Cost to replace a flat roof in Chicago about 1350sqft?

Question

I had a roofer come by in December to fix a leak and it appears the leak is back. They gave me a 1 year warranty but when I spoke with the guy on the phone, he was making it seems like he did all he can do and my only options are a replacement. I'm going to see if I can still get him to fix it since it's supposedly covered under a one year warranty and it's leaking in the same exact spot as before.

My question is, what's a reasonable cost for replacing a flat roof of this size? It's a 3 unit building, about 1350sqft. I was told somewhere in the realm of $10k. Any help is appreciated, thanks!

John Warren · Answer

@Byron W. 10k is a common quote, and I just had one of my roofers quote a three unit flat roof job in Berwyn and he came in at 10k as well. You should ask a lot of follow up questions though to make sure you are getting an accurate bid. Which roofing material is the roofer going to use? A lot of them use either modified bitumin or TPO. Also, make sure they are planning on doing a full tear off. I know this seems obvious, but with flat roofs a lot of the roofers will put another layer over the top if it is currently modified bitumin. This is ok, but you should be paying a lot less if this is the case. Lastly, make sure they are budgeting for any repairs to the parapet wall. A lot of time the parapet walls need some additional tuck pointing work to be done when you do the full tear off.

John Warren · Answer

@Byron W. you are going to hear two different materials mainly. Modified bitumin and TPO. I can give you a few roofers depending on where your building is located. One of the guys I use does modified, and the other guy only does TPO. TPO requires custom insulation so it might look a bit more expensive on the surface. I honestly don't know which one is better. All of my flat roofs are modified bitumin if that helps.

Byron W. · Answer

Thanks John, appreciate the advice! Several of your comments on other people's posts have helped me in the past! Do you have any recommendations on roofing material? And would you recommend the roofer you went with?