Cleveland's location on Lake Erie creates wind patterns that subject flat roofs to sustained uplift pressures most inland cities never experience. Winter storms push wind across open water, then slam into your building with gusts that peel membrane edges and rip flashing from parapet walls. Combine that with freeze-thaw cycles that expand and contract your roof assembly 40 to 60 times per winter, and you have a perfect storm for premature membrane failure. Flat roof contractors who do not account for these conditions install systems that fail within five years instead of lasting the expected 15 to 20.
Cleveland's commercial building stock includes warehouses and industrial facilities built between 1920 and 1960, long before modern flat roofing solutions existed. These buildings have structural quirks, drainage issues, and parapet wall conditions that require hands-on experience to address properly. We have worked on everything from century-old bowstring truss buildings in Ohio City to mid-century tilt-up warehouses in the Industrial Valley. Local expertise means understanding how these buildings move, how they drain, and how to flash transitions without compromising historic masonry or overloading old roof decks.
