field or the deck has problems, because it seals those in. We core-sample and moisture-survey the roof first, and if a coating will work we will recommend it, since it costs less and avoids a tear-off. If it will not, we will show you the wet cores and explain why replacement is the better spend.
A properly installed single-ply membrane roof typically carries a 15 to 30 year manufacturer warranty depending on thickness and system, modified bitumen and built-up roofs fall in a similar range, and standing seam metal roofs commonly last 30 to 50 years. Regular maintenance is what gets a roof to the far end of that range, which is why we offer a commercial roof maintenance program alongside every replacement.
Commercial Roof Replacement in Livonia, MI
Shain Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. has replaced commercial roofs across Livonia and metro Detroit for generations, with over 140 years of combined experience on our crews and every panel and flashing made in our own shop. When your roof is past repair, you get a straight assessment, a clear price and our family on the roof until it is done.
Call 734-524-0155 or contact us to schedule a roof assessment. Not sure yet whether you need a replacement? Start with our repair or installation and repair pages, or read about all of our commercial roofing services.
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