Two-ply SBS, torch-applied, on every flat plane you own.
The intersection
Port Moody torch-on is mostly a Klahanie and inlet-flats job — low-slope townhome sections, flat-roofed additions on Heritage Woods hillside homes, and the odd carport deck down near Ioco. Two-ply SBS, cap sheet granulated to match, and the wall flashing tied back in properly so the inlet weather can't work behind it.
Local intel
Port Moody's flat-roof work sits on the same inlet exposure that changes every other roof here. Klahanie's townhome complexes carry the most low-slope area: flat sections over entries, walkway decks, and the odd full flat roof the strata specs as torch-on. Down near Ioco and Belcarra Bay the flat work is usually a carport deck or a rear addition, and the moisture off Burrard Inlet means we don't cut corners on the perimeter. Two-ply SBS is the system — a torched base sheet and a granulated cap, lapped and sealed at every seam, with the cap colour matched where it's visible from a deck above. Drainage fails first on these roofs, so we set the scuppers and internal drains to actually move water off the membrane instead of ponding it against a parapet. Where a flat section meets a wall, common on the Heritage Woods additions, the membrane runs up under the cladding and gets a counter-flashing, not a bead of sealant that lets go in three winters. On walkable decks near the water we tie the torch-on into a traffic-coating detail so the surface takes foot traffic without splitting the membrane..
The detail
Base sheet mechanically fastened to the deck. Cap sheet fully torched over the top with an eight-inch overlap on every seam. Every seam gets a second torch pass to fuse the bitumen. Parapets and stack flashings wrapped and heat-welded so nothing's just tar-and-hope.
SBS handles freeze-thaw the way asphalt built-up systems never did. The modified rubber stays flexible in cold weather, so the membrane moves with the deck instead of cracking. That's what buys the 20-year warranty span.
Single-torch seams. Skipping the parapet wrap. Forgetting the drip metal at the eave. Any of those three, and your flat roof leaks within five years. We check for all three before the crew leaves the site.
Frequently asked
Yes, that's most of the Port Moody torch-on we do. Strata flat sections and walkway decks are a common two-ply SBS job. Where it's strata-owned, we coordinate the scope and the closeout paperwork with the property manager so the warranty and the membrane spec are on file for the building — same written 10-year workmanship warranty as a detached home.
It changes the perimeter, not the membrane. The two-ply SBS is the same system we run inland; what we upgrade near the inlet is the flashing and drainage: counter-flashed wall terminations instead of surface-sealed ones, and drains sized to clear water fast so nothing ponds against a parapet in a wet-season storm. That's where inlet flat roofs fail if they're built to an interior standard.
Both. We're on Port Moody roofs regularly. Site walks up on the Heritage Woods hill take longer because of the pitch, but the install spec and the crew are the same as any other Tri-Cities job.
Yes. Not White Rock coastal, but more than Coquitlam or Langley. Cedar shake in particular needs a breathable underlayment. Metal panels near the waterline benefit from a coastal-grade finish. It's a real spec conversation, not just a nice-to-have.
Yes. Steep-pitch work is where we take the extra half-day for rigging and anchor points. The crew is trained on it and the safety gear is spec'd for it. It doesn't change the price meaningfully, it just changes the schedule.
20 to 25 years on a well-installed two-ply SBS system. We've been called back to inspect our own 2011 installs and they still look tight. Cheap single-ply BUR systems tap out closer to 10 years, which is why we don't quote them.
Other options here
Same material, other cities
Port Moody · Flat / torch-on
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