TPO
Seam separation at the heat welds, usually where the weld was rushed or run cold. Weld quality is everything on a TPO roof and it is the reason we probe every seam on a warranty inspection.
Commercial roofing
Commercial Roofing in Howell, Michigan
Flat and low-slope roof systems for Livingston County businesses — TPO, EPDM, PVC, modified bitumen, built-up, and standing seam metal. Installed by a licensed local contractor, on a schedule built around your operations rather than ours.
How much does a commercial roof cost per square foot in Michigan?
Most commercial membrane replacements in Michigan run $5.50 to $8.00 per square foot when the existing insulation is sound and the deck is in good condition. A full tear-off to deck with new code-required insulation — Michigan is Climate Zone 5, which calls for roughly R-30 at the roof — typically runs $11.00 to $18.00 per square foot. The spread is almost entirely about insulation, tear-off, and deck condition, not about the membrane itself. Anyone quoting you a per-square-foot number without seeing the roof is quoting a membrane, not a project.
Systems we install, honestly compared
There is no single best commercial roof. There is a best commercial roof for your building, your budget, your rooftop equipment, and how long you intend to own it. Here is the comparison most contractors will not put in writing.
The per-square-foot figures below are for the membrane replacement itself. Insulation, tear-off, and deck repair are separate line items, and they are usually what separates two bids that look far apart.
| System | Installed cost / sq ft | Typical lifespan | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin) | $4.50 – $10.00 | 20 – 30 years | The Michigan default. White reflective surface, heat-welded seams, strong energy performance. |
| EPDM (rubber) | $3.50 – $8.50 | 20 – 35 years | Proven, forgiving, excellent cold-weather flexibility. Black absorbs heat. |
| PVC | $5.00 – $9.00 | 25 – 35 years | Restaurants, food processing, anything venting grease or chemicals. |
| Modified bitumen | $4.00 – $11.00 | 15 – 25 years | Small roofs, heavy foot traffic, complex penetrations. |
| Built-up (BUR) | $4.00 – $11.00 | 20 – 30 years | Redundancy through multiple plies. Heavier; check deck capacity. |
| Standing seam metal | $7.00 – $15.00+ | 40 – 60 years | Sloped commercial roofs, long-hold assets, lowest lifetime cost. |
Ranges above reflect membrane replacement where existing insulation is sound and stays in place. A full tear-off to deck with new code-required insulation — Michigan is Climate Zone 5, roughly R-30 at the roof — typically runs $11.00 to $18.00 per square foot on top of nothing else, because insulation and disposal, not the membrane, are what move the number. Every project we bid gets a roof survey first.
What actually fails, by system
EPDM
Seam tape separation, and shrinkage that tears the membrane at wall and curb flashings as the sheet pulls in over time.
Modified bitumen
Cap sheet granule loss beginning around year 12 to 18, followed by UV breakdown of the exposed asphalt.
Built-up
Gravel displacement and flashing failure at penetrations. The field usually outlasts the details by years.
Metal
Fastener backout and sealant failure at panel laps and penetrations — almost always serviceable rather than terminal.
Repair, restore, recover, or replace
Four options, in ascending order of cost. A contractor who only presents the fourth one is not giving you a choice.
- 1
Repair
Targeted work on leaks, seams, flashings, and penetrations. The right call when the roof is otherwise sound and has meaningful life left. We will tell you when this is the answer.
- 2
Restore / coat
A fluid-applied coating over a membrane that is watertight but weathering. Can add 10 to 15 years at a fraction of replacement cost, and often qualifies as a maintenance expense rather than a capital expense. It only works over a roof that is genuinely dry underneath — coating a wet roof buys nothing and hides everything.
- 3
Recover
A new membrane installed over the existing one. Faster, cheaper, and less disruptive than a tear-off. Michigan code limits how many roof coverings a building can carry, and a recover is only permitted where the existing assembly is dry and structurally sound.
- 4
Replace
Full tear-off to deck, new insulation to current code, new membrane. The right answer when the existing assembly is saturated, when there are already too many layers, or when the deck needs attention.
We start every commercial project with a survey — core cuts or infrared scanning where warranted — because the wet-versus-dry answer is what determines which of these four is legitimate. Guessing costs building owners more money than anything else in this trade.
Insulation is the part nobody quotes on
If two commercial bids come back thousands of dollars apart, insulation is usually why. Michigan sits in Climate Zone 5, which generally calls for around R-30 at the roof, and when a replacement triggers code compliance, that insulation has to be there. It is also the line item that is easiest to quietly leave out.
Beyond the R-value, tapered insulation is what solves standing water. A flat roof that ponds is a roof that fails early — the water finds the seams, the freeze-thaw cycle works them open, and the deck below stays cold and condenses. Michigan gives a roof roughly 92 days a year of freeze-thaw crossing, which is why ponding kills commercial roofs here faster than it does in most of the country. Tapered insulation builds the slope into the assembly and moves water to the drains.
Ask any contractor bidding your roof three questions: what R-value are you providing, is the insulation tapered, and where does the water go. The answers will tell you a lot.
Code and cost details are current as of 2026 and are provided for general guidance. Commercial code requirements are enforced by your local building department and depend on building type, use, and scope of work — we confirm the specifics for your building on every project.
R-30
Roof insulation Michigan's Climate Zone 5 generally requires
40%+
Share of the 2026 commercial market held by TPO
~92
Freeze-thaw crossing days a year in Livingston County
2010
Serving Livingston County businesses since
Buildings we work on
Livingston County's commercial stock runs from small downtown Howell storefronts to industrial buildings along the Grand River and I-96 corridor. We work across it.
- Office and professional buildings
- Retail and strip centers
- Warehouses and light industrial
- Restaurants and food service
- Churches and community buildings
- Medical and dental offices
- Self-storage and flex space
- Apartment and multi-family properties
- Municipal and school facilities
- Auto and equipment dealerships
Scheduling around an open building
Most of our commercial work happens on buildings that cannot close. Here is how we handle that.
- Phased tear-off — we only open what we can dry in the same day, every day
- Off-hours, weekend, and overnight scheduling where the operation requires it
- Staging and crane placement planned around your parking, deliveries, and customer access
- Rooftop equipment coordinated with your HVAC vendor before we start, not after
- Daily site cleanup and magnet sweep across parking and drive areas
- A single point of contact who answers the phone, not a dispatch queue
- Full documentation for your facility records and warranty file
Warranties: know which one you are being sold
Commercial roof warranties are not interchangeable, and the difference is worth real money.
Material-only warranty
Covers the membrane itself if it fails as a manufactured product. It does not cover installation, and installation is what fails on most commercial roofs.
System warranty
Covers membrane, insulation, and accessories as an assembly, provided everything came from the same approved system.
NDL (No Dollar Limit) warranty
The manufacturer covers labor and material to repair a covered leak, with no cap tied to the original contract value. These require a manufacturer-approved contractor and an inspection at completion.
We will tell you which tier a given system qualifies for before you sign, along with what maintenance the warranty requires you to perform — because nearly every commercial warranty has maintenance conditions, and a missed inspection is the most common reason a claim gets declined.
Preventive maintenance
The cheapest commercial roof is the one that gets looked at twice a year. A maintenance program means a documented spring and fall inspection, seam and flashing checks, drain and scupper clearing, minor repairs handled before they become deck replacement, and a photographed condition report for your capital planning file. On a 20-year membrane, consistent maintenance is routinely the difference between replacing at year 15 and replacing at year 28.
A local commercial contractor, not a regional call center
On Top Roofing has operated out of 5896 Sterling Dr in Howell since 2010. We are licensed and insured in Michigan, BBB accredited with an A+ rating, and our inspectors are HAAG certified for commercial as well as residential storm damage assessment — which matters when a hail event puts your building's roof into an insurance claim. When you need us back under warranty in year seven, we are still eleven minutes from your building.
- Howell
- Brighton
- Fowlerville
- Hartland
- Pinckney
- Genoa Township
- Green Oak Township
- Hamburg Township
- Whitmore Lake
- South Lyon
- New Hudson
- Milford
- Wixom
- Novi
- Fenton
- Linden
- Grand Blanc
- Dexter
- Chelsea
- Ann Arbor
- Williamston
- Webberville
- Mason
- Okemos
- Durand
- Perry
- Owosso
Frequently asked questions
Related services
Roof ReplacementFull tear-off and new roof systems, Owens Corning Platinum Preferred.Roof RepairLeaks, missing shingles, flashing, ice dam damage.Storm DamageHAAG-certified hail and wind damage inspections.Insurance Claim AssistanceWe work directly with your adjuster, start to finish.FinancingLow-interest options with fast pre-approval.
Free estimate
Get a free commercial roof survey
A documented condition report, a straight answer on repair versus restore versus recover versus replace, and a written scope you can take to your board. Most surveys are scheduled within one business week.
Call (810) 588-3933HAAG CertifiedOwens Corning Platinum PreferredBBB A+ Accredited