Big Lake, Minnesota
Seasoned Commercial Certified Roof Assessment in Big Lake, MN
Storms drive most of the commercial roof work in Big Lake, where the National Weather Service measured a four inch hailstone just after midnight on July 14, 2024. That is well past the size that bruises and fractures a membrane, and the damage it leaves on a flat roof does not show from the parking lot. An assessment is how an owner finds out what actually happened up there.
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Hail damage hides on a flat roof
Hail on a low-slope roof does not look like hail on shingles. On EPDM you get circular bruises and fractures in the membrane that hold water and open up months later. On modified bitumen you get granule loss and soft spots that a test square will show and a walk-by will not. So we chalk out test areas, photograph each strike with a scale in the frame, and record the direction and density so the report shows how hard each plane was hit, not just that it was. Staging is the other Big Lake problem. The city covers only about 2.9 square miles, and lots are tight, so we plan access and dumpster placement in the report itself. Owners with small flat sections over an entry or an addition often end up asking about TPO roofing, and the assessment is where that conversation starts.
Commercial Certified Roof Assessment in Big Lake
What a Big Lake assessment documents
Hail strikes counted, not estimated
We chalk test squares on each roof plane, count strikes inside them, and photograph the bruises with a scale in frame. That gives a density figure instead of an adjective, which is what a repair or replace decision turns on.
Small flat sections get tested too
The low slope roofs over entries, vestibules and rear additions get the same test squares as the main roof. Hail fractures there often go unnoticed, and those small sections are usually where the first interior stain shows up.
Access and staging worked out first
At about 2.9 square miles, Big Lake is tight, and commercial lots here share drives with neighbors. We note where a dumpster and a lift can actually sit before the work is scheduled.
Everything above the deck gets looked at
Hail that size takes out unit housings, vent caps, edge metal and skylight domes along with the membrane. Those items belong in the same scope, and they are the ones most often left off a report.
Storm damage separated from plain wear
A twenty year old membrane has open seams whether or not it hailed. We say which is which in writing, because an aging roof and a hail struck roof call for different plans.
Open water exposure on the edges
Buildings near Big Lake and Lake Mitchell catch wind off open water with nothing in the way. Edge metal, parapet caps and termination bars get checked closely, since that is where a membrane peels first.
Why owners here call us after a storm
Temporary cover comes first
If the roof is leaking when we arrive, we stop the water before we start writing. Documentation matters, but not more than the tenant's inventory sitting under an open seam.
The phone gets answered at any hour
Leaks do not wait for business hours, and neither does a closing date. We answer 24 hours a day, seven days a week, so a Big Lake owner can get a survey on the calendar the day the question comes up.
Tarps down first, nail sweep after
When a survey turns into repair work on a tight Big Lake lot, tarps go down over walks and landscaping before anything comes off the roof, and the lot gets a nail sweep before we leave.
Same crew, roof through repair
The company that assesses the roof can also do the low-slope work, the metal, and the siding hit on the same elevation, so you are not coordinating three contractors.
Nothing owed for the look
The walk and the written estimate carry no obligation. Take the report to your lender, your board, or another contractor, and there is no invoice waiting from us either way.
What people near Big Lake say
Fantastic guys to work with, did an excellent job of fixing our siding. You can tell it’s a high integrity company. Definitely recommend.
Carolyn MillerSiding repair The crew arrived early and spread tarps all around the house to capture every bit of debris. By 3:00 PM, my entire roof was completely finished.
Hazel JamesRoof replacement, Minneapolis, MN Orange Exteriors fixed a minor leak that involved replacing flashing and a few shingles blown off our roof. Timely, quality work. Great ideas to keep our roof going long term.
Jim ThomasRoof leak repair
Hail and roof assessment questions
What people in Big Lake ask us about this work. If yours is not covered, call and ask.
Should I have my Big Lake building looked at after the July 2024 hail?
If your building was under that storm, yes. A four inch stone can fracture a membrane without opening it right away, so a roof that looked fine that week starts leaking two winters later once the fractures freeze open. A documented look now gives you a dated starting point and a repair list before that happens.
Can you survey our Big Lake building while the business stays open?
Yes. The work happens on the roof, so customers and staff inside rarely notice. We set the ladder away from the entrance, tell the manager before any core cut, and patch each cut the same day. On a tight Big Lake lot we also park clear of your customer spaces, which often matters more than anything we do up top.
Where do you put a dumpster on a small Big Lake commercial lot?
That gets settled during the assessment, not on the first morning of the job. Lots here are small and often shared, so we mark a spot for the dumpster and the lift, note which drive lane has to stay open for the tenant, and check whether a neighbor's approval is needed before anything is scheduled.
Have the hail damage documented properly
Send us the address and the date of the storm. We will walk the membrane, count the strikes, and give you a report you can hand to your lender or your board.
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Tell us what is going on with your roof, siding, windows, or gutters. We will take a look and give you a straight answer, including when the answer is that you can wait.
- Phone(612) 600-8529
- Emailadmin@orange-exteriors.com
- Office6600 City West Pkwy Suite 375, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
- HoursOpen 24 hours, Sunday to Saturday
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