Like most Pinnacle projects, the work was completed efficiently — minimizing disruption for the property owner.
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A commercial property on S County Trail in Exeter called Pinnacle for its low-slope roof, where a strip of tenant units, rooftop HVAC units, and years of ponding water demanded a durable membrane system built to keep the businesses below dry.
Scope of Work
The crew began with a full inspection of the low-slope deck, checking the field of the roof, the seams, the perimeter, and the many rooftop penetrations that come with a multi-tenant building carrying its own HVAC equipment. From there the team prepared the substrate and installed a fully-adhered single-ply membrane across the field, bonding it tight and continuous to the deck below. Seams were rolled and detailed for one watertight surface, and flashing was carefully worked around every rooftop unit, curb, and exhaust penetration, the exact spots where flat commercial roofs most often begin to leak. Perimeter edges were secured and terminated properly, and drainage paths were addressed so water is encouraged to move toward the outlets instead of standing in place. Explore our Commercial Roofing service.
What We Installed (And Why)
This project used a fully-adhered EPDM membrane system, the proven workhorse of low-slope commercial roofing. Rather than being loosely laid and ballasted, the membrane is bonded directly to the substrate across its entire footprint, so wind cannot get underneath it and lift it away from the deck. That is an important quality on an open, exposed roof that carries rooftop equipment and sits above businesses that cannot afford an interruption. EPDM is also durable and forgiving of the temperature swings a flat roof endures between summer heat and winter cold.
On a building like this, the wide field of the membrane is rarely where trouble starts; the penetrations are. Every rooftop unit, equipment curb, and vent was flashed and sealed into the membrane so those transitions became part of one continuous, monolithic surface instead of dozens of separate weak points. Drainage was addressed during the work to reduce the ponding water that quietly shortens the life of any low-slope roof. The finished result is a single tight membrane protecting several tenant spaces at once, built to keep the interiors below dry through Rhode Island’s full range of weather.
Project Photo Gallery
Good To Know: Why does a flat commercial roof usually leak at the rooftop units, not the middle?
The wide open field of a membrane roof is actually the easy part to keep watertight. Leaks almost always begin at the penetrations, the HVAC curbs, exhaust fans, drains, and vents that poke up through the surface, because every one of those is an opening that has to be flashed and sealed back into the membrane by hand. Each is a potential entry point that the flat field of the roof simply does not have. That is why we spend the most time and care detailing those transitions. Get the penetrations right and the roof stays dry for years; rush them and no membrane, however good, will save it.
Why This Approach Works
A commercial roof protecting multiple tenants cannot afford to fail, so the system has to be continuous from edge to edge and sealed around every single obstacle on the roof. A fully-adhered membrane resists the wind uplift that tears at exposed low-slope roofs, the detailed seams and flashings tie every penetration into one watertight plane, and improved drainage keeps standing water from slowly working at the assembly and its seams. Together those steps turn a leak-prone, ponding low-slope roof into a dependable, unified envelope that keeps the businesses below open, dry, and running without interruption.
Why Pinnacle
Pinnacle Roofing & Skylights has served Rhode Island since 2012 and holds RI Commercial License #261. We are a Mule-Hide & Gaco Licensed Applicator and Firestone Building Envelope Certified, the credentials that matter for low-slope commercial membrane work. With a BBB A+ rating, NRCA and RIBA membership, and more than 100 five-star Google reviews, we understand that a commercial roof is a business asset, and we install it to protect your tenants and your bottom line.
Exeter, RI
Exeter is a rural, wooded town in South County where commercial buildings clustered along its main travel routes serve residents and travelers from across the wider region. A dependable low-slope roof is what keeps those businesses open and running through every season, from summer thunderstorms to winter freeze. We are proud to protect commercial properties throughout Exeter and the surrounding South County towns.
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401-267-ROOF (7663)