A hotel puts people to sleep directly under the roof, and snow does not check the occupancy report. Winter brings Flagstaff, AZ somewhere between 90 and 97 inches of snow, and accommodation and food services is the biggest job sector in Coconino County at 16.6 percent of jobs. Hotels here run through winter. A leak in a top-floor room takes it out of inventory, and a sag in a wing is a safety call. So the plan starts with the rooms below each roof section, checks load and drains before winter and keeps a crew on call at any hour.
Owners want rooms rentable and guests dry. A clear list does both.
Not every roof section carries the same risk. A section over guest rooms outranks a section over storage. We overlay the roof plan on the room layout and mark each section with its room numbers. Top-floor rooms, corridors, ballrooms, kitchens and pool halls each get a score. The highest-risk sections are walked first and repaired first.
Snow adds urgency. When the February 28, 2023 storm piled 24.5 inches on parts of the city, officials reported several roofs collapsing and told owners to watch for sagging ceilings, bowing trusses and severe leaks. Night staff should know them. The city and county also share a line for structural roof concerns, and the front desk should have that number beside ours. Each big storm gets a snow and ice damage review.
Flagstaff draws visitors. Lowell Observatory logged more than 100,000 visitors in both 2018 and 2019, and downtown's Railroad Addition Historic District includes the Weatherford Hotel and the Monte Vista Hotel. Route 66 and the BNSF line run through the city, and I-40 and I-17 meet near it. A hotel's roof gets read on its own terms. Each property gets its own walk.
Properties from Downtown Flagstaff to Butler Avenue and Lone Tree and out to Williams get the same method. A building in the historic district may raise preservation questions that an interstate property does not. We rate each on its own terms. A hotel roof walk covers membranes, flashing, drains, mechanical curbs and the edge at every wing.
Pool halls, spas and kitchens push moisture up. Warm, wet air rises to the cold deck and condenses. With a record low of minus 30 degrees F, Flagstaff keeps the underside of a roof deck cold for months. Condensation can drip into a room even when the roof is sound.
We check three things. The air barrier at the ceiling, because gaps let moist air reach the deck. The insulation, which should be dry and continuous. The ventilation, which is the mechanical contractor's work but changes how the roof performs. Wet insulation shows up on an infrared moisture survey, and a core sample proves it. We tell the owner whether a stain is a leak or a condensation problem, because the fixes differ and so do the costs.
Laundry and mechanical rooms add heat and humidity too. Vents from dryers carry lint and moisture to the roof, and lint packs drains and fan screens. We check every vent, clear lint and note any staining on the membrane. A dryer vent that discharges onto the sheet is a leak in waiting, and the fix is a proper termination and a cleaning schedule.
Entries are where guests arrive, and snow and ice slide there. A porte-cochere, a canopy or an eave above a door can drop a sheet of ice in a thaw. We mark every slide zone and recommend snow guards, ice belts or heat cable. We also advise on cones and rope-offs during a melt.
By late September freezing weather is back. At eaves, heat from the building melts snow that refreezes at the cold edge and builds ice. It blocks gutters and sends water back under the roof. Flat sections rely on drains. A drain blocked under snow lets a thaw pool on the flat sections. About a third of the 20 to 22 inches that fall in a Flagstaff year comes with the monsoon. We clear drains in fall, test them before the monsoon and keep a numbered log.
Balconies and exterior corridors need the same attention. Water from a roof edge above a walkway freezes on the walk below and becomes a slip hazard. We look at scuppers, downspouts and gutters over exterior routes, add extensions where needed and note the spots on the plan so maintenance staff treat them first.
A leak during occupancy needs a calm, fast sequence. The front desk records the room, the time and what is wet. The room is taken out of service. A crew goes to the roof, finds the likely source and makes it safe with tape, a patch or a cover. Our emergency roof repair response runs around the clock.
Permanent work follows in the next dry window. The file notes the room, the date and the section. If the same room leaks twice, the pattern shows, and the section moves up. After the roof is fixed, we check the ceiling with a moisture reading before the room goes back on sale. Wet drywall can grow mold in days, so a room returned too early invites a worse problem. The reading goes in the file with the date.
Call before the first heavy storm. Hand us the property list, roof types and each last walk date. We return a ranked list by property and book the sag, moisture and drain checks. Hotels renovate on cycles, and the roof belongs in that cycle. When floors close for a refresh, the roof above them is easiest to replace.
Chains with stores and restaurants on the same parcels share needs with retail and restaurant chains, and owners who hire managers work with property management companies on the same file. A replacement follows Flagstaff's 2018 building and energy codes as amended in 2019. The file shows each property's roof history, so owners can compare and plan.
Condensation spreads across wide areas on cold mornings in humid rooms. A leak tracks rain or melt and enters at a single point. Moisture readings below and a roof walk above settle which one it is. Have staff photograph the stain and write down that day's weather.
Yes, in phases. We set quiet hours, protect entries and hold rooms under an open section out of inventory only during that phase. Share your busy dates and we plan around them.
Night staff relocate guests first, then phone us and the city and county structural line. A visible stain is not required before calling. Our first visit makes the wing safe and checks the framing.
Spring through early fall, ideally with a renovation that closes floors. Freezing returns in late September. Winter work is limited to temporary repairs.
Mark slide zones, add snow guards or ice belts above entries and use cones during a melt. We map the zones on your site plan.
Browse the services, roof systems and building types we work with across Flagstaff and nearby Arizona communities.
A walk of the roof with photos, findings and a written scope.
Active leaks, storm damage and blocked drains get a fast response.
Roofing across Flagstaff and nearby Arizona communities.