SOPREMA is best known for SBS modified-bitumen roofing: multi-ply asphalt sheets that are torched, mopped or cold-applied and topped with a granule cap sheet. The company also makes liquid-applied flashing and membrane systems, often based on PMMA resin, and PVC single-ply roofs. On a Ventura building, a SOPREMA roof may use one of those or a combination, with liquid flashing at awkward penetrations and sheets across the field.
So before we recommend anything, we identify what is installed. We look at the surface, the laps, the base flashings at walls and curbs, the drains and scuppers, and any earlier repairs. A commercial roof inspection documents it on a plan with photos.
Ventura’s climate plays into what we find. The sun bakes granules loose on cap sheets, salt air near the harbor and beaches rusts metal edges and scuppers, and winter rains find every open lap. Santa Ana winds can lift loose cap sheet at the edges. Most SOPREMA roofs we see have plenty of life in the field and trouble at the details, and our estimates follow.
Sheet and liquid product identification
Knowing whether a spot is SBS sheet, liquid-applied flashing or PVC changes the repair completely. Modified bitumen is repaired with compatible asphalt sheets and flashing. A PMMA liquid flashing is cleaned, primed and recoated with matching resin. PVC is hot-air welded. None of these can simply be swapped for another.
We sort it out on the roof by looking at the surface and laps, and by taking a small core where the build-up is unclear. The core is patched the same day.
Old patches can complicate things. Roof cement smeared over a lap, a coating painted across liquid flashing, or a single-ply patch on an asphalt roof may keep new material from bonding. Those usually get cut back to sound material. Our modified bitumen roofing page explains how SBS sheets and flashings are installed. We follow SOPREMA’s published installation requirements for the product actually on your roof, including primers and cure times for liquid systems.
Flashing and detail work in the bid
On a modified-bitumen roof, the field sheet usually outlasts its flashings. Base flashing at parapets slumps or splits, cap sheet laps open, pitch pans dry out and crack, and metal edges and scuppers rust through. Liquid-applied flashings around pipes and odd-shaped penetrations can also wear thin or lose their bond.
Our estimate lists each of those repairs by location, with what comes off, what stays and what is new. The field square footage and the detail work are shown separately, so you can see where the money goes.
If another bid on your desk is for a different system, such as a Sika Sarnafil PVC roof, ask that both estimates cover the same walls, curbs, drains and edges. The method will differ, but the list of trouble spots should not. We also check wall and curb heights during the inspection, because extra insulation raises the roof and a flashing needs enough height to stay above it. A curb that is too short gets raised in the plan, not on the fly.
Damage under the surface
Multi-ply asphalt roofs can hide a lot of water. A split in the cap sheet lets moisture into the plies and insulation, and it can spread well past the opening before it shows up as a ceiling stain. We map wet areas with core cuts and, on larger roofs, an infrared or moisture survey.
Wet plies and insulation come out. Rusted metal deck and soft wood deck get repaired before new roofing goes down. Dry, firmly attached layers can stay in place, which often makes a recover or partial replacement possible.
Every bid for your roof should include those same repairs. A GAF roof quoted for the same building still has to remove the same wet layers and fix the same deck. If tear-off uncovers more damage than the cores showed, we stop, photograph it, mark it on the plan and price the extra area for your approval. Open sections are sealed at the end of each day. A deck that looks structurally weak goes to an engineer before anything is installed over it.
Related Roofing Work
Commercial Roof Inspection
Modified Bitumen Roofing
Sika Sarnafil Roofing Systems
GAF Roofing Systems
Scheduling around equipment and tenants
Torch-applied sheets and liquid resins each come with their own job-site rules. Torches are kept away from gas lines, wood blocking and anything that can catch, and some details around rooftop units are better done with cold-applied sheet or liquid flashing for that reason. PMMA resins have a strong odor while curing, so we plan around air intakes and occupied spaces.
When an HVAC unit has to be shut down, disconnected or lifted before we can flash its curb, your mechanical contractor handles that step. The estimate lists it, and we help you schedule it so our crew is not waiting on the roof.
Tenants matter too. A restaurant kitchen, a medical office or a busy loading dock may limit when we can work. When the job is split into several visits, each stopping point is sealed so the roof stays dry overnight. After every visit we send a quick note on what is finished, what is waiting on another trade and what remains, so nobody assumes a curb is done before it is.
What was installed, and where
Logistics come first on some roofs. In Downtown Ventura, alley access and street parking limit where a hoist and roll-off can go, and torch work near neighboring buildings needs extra care. We plan staging, deliveries and fire watch before the crew arrives. Larger sites in East Ventura usually have more space but more equipment to work around.
When the job is complete, you receive the SOPREMA products installed, a roof plan marking every sheet, flashing, liquid and insulation repair, and dated photos taken before the work was covered.
That set becomes a roof condition report for your records, and it saves time for the next contractor, inspector or buyer. Areas we did not open and items still waiting on another trade are listed separately. If there is a SOPREMA warranty on the roof, confirm whether it is still active and what SOPREMA requires for repairs before any work starts. We can help you check.
Common Questions
What needs to be confirmed before choosing a SOPREMA sheet or liquid repair?
We confirm whether each area is SBS modified bitumen, liquid-applied flashing or PVC, check the condition of laps and flashings, and find out what earlier patches are made of. Each material has its own repair method, so we choose the products only after we know what is installed.
How do I compare a SOPREMA bid with a different roofing system?
Ask both contractors to price the same repairs at the same places: wall and curb flashings, laps, drains, scuppers, edges and any wet insulation or deck. The method may differ between an asphalt roof and a single-ply roof, but the list of trouble spots should be the same on both bids.
What has to happen before roofing work next to a rooftop unit?
If the unit sits on the flashing, your mechanical contractor may need to shut it down or lift it. We may also use cold-applied or liquid flashing instead of a torch near gas lines. We list those steps in the estimate and keep the curb open on our list until it is finished.
What records do I get after SOPREMA work is done?
You get the SOPREMA products installed, a roof plan showing every repair, and dated photos taken before the work was covered. Unopened areas and items waiting on other trades are listed separately, so anyone who works on the roof later knows exactly what was done.
Get your SOPREMA roof inspected
Send us the address, the areas that leak or look worn, and any drawings or warranty papers you have. We will identify the SOPREMA products on the roof, inspect the flashings and laps, and give you a clear repair estimate.