EPDM Rubber Roofing in Pittsburgh, PA
EPDM is the black rubber roof most Pittsburgh homeowners already know, and for good reason. It comes in wide sheets, so a row-house or porch roof can often be covered in a single piece with no seams in the field. It stays flexible through a hard freeze, which matters when a Western PA winter swings across 32 degrees again and again. And it is easy to patch years later with the same material. Most of the work in a good EPDM roof is not the rubber itself. It is the tear-off to a solid deck, the slope that gets water to the gutter, and the flashings up the parapet, party walls and chimney, all cleaned, primed and bonded properly.
What's included
- Tear-off to the deck and disposal
- Rotted decking replaced before the new roof goes on
- Fully adhered EPDM, one sheet where the roof allows
- Primed seams and seam tape where sheets meet
- Parapet, party-wall and chimney flashing in EPDM
- New drip edge, gutter edge and scupper details
- Pipe boots and vent flashings
- Tapered insulation where water used to sit
- Manufacturer warranty options explained in writing
Sound like your roof?
- The old rubber is cracked, shrunk or pulling off the walls
- Several patches and tar spots across the roof
- More than one old layer showing at the edge
- Soft spots underfoot
- You want a roof that can be repaired easily later
EPDM Rubber Roofing — FAQs
Commonly 20 to 30 years when it drains well and gets checked now and then. Roofs that pond water or have clogged gutters land at the short end. See EPDM vs. TPO vs. modified bitumen.
It absorbs more heat than a white roof, which can matter over a top-floor bedroom. White EPDM exists, and TPO is white by default. See TPO roofing.
Codes generally don't allow a new roof over two or more existing layers, or over a wet roof, and most older Pittsburgh flat roofs already have layers. Usually it's a tear-off.
Typically about $5.50–$11 per square foot on larger roofs. Small porch and row-house roofs are priced per job. See the cost guide or the calculator.