Leaking Roof Deck Over Garage

by Karen
(AZ)

I need some info. My husband died last year. He built a large deck over the top of our double car garage and it has several layers of elastomeric on it. It is now leaking and causing damage to a small garage attached. I don't have much money and am looking for some way to put a new roof on this deck.

Any ideas? Can't tear up the elastomeric so will have to go over it somehow. Any suggestions appreciated.

Comments for Leaking Roof Deck Over Garage

Average Rating

Click here to add your own comments

Apr 19, 2010
Rating

You really should have a roofing specialist take a look
by: Editor - Rich Bergman

If you don't wish to remove the surface and redo and be sure you corrected the problem them there are some options but I am not sure they will be as effective as a complete removal and redo.

The first is a roofing job and I am not a roofer by trade. So I hope there are some roofers skilled in this area to correct me if I lead you astray.

You could have them cover the entire surface with a hot tar roofing job. This in not cheap either. But if done properly should work fine. The heat of the tar may melt or damage the existing elastomeric material but in the end the entire surface is impervious to water.

Another option is to use a rolled asphalt roofing material which can use a cold roofing tar underneath and has roofing cement at the overlaps of each roll. A nice flat surface is best for this to go over so it may not be the best option.

The cheapest option, but I caution is probably the least effective, it to try and locate the seam in the elastomeric that has failed and is leaking and then applying a sealing compound to patch it.

But this can be very tricky to do because these kinds of leaks are hard to find. The water stains in the ceiling of your garage may have no bearing on where the water is actually leaking in from because water moves around and follows the lowest line downward.

Since you say you are on a budget I am not sure what else to recommend other than for sure get several roofing contractors all of whom are steeped in experience to come over and take a look and give you the honest diagnosis about what is wrong and then how to fix it. It will be clear what your choices are then.

Hope this helps you.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Deck Maintenance and Repair Forums.