Best Heating Problems in Phoenix AZ

Updated review - 2 weeks later - Downgraded from 5 stars.

Our experience with this company was mostly good, but in the end a substandard topcoat sealant really hurt Renco's review with us, because it is the component that determines whether the roof will last a long time or oxidize within a few short years and need early replacement.

Some good points: Renco's bid was neither the lowest nor the highest of the 5 companies and 4 different types of roofing materials we considered. However, they were the ONLY contractor willing to take the old roof off before putting the new roof on. In fact, the salesman said that's the only way Renco is willing to do flat roofs, by tearing off the old roof first. And because we had a 20-year-old torch-down roof that was leaking in several spots, this was the only thing that made sense to me. Why would all these other companies want to install a roof that costs $10-15k or more right on top of an old, leaky roof that has blisters and buckles from 20 years of Arizona heat?

Workmanship was good, but not excellent. The Ripout crew was excellent. The Foam crew was amazing. The Topcoat, as previously stated, was terrible. At first I thought it might have been the topcoat crew that was to blame, but then I realized Renco's standard application process simply does not use enough topcoat material. I've asked the salesman, the foam crew and the topcoat crew how much sprayed-on elastomeric it takes to achieve the industry standard (~15 mils thickness) on a rough surface like polyurethane foam. Nobody knew the answer.

I can tell you from experience that Renco has a standard topcoat application rate that does not account for very rough areas, extra porous areas, and other hard-to-fill areas. And besides, various tradesmen I've spoken with say elastomeric should be rolled on for best results, not sprayed. So... while I was re-painting the parapet wall caps after roof installation, I also had to buy an extra 5 gallons of high quality elastomeric and re-seal several areas where the elastomeric topcoat was so inadequate that foam roofing material was still showing through after Renco had supposedly put down 3 coats (yeah, the topcoat crew came back out a second time, and it still wasn't right after 3 coats).

Renco may warranty the roof for 5 years, but I've been told by many reliable tradespeople that if you take care of these polyurethane roofs correctly, they should last practically forever. We didn't pay $12,700 to have the roof last only 5 or 10 years due to a substandard topcoat which would cause early oxidation and subsequent failure. So... I have and will continue to do everything in my power to make sure this roof lasts a good long time. And I'm sure it will last a long time, as long as I am the one doing the re-coating that is required every 3-5 years.

I'm glad we went with Renco for a number of reasons, but buyer beware. Inspect their work and don't accept the job until it is done absolutely right. If your topcoat looks uneven, get some good elastomeric and re-coat it yourself with a high-nap roller. Protect your investment.