TPO · Fully Adhered
75,000 sqft Cold Storage Facility
Sqft75K
System80-mil TPO FA
Timeline10 days
Traditional 4-ply and 5-ply BUR with mineral gravel ballast for heritage commercial restoration, heavy-traffic industrial roofs, municipal and institutional specifications, and legacy building retrofits across NC, SC, GA, and TN. Hot-asphalt or cold-applied installation.
A licensed PM has your request. We'll reach out within 24 business hours — typically sooner. If your roof is actively leaking, call (866) 487-8572 for same-day response.
Built-up roofing has been installed on commercial buildings since the 1890s — the most proven commercial roofing technology in existence. Modern single-ply systems (TPO, EPDM) offer equivalent service life at lower cost and weight, which is why BUR's market share has declined from 80% of commercial installs in 1985 to roughly 8% in 2024. So why are we still installing BUR in 2026?
Heritage commercial buildings under SHPO or historic-preservation board oversight often require matching the original roof system for tax-credit eligibility, preservation easement compliance, or listing-protection. In Asheville's downtown commercial district, Raleigh's historic Warehouse District, Charleston's French Quarter commercial, and similar listed properties, we install BUR because the preservation office requires it. For buildings qualifying for 20% federal historic tax credits on rehabilitation, roof-system choice is subject to review.
Heavy-traffic mechanical roofs — industrial facilities where rooftop mechanical service, solar maintenance, HVAC replacement cycles, or crane-hoisted equipment creates constant physical stress on the membrane. 4-ply or 5-ply BUR with gravel ballast handles tool drops, foot traffic, and mechanical impact that would puncture single-ply membrane. For manufacturing plants with high rooftop service intensity, we sometimes spec BUR over TPO specifically for durability.
Institutional specifications — municipal, federal, and some institutional building owners have standing building specifications that require BUR on specific asset classes. We've installed BUR on NC state university buildings, federal facilities in the SE region, and specific municipal buildings across the four-state service area. When the spec requires BUR, we install BUR — and we're one of the few commercial roofing contractors in the SE still certified for full-system BUR installation.
Installed cost runs $10–16 per square foot for 4-ply BUR with gravel ballast. Ranges reflect bid data across NC, SC, GA, TN. 5-ply upgrade adds $2-3/sqft; cold-applied (occupied facility) adds $2-4/sqft over hot-asphalt. Heritage custom specs can exceed standard ranges.
BUR install is a multi-day phased operation requiring careful fire-safety coordination (hot-asphalt installs) or adhesive cure management (cold-applied). Our process follows NRCA Commercial Low-Slope Manual and ARMA specifications. Lead time from contract to completion on a 25,000 sqft BUR: 3-4 weeks including tear-off, weather windows, and phased installation.
Drone survey, moisture-probe cores, and critical structural weight analysis. BUR replacement requires verified capacity for the system's 6-10 psf dead load. Existing drawings pulled where possible; structural engineer consulted on buildings without current drawings. Specification decision: 4-ply vs 5-ply, hot-asphalt vs cold-applied, ballasted vs cap-sheet finish.
Existing roof removed phased to maintain weather coverage. BUR tear-off is labor-intensive due to gravel ballast and multi-ply asphalt removal. Specialized disposal required — bonded BUR debris is typically non-hazardous but heavy (10-15 tons per 10,000 sqft). We coordinate dumpster rotation and disposal documentation with the building owner.
Deck inspected, structural fasteners verified, any rot or delamination repaired. Insulation board installed to target R-value — R-25 minimum for NC climate zone 4A. For BUR retrofit-over-BUR (rare but valid on structurally-approved buildings), existing surface cleaned and primed.
Base sheet mechanically attached or laid in hot asphalt or cold adhesive. Sequential plies (3 additional plies for 4-ply system, 4 additional for 5-ply) laid with staggered laps offset by panel-width to create true multi-ply redundancy. Each ply fully bonded to the one below. Hot-asphalt installs use kettle-heated asphalt mopped between plies; cold-applied use solvent adhesive squeegee-applied.
Wall flashings, penetration details, drain assemblies, and parapet coverage constructed with modified bitumen flashing membrane and galvanized metal counter-flashing. BUR flashing quality is where long-term service life is made or lost — we spend proportionally more time here than on the field plies.
Mineral gravel ballast (3/8" to 3/4" diameter) applied over flood coat of asphalt at 400-500 pounds per square. Gravel retention checked at wind-critical zones (roof perimeter, corners). Manufacturer NDL warranty registered — typically 15-20 years depending on system. As-built drawings and maintenance schedule delivered.
Heritage commercial restoration, institutional, and specialty industrial BUR installs completed across NC, SC, GA, TN. GAF, CertainTeed, and JM systems with full NDL warranty.
The Southeast has a rich stock of commercial buildings eligible for federal historic tax credits (20% rehab ITC for Certified Rehabilitation Projects on National Register-listed or contributing-district properties). For these buildings, roof-system choice is governed by the National Park Service Secretary's Standards for Rehabilitation — which require preservation of historic character and material-appropriate repair.
For commercial buildings with original BUR (most pre-1990 commercial in the SE), BUR replacement is typically the only historic-tax-credit-compliant option. Switching to single-ply single-handedly disqualifies the project from 20% ITC on the roof-scope work, which on a $400K roof can mean $80K in foregone tax credit. We coordinate with State Historic Preservation Office reviewers in each of NC, SC, GA, TN during the design phase so the roof spec qualifies before construction starts.
Material specifications for historic BUR often include granular surfacing (smooth vs mineral) matching original, specific ballast gravel size/color, counter-flashing profile matching original, and sometimes asphalt-saturated felt material versus modern fiberglass-reinforced. We source from specialty suppliers including Soprema, Henry, and GAF for historic-spec BUR components. This is roofing as historic preservation — a narrow but real market where our specialty-system capability is part of the value proposition.
We're among the few commercial contractors in the SE still certified for full-system built-up roofing. Historic-district, institutional, and specialty industrial installations. Line-item bid in 48 hours.