Roofing : Functional art on a large scale

My day job is being a field supervisor for a commercial roofing company. I have been roofing for 18 years and in that time I have found that residential flat roofs to be the most challenging. There are so many details that must be done right in order for the chosen roofing product to succeed in keeping the water out. Occasionally I do the odd small residential roof on the weekends. Every roof has its own particular challenges, the roof that I did this weekend is no exception, it tied into three different systems, another flat roof, ceder shakes and siding.
I believe that making a pot is a lot like installing a roof, anyone can do it but it is the details that will prove it to be successful. This roof had details that had been done wrong before and were the cause of the roof leaks. The roofing material that had been used was a poor choice for this application and the decision was made replace the roof rather than repair it.

This is a before and after shot of the same detail. On the right the roof is a peel and stick roll roofing that can be purchased at most box stores. The roof that I installed is a TPO thermoplastic that is most often used in commercial roofing. At critical points such as corners and edge details the material is reinforced with more material designed to go around a corner. On the existing roof the details were reinforced with roof cement and it doesn't take long for these details to crack, peel and fail.

Here we are looking at the original detail on the left that is hoping to keep out the water using roof cement as the final detail. The detail that I install is one that has a barrier of caulk behind the material and a termination bar compressing the material into the caulk forming a very water tight seal.

Often the only thing keeping a pipe on the roof from leaking is some roof cement at the base of the pipe! With the product that I installed on this roof I was able to form a sleeve around the pipe that creates a custom fit jacket that looks good and will keep out the water.

This detail was leaking pretty bad. the siding and step flashing to the shingles were funneling water into the roof system. I removed some ceder shakes and installed the new material in a way that would not let water penetrate the system. I believe that my artistic attention to detail allows me to deliver a high quality functional roof that will serve the home owner for many years to come.

Now, down to the studio to make pots!