Roof Repair in Fishtown and Kensington, Philadelphia

What is different about a roof deck on a new townhouse?

A roof deck puts the drainage and the membrane under boards, pavers or a walking surface. Water still has to reach a drain, but the route is less visible, and a leak can show up at a door threshold or a deck edge well away from where it began. Many of these townhouses are newer, so the first question is whether the deck was built over a membrane that was flashed to the parapet.

The check is the same for every deck. The walking surface is lifted where it is safe to do so, the drain bowl and the flashing at the deck edge are looked at, and the outlet is cleared. A deck that has been walked on for years can hide ponding under its boards, so the surface is opened before any patch is made.

Why do old rows and new infill leak in different places?

The older rows usually leak at the parapet, at a scupper seam or where the drain passes the cornice. Their roofs have often been patched over time, so the joints can be a patchwork. The infill is newer and tighter, but it is built to a different height next to an old wall, and the flashing where the two meet takes the load.

A technician looks at both kinds of joint on the same block. The repair scope depends on whether the leak is an old joint giving way or a new detail that was not flashed well, and the answer changes what is worth fixing now and what can wait.

Which permits and inspections apply to a roof job here?

Philadelphia's permit pages say most roof replacements need a permit, and that the contractor files it through L&I. Most applications are processed in about five business days, and the inspection for a minor permit comes after the old roofing is removed and the new material is on site.

The membrane should not be installed until that inspection passes, so the schedule has a built-in pause. Ask the roofer to show you where the inspection falls in the sequence, and ask L&I whether a small repair on your roof needs a permit at all.

What should a buyer or new owner check on an infill townhouse roof?

A new owner of an infill townhouse may not know how the roof was built, or whether the deck was laid over a membrane that was flashed to the parapet. The first visit should confirm the drain, the deck edge and the seam where the townhouse meets the older building beside it, since those are the places a leak is most likely to start.

Record what is there before anything is changed. A roofer can note the drain size, the slope, the parapet height and the material of the deck, and photograph the flashing at each edge. That record makes any later repair quicker to scope and easier to explain to an insurer or a buyer.

Ask whether any work on the roof has been permitted. The city's permit pages describe the inspection sequence for minor permits, and a permit record can show whether the work was inspected before the new membrane was covered.