Industries We Serve
Roofing Subcontractor for General Contractors in Federal Way, WA
A general contractor's superintendent and ours start the same way: with the schedule and the roof plan on a table. We mark the dates the deck is ready, the dates the crane is shared, the dates the building must be dry and the dates the next trade needs the roof out of the way. Then we walk the deck together and settle the tear-off limits, the staging area and the tie-ins. Nothing about the sequence should be a surprise to either superintendent, and it should be on paper before the first delivery.
The same conversation fits a tenant improvement, a new industrial shell or a reroof inside an occupied building in Federal Way, WA, and the method barely changes between them.
What do we need from the GC before the first walk?
We need the roof plan, the specification section, the schedule and the contact for the owner's representative. On a reroof we also need the existing roof documents, if any, and the access rules. With those, the walk produces a short list of questions, a staging drawing and a sequence the GC can drop into the master schedule.
Cores and pull tests happen at the walk when the existing roof is in play. On a new building, we check the deck, the slope and the penetrations against the roof plan before material is ordered. In Federal Way, Industrial Realty Group is developing the Woodbridge industrial park on a slice of the former Weyerhaeuser campus, and the opening phase is a pair of new industrial buildings. Work of that kind starts with a deck inspection and a penetration list, so the roof plan and the rough-in agree.
Submittals go in early. Product data, shop drawings for flashing and edge metal, the warranty form and the sequence sheet are ready before the pre-roofing meeting. The GC's superintendent sees what will be installed, in what order, and which items have lead times. A long-lead item caught at submittal costs nothing. The same item caught at delivery costs the schedule.
How do tear-off limits fit the GC's phasing?
On a reroof inside a larger renovation, the limits follow the GC's phases. Each roof section is tied to the interior area it covers, and the roof sequence follows the interior demolition and rebuild. We mark the limits in paint, share the drawing and confirm that a section will not be open when interior finishes are being installed below.
Where the existing roof is wet, the GC hears it the day the core is cut. We give a unit price for wet insulation and deck repair before the contract is signed, so the quantity can be controlled. A commercial roof replacement inside a larger project is priced with the cores and the deck conditions on the same page.
Change orders follow the same rule. Any difference between the documents and the roof is reported in writing with a photograph and a price within a day. The GC can then pass it to the owner with the evidence attached. A reroof that sits under an occupied-building reroofing plan carries those changes in the same log as the daily notes.
How do the crane and lay-down yard share a busy site?
On a GC site the crane is shared, and every trade wants it. We book picks in advance, keep them short and have the material staged and rigged before the crane arrives. The lay-down yard goes where the GC assigns it, and we keep it neat. A roofing crew that leaves loose material around draws the wrong kind of attention from the owner's inspector.
The staging drawing shows the truck route, the yard, the container and the roof access. For a retail build-out along Pacific Highway South or at The Commons, the lot is live, and the GC's logistics plan governs. We follow it, and we ask the GC to confirm any change in writing.
Safety is shared. We follow the GC's site safety plan, attend the orientation and sign the daily sheets. Fall protection at the roof edge is in place before the first material goes up, and the crew leader reviews it at the start of every shift. Our crew leader attends the weekly coordination meeting and brings the three-week look-ahead.
How do we get the building dry on the GC's schedule?
Dry-in is a milestone for the GC, because interior trades cannot start until the building is weathertight. We schedule the roof to meet the date and tell the GC early if the wet season threatens it. Tacoma is wet on roughly 155 days a year and totals about 40.8 inches, while Auburn, in the same Green River corridor, totals 37.1 inches and peaks in November and December. A roof that must be dry by December needs to start well before October.
Each day's open area is sized to what can be sealed by evening. Temporary seals are tested with water and logged. If rain stops the work, the crew leader tells the GC the same hour and proposes a recovery plan.
Who owns the tie-ins with other trades?
Tie-ins are where roofing meets everyone else: mechanical curbs, electrical conduit, plumbing vents, skylights, parapets and storefront edges. We list each interface, name who sets what and when, and put the list in the master schedule. A curb set late costs a day, and a flashing installed before the curb is set costs two.
Washington adopted the 2021 International Building Code with state amendments, and Chapter 51-11C WAC adopts the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code, Commercial. We check the specified assembly against those rules and flag a conflict before the submittal goes in. Edge securement belongs in the walkthrough, given the 74 mph that the November 2024 bomb cyclone produced at Enumclaw. Rooftop equipment is the busiest interface. Curbs, supports and pipe penetrations must line up with the roof plan, and a rooftop equipment curb and support layout sheet goes to the mechanical contractor early. Each curb is checked for height and level before flashing. A curb set an inch low is found at layout and corrected, not at the first rain.
What does the GC receive at closeout?
At closeout the GC's superintendent walks every tie-in with our crew leader. The package holds photographs of each layer, product data, test results, the warranty and the day-one punch list with items closed. It is organized for the owner's turnover binder, so the GC can hand it over without reformatting.
Owners of investment properties and property managers receive the same file when the GC passes it along, and a GC with projects in Kent or Auburn can ask for the same package format on each.
Punch list items are closed before the crew demobilizes. Any item that needs a return visit has a date and a name. The GC can then tell the owner exactly what remains, and the warranty period starts with a clean record. The closeout walk is a short meeting, and nobody leaves it with an open question.
Commercial Roofing Questions
What does the GC send for a roofing proposal?
The roof plan, the specification section, the schedule and the access rules. With those, we return a priced scope and a sequence.
How are wet-insulation quantities controlled?
With unit prices set before the contract and cores that define the quantity. The GC sees the plug, the photo and the measurement.
Can you meet a dry-in date in the rainy months?
Sometimes. We size each day's open area to the forecast and tell the GC early if the date is at risk, with a recovery plan.
Who sets the curbs?
The mechanical contractor sets them to our layout, and we flash them. The interface list names the dates for each.
What goes into the turnover binder?
Product data, test results, photographs, warranty terms and the punch list with items closed. It is formatted for the owner's binder.
Send the roof plan and the project schedule
Send the roof plan and the project schedule so we can walk the sequence, staging and tie-ins with your superintendent before a number goes on paper.
