Tar & Gravel (Built-Up) Roof Repair in Wausau, WI
Built-up roofing, the classic tar-and-gravel roof, is layers of roofing felt and hot asphalt or coal tar, finished with a flood coat and gravel. Plenty of older schools, churches, plants and downtown buildings in central Wisconsin still have one, sometimes under a newer membrane. A well-built BUR can last decades, but by now many of them are past it. They leak at flashings that have dried and cracked, at blisters where moisture got between the plies, and in low areas where the gravel has washed away and the flood coat has weathered to bare felt. Because water travels between the plies, finding the entry point takes care, and a moisture survey tells you whether the roof is worth repairing at all.
What's included
- Leak tracing on gravel-surfaced roofs
- Gravel scraped back, plies repaired, gravel replaced
- Blisters cut, dried and patched
- Base flashings rebuilt at walls and curbs
- Pitch pans refilled or replaced
- Moisture survey before any big decision
- Recover over a dry BUR where code allows
- Tear-off and new membrane when it doesn't
- Coal-tar roofs handled with appropriate repair materials
Sound like your roof?
Not sure what is wrong or what it should cost? If any of these sound familiar, tell us about the roof. We'll tell you what it probably is, then confirm it on the roof and give you a written price before any work starts.
- Bare spots where the gravel has washed away
- Blisters you can see or feel under the gravel
- Cracked or dried-out base flashings
- Leaks that move around after each rain
- A roof installed decades ago that nobody has records for
Leaking right now? Protect the inside first
Move inventory, files and electronics away from the drip, shut off power to any light fixture or panel that is getting wet, and put down buckets or plastic. Keep people out from under a ceiling that is sagging with water above it. Don't send staff onto the roof during a storm, in the dark, or when it is icy or snow-covered. Low-slope roofs have skylights, open edges and slick membranes. Then request service: an active leak can usually be dried in temporarily until a permanent repair is possible.
From the first call to a dry roof
Tell Us About the Roof
The building, the roof type if you know it, and what is happening: an active leak, a stain, ponding water, storm damage, or a roof that is just getting old. Active leaks go to the front of the line.
Roof Assessment
We walk the roof, trace the problem, check the drains and flashings, and take core samples or moisture readings where the insulation might be wet.
Written Options and Price
You get a written scope and price. When more than one approach makes sense, repair, coating and replacement are laid out side by side with what each one buys you.
Work Done and Documented
The work is done to the manufacturer's specification, and you get a photo report and any warranty paperwork for your files.
You may also need
Modified Bitumen Roofing
Modified bitumen roofs and repairs: the tough, multi-ply asphalt system used on small commercial buildings, porches and garages, and anywhere the roof gets foot traffic.
Learn moreLeak Detection & Moisture Surveys
Finding where water actually gets into the roof, and how much wet insulation it has left behind, using visual tracing, moisture meters, core cuts and infrared scans.
Learn moreRoof Recover & Overlay
A new single-ply membrane installed over the existing roof, with new cover board or insulation, when the old roof is a single, dry layer and the code allows, skipping most of the cost of tear-off.
Learn moreTar & Gravel (Built-Up) Roofs — FAQs
Yes, if the insulation and plies are mostly dry. Repairs mean scraping back the gravel, repairing the plies with compatible materials, and resurfacing. Coal-tar and asphalt roofs need different repair materials, so we identify which you have first.
Sometimes. The gravel has to be removed and the old roof has to be dry and a single roof system. See recover vs. replacement.
A moisture survey and a few core cuts. If most of the roof is dry, repair or recover. If water is spread through the plies and insulation, replacement is the better value.