UNIVERSALRoof & Contracting
Aerial view of Florida commercial and multi-story buildings with flat roof systems along the coast
4.6/5 on Google · 1,200+ reviews online
Orlando · Tampa · Jacksonville

Commercial Roofing in Florida

TPO, PVC, modified bitumen, standing-seam metal and low-slope systems — installed by crews we manage from first inspection to final walkthrough, on buildings that stay open while we work. Universal Roof & Contracting is a family-owned Florida roofing contractor founded in 1993, with offices in Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville.

$0 Inspectionfree
Low-slope specialists
30+ years in Florida

Free Roof Inspection

What does your roof need? Pick one to start.

Get a Free Roof InspectionSchedule Free InspectionGet My Free InspectionBook Free Inspection

No obligation. We'll tell you if your roof doesn't need work.

Brian G.

Jim and Tracy and their whole crew are exceptional. Roofing is one of those jobs that 99% of all consumers have no clue. One must trust what they are told. So many of the roofers are full of you know what and sell you more than you need. Universal is the opposite. They tell you what you need and even suggest options that save money. They tell you the pros and cons of each alternative. I could go on and on however suffice it to say that Universal is the best.

Jun 8, 2024Verified customer
Constance O.

Having a re-roof is a stressful time but I knew to call Universal Roofing Inc from my previous experience with them from my old address. It's a step-by-step process (weather permitting) which Tracy (V.P.) walked me through. From customer service, explanation of roof products, to permits and completion was less stressful having an experienced company... and roof looks great! Thank you Universal Roofing Inc.

Aug 8, 2024Verified customer
Kim T.

Fantastic customer service. Kenneth was great. Very professional. Found problem within minutes and fixed. Would recommend for repairs and full roof replacement.

Aug 10, 2022Verified customer

1 of 1

Commercial roofing is a different trade from residential roofing, not a bigger version of it. Most commercial roofs are flat or low-slope, which means water leaves by drainage rather than by gravity — so seams, terminations, drains and penetrations decide whether the roof works. Universal has installed and maintained commercial and low-slope roofs across Florida for more than 30 years, from offices in Orlando, Tampa and Jacksonville.

Why it's a different job

Three things that change on a commercial roof

Residential experience does not transfer cleanly. These are the differences that actually determine whether a commercial roof lasts.

Low slope changes everything

Most commercial roofs are flat or low-slope, so water leaves by drainage rather than gravity. That makes seams, terminations and drains the whole ballgame — a detail that would be trivial on a pitched roof is a failure point here.

Scale changes the method

Warehouses, shopping centres and industrial buildings mean far more surface area, more penetrations, and rooftop equipment that all has to be flashed and worked around. Everything scales up, including what goes wrong.

Your building keeps operating

Nobody closes a business for a re-roof. Sequencing, access, noise and site cleanliness stop being courtesies and become part of the scope of work.

The systems

What we install, and where each one belongs

There is no single best commercial roof — there is the right system for your building, your budget and how long you intend to hold the asset.

Flat commercial membrane roof with drainage and rooftop curbs on a Florida building

TPO, PVC and modified bitumen

The low-slope workhorses. Single-ply membrane welds into a continuous surface with very few places for water to get in, and a white reflective membrane is a cool roof that cuts the heat the roof passes into the building beneath it; the EPA says cool roofs can reduce peak cooling demand by 11–27% in air-conditioned buildings.

Best for: Warehouses, retail, offices, multi-family and Florida rooms

Standing-seam metal roof panel and seam on a Florida commercial building

Standing-seam metal

Where longevity matters more than up-front cost. A properly installed metal roof is built to last for decades with minimal maintenance, and on a building you intend to hold rather than flip, that arithmetic usually wins.

Best for: Long-hold assets, agricultural and industrial buildings, feature roofs

Asphalt shingle roofing across a multi-family building in Florida

Asphalt shingle

The standard on multi-family and new construction where the roof is pitched. We install Owens Corning as a Platinum Preferred contractor, a tier Owens Corning says is held by less than 1% of roofing contractors.

Best for: Multi-family, townhome communities, HOA property, new construction

Stone-coated steel roofing panels on a Florida property

Coatings and restoration

When a membrane is aged but the deck underneath is sound, a restoration coating can extend service life for a fraction of a tear-off — but only when the substrate genuinely supports it. We will tell you when it doesn't.

Best for: Aged but structurally sound membrane roofs

Flat roof repair

How flat roofs actually fail in Florida

A flat roof rarely fails in the open field. It fails at the places where the membrane stops being continuous — and all four of these are repairable if they are caught before the insulation underneath is soaked.

Ponding water

Standing water more than 48 hours after rain means drainage has failed, not that the roof is flat. Ponding adds weight, degrades membrane and finds every weak seam eventually.

The fix: Re-slope, add drains or crickets, and correct the terminations that caused it.

Seam separation

Single-ply roofs fail at the joins first. Heat cycling and foot traffic work the welds until one lets go, usually somewhere nobody walks.

The fix: Re-weld and reinforce, or re-membrane the affected field if it's widespread.

Penetration and curb failures

HVAC curbs, vents, conduit and drains all break the membrane's continuity. On most commercial roofs we inspect, the leak is at a penetration rather than out in the open field.

The fix: Re-flash penetrations and rebuild curb details properly.

Storm and debris damage

Florida wind lifts membrane edges and drives debris across a flat surface with nothing to stop it. Punctures often go unnoticed until the insulation below is saturated.

The fix: Patch, replace wet insulation, and re-secure perimeter terminations.

The honest dividing line between flat roof repair and replacement is not the membrane — it is what is underneath it. Dry deck and localised failures mean repair. Saturated insulation across a wide area means patching the surface only traps the water, and a replacement genuinely costs less across the life of the roof.

On your property

Your building stays open while we work

Commercial roofing has a poor reputation for how crews behave on a customer's property. Being the exception to that is something this company has been built around deliberately — and on a commercial job it is not a courtesy, it is part of the scope.

  • A detailed inspection first — every inch of the existing system, before anyone quotes
  • An assigned Project Manager who follows every stage through to completion
  • Access, staging and sequencing agreed with you before the crew arrives
  • A clean, safe site daily — your customers and staff are still using the building
  • Crews we manage directly rather than day-labour subcontractors

Buildings we work on

Warehouses and distributionRetail and shopping centresOffices and professional buildingsMulti-family and apartment communitiesHOA and condominium propertyChurches and schoolsRestaurants and hospitalityNew construction for builders

We also run a new-construction department with quick bid turnarounds, working with builders, property managers and HOA boards across all three markets.

Request a commercial inspection
The process

Five steps. Zero surprises.

The same streamlined process on every roof — from an accurate quote to an impeccable installation.

  1. 1

    Schedule Your Visit

    Book online or call — we arrive on time, ready to listen.

  2. 2

    Personal Consultation

    Your goals, your budget, and the right materials for you.

  3. 3

    Inspection & Quote

    Photos, a written report, and a transparent quote that holds.

  4. 4

    Convenient Scheduling

    The install lands on your calendar, not ours. No surprises.

  5. 5

    Expert Installation

    A trained crew, a clean yard, and a roof installation done right.

Commercial roofing questions, answered

How is commercial roofing different from residential?

Three things: slope, scale and continuity of operations. Most commercial roofs are flat or low-slope, so water leaves by drainage rather than gravity and the seams, terminations and drains become the whole job. The surface areas are far larger with more penetrations and rooftop equipment. And the building keeps operating while you work, so sequencing, access and site cleanliness are part of the scope rather than an afterthought.

What commercial roofing systems do you install?

TPO, PVC and modified bitumen for low-slope work; standing-seam metal where longevity matters most; and Owens Corning asphalt shingle on multi-family and pitched new construction, where we hold Platinum Preferred status. Where a membrane is aged but the deck is sound, we also do restoration coatings — though only when the substrate genuinely supports it.

Can my flat roof be repaired instead of replaced?

Often, yes. The deciding factor is what's under the membrane rather than the membrane itself. If the insulation and deck are dry and the failures are localised to seams or penetrations, repair is usually the right call and we'll say so. If the insulation is saturated across a large area, patching the surface just traps the water — that's when replacement genuinely costs less over the life of the roof.

How much does a commercial roof cost in Florida?

It depends on the system, the square footage, the condition of the deck and insulation underneath, and how much rooftop equipment has to be worked around. That's why every commercial project starts with a detailed inspection and an itemised, written scope rather than a rate quoted over the phone. The inspection is free.

How long does a commercial roof last in Florida?

A properly installed standing-seam metal roof is built to last for decades with minimal maintenance. Single-ply membrane systems vary considerably with thickness, installation quality and how well drainage was handled — Florida UV and heat cycling are hard on a flat roof, and a roof that ponds will always underperform its rating.

Will you disrupt my business while you work?

That's the part we plan around first. Your Project Manager sequences the work, agrees access and staging with you before anyone arrives, and keeps the site clean and safe daily. The commercial roofing trade has a poor reputation for how crews behave on a customer's property — being the exception to that is something we've deliberately built the company around.

Do you handle new construction for builders?

Yes. We run a new-construction department with quick bid turnarounds, and we work with builders, property managers and HOA boards across all three of our Florida markets.

Which areas do you cover for commercial work?

The Orlando metro, Tampa Bay and the Jacksonville area — 22 counties in total, with crews and offices in all three markets rather than one dispatch point for the whole state.

Find out what your building's roof actually needs

A detailed inspection of the existing system, photographs, and an itemised written scope — before anyone talks about replacing anything.

Universal Roof & Contracting · Florida licences CCC057165 and CBC1258484 · family-owned and operating since 1993

Sources (9)
  1. Universal Roofing Group, Inc., corporate record P93000013124 · Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz)
  2. Using cool roofs to reduce heat islands · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  3. License CCC057165, Certified Roofing Contractor · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
  4. License CBC1258484, Certified Building Contractor · Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation
  5. Avoiding ponding water by achieving positive drainage · National Roofing Contractors Association
  6. Universal Roof & Contracting contractor profile · Owens Corning
  7. Owens Corning Launches National Roof Deployment Project (2016) · Owens Corning
  8. Universal Roof & Contracting reviews · GuildQuality
  9. Universal Roof & Contracting, Orlando (Google Business Profile) · Google