Carlisle SynTec sells the three big single-ply families under one name: EPDM rubber, TPO and PVC. That makes a Carlisle spec flexible, and it also means the spec number alone does not tell you the price. A rubber roof and a PVC roof from the same maker can sit a long way apart on the bid. In Coeur d'Alene, ID the snow design is 60 psf, so the first thing we check is which family the spec means and what the building does to it.
We price the named system as base, then show the snow-country additions as alternates, each on its own line.
Three Families: Which One the Spec Means
EPDM is a black or white rubber sheet, joined with tape or adhesive, flexible in the cold and low in cost. EPDM suits large, simple roofs and schools. TPO is a heat-welded thermoplastic, usually white, quick to install and widely specified for warehouses and retail. PVC is a heat-welded plastic with strong resistance to grease and chemicals, and it carries a premium, which makes it the pick for kitchens and clinics.
The spec number or the product name narrows it. If it is silent, we ask the architect or the GC which family is intended, because the answer changes the price, the seams and the details. We show the three side by side when the owner has not decided.
Reinforcement and thickness vary within each family. A thicker sheet resists hail and traffic better and costs more per square foot. We bid two gauges as alternates where the roof sees service visits, and we explain what the extra thickness buys. On a quiet warehouse roof the thinner sheet can be enough. Over a mechanical roof, it often is not.
Cost: Where the Three Families Differ
Membrane cost is only part of the difference. Rubber seams are taped or glued, which takes careful labor and a dry day. Welded seams on the plastic sheets are faster and need temperature control. Prefabricated corners and boots, common on PVC, shift cost from field labor to material. Insulation, cover board, edge metal and drains cost about the same under all three.
We list the lines, then the warranty step. A maker's warranty comes in tiers, and the higher tiers usually ask for tighter installation and sometimes extra attachment or thicker membrane. The owner should see the cost of each tier before choosing, and we show it. Tear-off is separate from the system, and a recover over a dry, sound roof can save it.
Compare the named system with GAF and the other makers on the same plans, and the spread usually sits in the warranty tier and the accessories, not the membrane. We put those next to each other in a short table-style list so the GC can read across. Insulation and cover board are where cost creeps, since a heavier board or a second layer of insulation adds weight, labor and materials. We hold the thicknesses to the energy code and the spec, and show any additions as alternates.
Snow Country: What We Add to the Standard Detail
A maker's published detail is written for a broad range of climates. This one is severe, with a 115 mph design wind and required ice barrier underlayment on top of the snow. Those push us to add drains at drift pockets, heavier perimeter attachment, taller flashing at walls where snow piles and ice barrier at low-slope edges.
Post Falls sees about 59 inches of snow a year, and the Silver Valley east of us gets far more, with Wallace around 75.6 inches a year. A roof that drains in July can freeze solid in January. We locate drains and scuppers before we price, and we confirm they will be open in the thaw. Edge metal gets fastened to the wind number on the city sheet, not to the minimum.
Rooftop equipment brings its own details. Curbs, pipe supports and exhaust fans are flashed with the maker's accessories, and every one is a place a flashing can fail. We count them from the equipment schedule and price them as a line. Where a drift will pile against a unit, we raise the curb or add a diverter so the water has somewhere to go.
Where the Name Shows Up: Schools, Campuses and Hangars
Institutional specs often name a maker, and an owner with a district the size of the Coeur d'Alene School District, around 11,000 students in 18 schools, gains from comparing bids on a common system. North Idaho College's 77 acre campus on the former Fort Sherman site is a similar case. In Hayden, where Coeur d'Alene Airport is surrounded on three sides by the city, a commercial owner's bid package may name a maker too.
For roofs we install, we follow the maker's published details and keep the warranty file current. For roofs already in place, repairs use compatible materials and methods, and the file records each one. Other makers compete on the same plans: Versico is another single-ply name that often gets priced beside this one.
Warranty Paperwork: Dates, Inspections and Repairs
The warranty is a contract with conditions. Typical conditions include a maker inspection at completion, maintenance by the owner, prompt reporting of leaks and repairs by approved methods. Wind and hail limits appear in the terms, and exclusions for ponding and chemical exposure are common. We read the terms for each job and schedule our work to meet them.
Keep a file. Dated photographs, repair logs and inspection reports are what a claim reviewer asks for. Our preventive maintenance visits produce exactly that file, and the owner gets a copy after each visit.
One more point for the GC: the warranty application usually has a deadline after completion. We submit it on time, with the as-builts and the photographs, and we give the owner the confirmation. A warranty that was never filed is a warranty that does not exist.
Schedule: Finish Before the First Heavy Snow
Single-ply installs run best from spring thaw through early fall. Adhesives, tape and welds all prefer reasonable temperatures and a dry deck. A roof closed in October is warranted and dry before the first snow, and one left open into November invites trouble. We confirm the material delivery date before we commit to a start, and we order after we measure the roof, not from the drawings alone.
Phasing on an occupied school or campus follows the calendar. Summer break is the long window, and a district can book it early. We hold the schedule with a make-up week for weather, finish the dry-in each day and walk the roof with the GC before the students return. Material that arrives late is the usual threat, so delivery dates get confirmed in writing before the start is released.
Repairs after the install follow the same method. A seam that opens in the first winter is probed, cleaned and re-welded or re-taped, and the repair goes into the warranty file with a date and a photograph.
Commercial Roofing Questions
Which Carlisle family fits a school roof?
Often EPDM or TPO, because of cost and a long record. Kitchens and labs may call for PVC. We price the options.
Do you install Carlisle systems?
We install and repair single-ply roofs in the families this maker sells and follow the published details for the one named in the spec.
Can a different maker's membrane replace the named one?
Only if the spec says or equal and the owner agrees. We price the alternate and show the warranty difference.
How long are the warranty tiers?
Terms vary by system and tier. We read the current offering and put the numbers in the bid.
What if the old roof is another maker's?
A recover over a different maker's roof is possible when the old roof is dry. The new maker's rules decide what separation layer is needed.