Roofing Projects · October 2, 2026
Ponding-Water Fix: TPO Flat Roof Replacement on a West Colfax Strip Mall, Lakewood
Commercial flat roof (TPO) · Lakewood, CO
Coppergate Roofing tore off a failing modified bitumen roof and put down a new TPO system on a four-tenant strip building off West Colfax in Lakewood. The old roof was blistered and holding water at the back drain, and it had already worked its way into a storage room ceiling. Tear-off to finish took four days, and every tenant in the building stayed open the whole time.
What did this roof look like before and after?
Before, the modified bitumen was blistered across the whole field and alligatored around the back drain, where open seams let water sit and soak down into the storage room ceiling below. After, the field is a clean white 60-mil TPO membrane with hot-air welded seams, a new drain with a clamping ring, and fresh metal coping along the parapet.
BeforeAfter
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Why tear off and build in crickets instead of just patching the low spot?
Patching would've bought maybe a season, not fixed anything. The deck around that back drain had lost all its slope, so water just sat there no matter what you laid on top of it. A cricket is a tapered buildup of insulation that pushes water toward a drain instead of letting it pool. We tore the old modified bitumen off down to the deck and set 2.6 inches of polyiso, shaping tapered crickets right into the drain area. Now the roof actually drains instead of just holding water until it finds a weak seam. This kind of regrading is part of most commercial flat roof (tpo) in Lakewood jobs where ponding is what caused the failure in the first place.
Why TPO instead of another layer of modified bitumen?
TPO is a single-ply membrane, and the seams get welded with hot air instead of torched or glued down, which is where the old roof started falling apart. We installed 60-mil white GAF EverGuard TPO, mechanically attached. White membrane also reflects more heat off the roof than dark modified bitumen does, which matters on a flat commercial roof baking in the sun all summer. We wrapped the HVAC curb, set a new pipe boot, and ran the membrane up and over the parapet under new pre-finished metal coping to close everything out.
How did four tenants stay open through a four-day tear-off?
Start to finish, tear-off through welded TPO and new coping, this job ran four days. All four tenants in the building kept their doors open the whole time. Flat roofs let a crew stage materials and work the field without ever touching the retail space underneath, which is part of why this kind of roofing in Lakewood work can move fast even on an occupied building. We also swapped in a new drain and clamping ring instead of reusing the old hardware, so there's one less thing left over from the original failure.
Frequently asked questions
Why was this roof leaking into the storage room ceiling?
The modified bitumen near the back drain was alligatored and the seams had opened up. Water that should've drained off just sat there instead and worked its way through into the storage room below.
What's a tapered cricket and why did this roof need one?
A cricket is a built-up slope of insulation that pushes water toward a drain instead of letting it pool. This roof's drain area had gone flat over the years, so we shaped the new 2.6-inch polyiso into tapered crickets so the drain actually works again.
Why replace the drain and clamping ring instead of reusing them?
The old drain sat right at the center of the ponding problem. A new drain with a clamping ring, tied into the new tapered slope, gives the water a clear path off the roof instead of patching around hardware that was already part of the failure.
How long did this flat roof replacement take?
Four days, from tear-off of the old modified bitumen to the final welded TPO seams and new parapet coping. All four tenants in the building stayed open the whole time.
Why white TPO instead of a darker membrane?
White 60-mil GAF EverGuard TPO reflects more heat than the dark modified bitumen it replaced, and the heat-welded seams close tighter than the torched seams on the old roof, which is where the original leaks started.
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