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MILWAUKEE'S commercial ROOFING CONTRACTORS
Servicing the Greater Waukesha County Area Since 2003
All City Contracting is a local Milwaukee commercial roofing contractor specializing in roofing and exterior services. For a high-quality contracting company, you can rely on All City Contracting!
As one of Milwaukee's most respected roofing and exterior contracting companies, we provide professional roofing and exterior services accompanied by excellent customer service and competitive rates.
Our team has years of experience servicing residential and commercial properties in the Milwaukee and Wisconsin area.
You can be confident that our team will handle your roofing, siding, gutter, or window project needs with the most attention to detail: your satisfaction is our priority!
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Commercial Roofing Contractors Serving Milwaukee & Southeast Wisconsin
All City Contracting is a GAF Certified, fully insured and bonded commercial roofing contractor based in West Allis, serving businesses across Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, Kenosha, and the greater Southeast Wisconsin region. From low-slope membrane systems to traditional shingle roofs, we bring the same craftsmanship and warranty-backed workmanship to commercial buildings that we have delivered to homeowners since 2003.
Commercial roofing is a different discipline from residential work, and it is not just a matter of square footage. Your roof carries rooftop HVAC units, gas lines, exhaust fans, and conduit. It drains through interior drains and scuppers rather than gutters. It sits over tenants and inventory and payroll that cannot stop while work happens. And it is a capital asset with a service life that can be extended, budgeted, and managed rather than simply replaced when it fails.
That is how we approach it. Request a free roof survey or call (414) 385-7003 and we will walk your roof, document what is actually up there, and give you a written scope with options rather than a single take-it-or-leave-it number.
Commercial Roof Systems, and When Each One Makes Sense
There is no single best commercial roof. The right system depends on your deck, your slope and drainage, what sits on the roof, how much foot traffic it takes, how long you plan to hold the building, and whether the job is a capital replacement or a maintenance-budget restoration. Here is what we install and what each one is actually good at.
TPO (Thermoplastic Polyolefin)
The most commonly specified system on new low-slope commercial work today. TPO seams are hot-air welded rather than glued, which produces a monolithic bond that is typically stronger than the sheet itself, and the standard white surface reflects solar gain instead of absorbing it. That reflectivity cuts summer cooling load on buildings with large roof areas over conditioned space, which is why you see it on so much retail and warehouse.
It is a strong default for retail centers, warehouses, distribution, and newer office buildings, particularly where the roof is large, mostly open, and the owner wants the best balance of installed cost against service life.
Thicknesses: 45, 60, and 80 mil. Attachment: mechanically attached, fully adhered, or induction welded. Lines we install: GAF EverGuard and EverGuard Extreme, Mule-Hide TPO.
EPDM (Rubber)
EPDM has the longest field track record of any single-ply system, and it has a specific advantage in our climate that gets overlooked. Rubber stays flexible in deep cold, so it handles Wisconsin's freeze and thaw cycling and the movement that comes with it better than most alternatives. On a heating-dominated building, a black EPDM surface also works with you in winter rather than against you, absorbing solar gain and helping shed snow load. White EPDM is available where summer reflectivity matters more.
Good fit for buildings with complex rooftop equipment layouts and lots of penetrations, since EPDM detail work around curbs and pipes is straightforward and field-repairable for decades.
Thicknesses: 45, 60, and 90 mil. Attachment: ballasted, mechanically attached, or fully adhered. Lines we install: Mule-Hide EPDM.
Modified Bitumen
Where single-ply gives you one layer of protection, modified bitumen gives you two or more. That redundancy matters on roofs that take real abuse: regular service traffic to rooftop units, restaurant grease exhaust, plazas and walkways, or any roof where a puncture is a question of when rather than if. Mod bit is also the practical answer on many roofs that already carry an asphalt system and are not candidates for a full deck-down conversion.
Self-adhered and cold-applied systems let us install without an open flame, which matters on occupied buildings, in tight urban settings, and anywhere your insurance carrier has an opinion about torch work.
Application: self-adhered, cold-applied, or torch. Lines we install: GAF RUBEROID and the Liberty self-adhered system, Mule-Hide SA.
Roof Coatings and Restoration
If your existing membrane is aging but structurally sound and the deck underneath is dry, a fluid-applied coating can add meaningful service life for a fraction of a tear-off. Silicone handles ponding water well, which makes it the usual pick on flat roofs with drainage that is less than perfect. Acrylics cost less and give strong reflectivity where ponding is not the issue.
There is a real accounting angle here worth raising with your CFO or board: a restoration often lands as a maintenance expense rather than a capital project, and it defers the replacement into a budget year you choose instead of the one the roof chooses for you. We will tell you honestly when a roof is too far gone to coat. Coating a wet or failing system just buries the problem.
Types: 100% silicone, acrylic. Lines we install: Mule-Hide silicone and acrylic coatings, GAF TOPCOAT.
Commercial Shingle and Metal
Plenty of commercial property in Southeast Wisconsin is not flat. Apartment buildings, condo associations, churches, schools, medical and dental offices, and mansard-front retail all run steep-slope assemblies, and multifamily in particular is one of the largest commercial categories we work in. Those roofs get the same architectural shingle systems and the same GAF warranty tiers as our residential work, scaled up with the phasing, staging, and resident communication a multi-building property requires.
Standing seam and exposed-fastener metal are also available where you want a forty-plus year assembly, and retrofit metal over an existing roof is worth pricing on the right structure.
Typical properties: apartments and condos, institutional buildings, medical and professional offices, mansard retail.
Manufacturer Systems and Warranties
Certification is not a logo. It determines which warranty tiers we are allowed to offer you, which system components have to be installed together for that coverage to hold, and whether the manufacturer will stand behind the roof if something goes wrong years from now. Both of the lines below are systems we are set up to install and warranty as complete assemblies, not as loose materials.
GAF Commercial EverGuard TPO, RUBEROID and Liberty modified bitumen, TOPCOAT coatings
Mule-Hide TPO, EPDM, self-adhered modified bitumen, silicone and acrylic coatings
Buildings We Roof Across Southeast Wisconsin
Different building types bring different constraints. A restaurant roof is a grease and exhaust problem. A warehouse roof is a scale and drainage problem. A church roof is a budget and stewardship problem. We scope accordingly.
Retail & Strip Centers
Multi-tenant roofs where leaks become lease disputes fast. We phase by tenant and document by unit.
Warehouse & Manufacturing
Large-area low slope where drainage design and mechanical attachment carry the whole system.
Apartments & Condos
Multi-building properties needing phasing, resident notice, and board or HOA documentation.
Restaurants & Food Service
Grease exhaust degrades membrane fast. These roofs need the right system and a maintenance plan.
Office & Medical
Occupied, climate-sensitive space where noise, odor, and interior protection get planned up front.
Churches, Schools & Institutional
Often steep slope, often historic, usually working against a fixed budget and a committee calendar.
A Commercial Roof Is Not a Big Residential Roof
Penetrations are the job Not the field
On a house, the roof is mostly field with a few penetrations. On a commercial building the field is the easy part. HVAC curbs, exhaust fans, gas lines, conduit runs, skylights, hatches, and drains are where every commercial roof eventually leaks, and detailing them correctly is most of the skilled labor in the project. When you compare bids, compare the penetration details, not the square footage.
Drainage is engineered Not gravity
Low-slope roofs drain through interior drains, scuppers, and tapered insulation, not off an edge into a gutter. Undersized or blocked drainage causes ponding, and standing water in a Wisconsin winter freezes, expands, and works seams apart. We evaluate drainage as part of every survey, and on replacements we look at whether tapered insulation should be part of the scope.
The building stays open Operations first
Nobody moves out for a roof. We sequence work so your entrances stay usable, coordinate deliveries and crane or hoist staging with your operations, give tenants and staff advance notice, protect interiors under active work areas, and clean the site at the end of every shift. On restaurants and retail we can work early mornings or off-hours where the schedule justifies it.
We take a core sample Before we scope
You cannot price a commercial roof honestly from the surface. A core cut tells us how many existing layers are up there, whether the insulation is saturated, and what condition the deck is in. That determines whether you are looking at a recover, a full tear-off, or a restoration, and it is the difference between a firm number and a guess with a change order waiting inside it.
Warranties come in tiers Read the term
Commercial manufacturer warranties vary by system, by thickness, by attachment method, and by whether the whole assembly came from one manufacturer. Some cover material only. Some cover labor. Some are no-dollar-limit. The tier you qualify for is set at specification, not after the fact, so it is worth deciding what coverage you want before the system gets picked. We will lay out what each option qualifies for.
Roof Maintenance: The Cheapest Money You Will Spend on the Building
Most commercial roofs do not fail because the membrane wore out. They fail because a drain stayed blocked, a seam opened at a curb, or a service tech punctured the field swapping a rooftop unit and nobody knew for two years. Scheduled inspection catches all three while they are still a repair.
What a maintenance visit covers
- checkSpring and fall inspection, timed to catch winter damage on the way out and to get you sealed up before the freeze.
- checkDrains, scuppers, and gutters cleared, because blocked drainage is the single most common cause of premature commercial roof failure.
- checkSeam, flashing, and penetration inspection, with particular attention to anything a mechanical contractor has touched since the last visit.
- checkPhoto documentation and a written condition report you can hand to ownership, a board, or an insurer.
- checkRepairs quoted separately and clearly, so maintenance never becomes a blank check.
- checkService records that support your manufacturer warranty, since most commercial warranties require documented maintenance to stay in force.
That last point catches people. Owners assume a twenty year warranty is twenty years of protection. Read the document and most require proof of regular inspection and maintenance. Skip it and the coverage you paid for may not be there when you need it.
From Survey to Warranty Registration
- Roof survey and core sample. We walk the entire roof, map penetrations and drainage, check the condition of flashings and curbs, and take a core cut where the existing assembly is unknown. You get photos and findings, not just a price.
- System recommendation with options. We lay out what the roof will support, usually with more than one path: repair, restoration, recover, or full replacement, along with the warranty tier each one qualifies for and what it costs.
- Written scope and schedule. Line-item scope, materials specified by manufacturer and thickness, and a schedule built around your operating hours, tenants, and any seasonal constraints on your business.
- Mobilization and staging. We coordinate dumpster and material placement, crane or hoist access, and parking impact with your operations, and give tenants and staff notice before anyone hears work overhead.
- Installation. Interiors protected under active areas, roof left watertight at the end of every shift regardless of where the work stopped, daily cleanup, and a magnetic sweep of the grounds and lot.
- Final inspection and warranty registration. We walk the completed roof with you, provide as-built documentation, register the manufacturer warranty in the ownership entity's name, and put our lifetime workmanship warranty in writing.
Commercial Storm Damage and Insurance Claims
Hail and straight-line wind hit commercial roofs differently than residential ones, and they hide better. Hail bruising on a single-ply membrane frequently leaves no visible breach at all while still compromising the sheet, and wind damage often starts as lifted or backed-out fasteners at the perimeter where nobody is walking. Both can sit undetected until water is coming through a ceiling tile and the claim window has closed.
Commercial policies also work differently. Coverage may be replacement cost or actual cash value, there may be a separate wind and hail deductible calculated as a percentage of insured value, and there is often a cosmetic damage exclusion that an adjuster will lean on. Those distinctions are worth understanding before a claim, not during one.
What we do: inspect and document thoroughly with dated photography, provide a detailed scope your carrier can actually evaluate, meet the adjuster on the roof so the damage gets seen rather than described, and carry the file through to completed repair. We also handle emergency temporary protection to stop active water intrusion while a claim is being worked. More on our storm damage process here.
Commercial Roofing Questions
TPO or EPDM for a building in Wisconsin?
Both perform well here and the honest answer depends on your building. TPO's white reflective surface cuts summer cooling load, which matters most on large roofs over conditioned space. EPDM stays more flexible in deep cold and handles freeze-thaw movement and heavy penetration detailing well, and a black surface can actually help with snow shedding on a heating-dominated building. We recommend based on your roof area, equipment layout, drainage, and how long you plan to hold the property.
Can I coat my roof instead of replacing it?
Sometimes, and when the conditions are right it is excellent value. The membrane has to be structurally sound, the insulation underneath has to be dry, and drainage has to be adequate. A core sample tells us. If the insulation is saturated or the deck is compromised, a coating just seals the moisture in and you will pay for it twice. We will tell you plainly which situation you are in.
How long will my building be disrupted?
Duration depends on roof area, system, and how much tear-off is involved, but disruption is mostly a scheduling question rather than a duration question. We sequence around your operating hours, keep entrances usable, give tenants advance notice, and leave the roof watertight at the end of every shift. Most of our commercial clients stay fully open for the entire project.
Do you offer maintenance contracts?
Yes, and on a commercial roof it is the highest-return money in the building envelope. Scheduled spring and fall inspections with drain clearing, seam and penetration checks, photo documentation, and a written condition report. It also creates the service record most manufacturer warranties require you to keep in order for coverage to remain valid.
How do I know whether I need a repair or a replacement?
Age alone does not decide it. What matters is the extent of the problem and the condition of what is underneath. Isolated leaks around a few penetrations on an otherwise sound membrane are a repair. Widespread seam failure, saturated insulation across large areas, or a roof already carrying its maximum number of layers points to replacement. Core samples and a full survey answer it, and we would rather sell you the repair you need than the replacement you do not.
What warranty comes with a commercial roof?
Two separate things. Our lifetime workmanship warranty covers our installation. The manufacturer warranty covers the system, and it comes in tiers that vary by membrane thickness, attachment method, and whether every component came from the same manufacturer. Those tiers get locked in at specification, so we walk you through the options before the system is chosen rather than after.
Do you work with property managers and multi-building portfolios?
Regularly. That means phased scheduling across buildings, roof-by-roof condition reporting so you can prioritize capital planning, consistent documentation for ownership or a board, and a single point of contact rather than a different crew lead at every property.
Do you handle commercial insurance claims?
Yes. We inspect and document with dated photography, produce a scope your carrier can evaluate, meet the adjuster on the roof, and carry the file through to completed repair. We also provide emergency temporary protection to stop active water intrusion while the claim is worked.
Customer Reviews
Jesse the production manager and the crew were amazing!
- Abel F.
Man these guys are awesome. From Dave the salesman , to Chuck and Tim the President, these guys were on it. My roof was completed within 10 days of signing my contract . One day I went to work and when I came home the guys were already gone and not a speck of evidence remained that they were even there, except I had a new roof. Great price. Great local company.
- Bruce W.
Had my roof windows Soffit Fascia gutters done a year ago. Great job!! still looks great!! thanks all City Contracting!
- Justin G.
Have a Frank lloyd Wright home. Half membrane roof and half shingle. They beat the competition in price and in results. Couldn't have been happier. Definitely will use them for my next home.
- Dayon N.
Tim and all City contracting is my go-to place for all my home repair needs great price and it did a great job I am happy to say I now have an all City home Thank you again ALL CITY!
- Chad M.
All City did a great job and we are very please with our new roof!
- Fred S.
Get A Free Estimate Today!
No two projects are ever the same and neither are our clients and their needs. That's why in addition to free estimates on whatever project you want to tackle next, we also offer annual roof inspections upon request! It's just another way our team at All City Contracting has your back.
