Holcim Elevate (Formerly Firestone Building Products) Roofing in Yonkers, NY

The name on an older Yonkers roof may say Firestone, while the manufacturer's current name is Holcim Elevate. Both names point to the same product family, and a building can carry labels from either period. UltraPly TPO and RubberGard EPDM are two of its best-known single-ply membranes. An owner who reads a Firestone label on a drain or a roof warranty has given us a lead on the system, and the roof itself gives us the rest.

Installation and repair follow the written product requirements. Each visit ends in a record of photographs, the membrane type and a repair boundary that the owner can test with questions.

Read the Label and the Roof

Labels fade, and owners change. A label on a drain sump, a warranty certificate in a file or a name on an old invoice can each point to the maker, but the sheet itself decides the repair. We look at color, thickness, seam type and surface texture, and we take a small sample when the evidence is mixed. The sample goes into the file with a photograph, so the identification can be checked later.

Once the system is named, we record it in the roof file with the install year if known and the type of attachment. A mechanically attached sheet, a fully adhered sheet and a ballasted sheet all age differently, and the file saves the next crew from rediscovering which is which. For a property with several roof levels, the note covers each level separately, because additions are often roofed years after the original building.

RubberGard EPDM and Its Seams

EPDM is a synthetic rubber. It stays flexible in cold weather and tolerates sunlight well, which is part of why it has been used widely on low-slope roofs. The weak points are usually not the sheet but the seams, the flashing and the penetrations.

On an existing EPDM roof, we probe seam edges, check splice tape or adhesive, and look for shrinkage that pulls the sheet from walls and curbs. Tears, punctures and fastener plate marks get patched with compatible material applied to a cleaned and primed surface. Rubber carries oils, so we wipe each patch area until the cloth comes away clean before any adhesive goes on. Where the sheet has hardened or cracked across the field, repair gives way to a conversation about replacement.

Ballasted EPDM needs its own steps. Stone must be moved to expose the sheet, then returned in the same weight per area, so we mark the work area, stage the stone in buckets or bags and avoid piling it on one spot of the deck. Drains are checked for stone that has migrated into the bowl.

UltraPly TPO and Welded Laps

TPO is a thermoplastic sheet whose seams are welded with hot air. It is usually white and reflects much of the sun. A sound weld is continuous, and a poor one shows as a lifted lap or a bubble along the seam.

On a TPO roof, we test-weld a sample at the start of repair work and pull it to see how it fails. We probe the edges of existing welds, check the flashing at corners and curbs, and look for cracking or crazing at stress points. Reflashing is detailed with the same prepared-surface rule: a weld will not fuse to a dirty or wet sheet, and we do not weld in conditions that prevent a good bond. Cold, damp mornings and windy afternoons both limit what can be done, and we say so in the schedule instead of forcing a weld that will fail later.

Curbs, Pipes and Equipment

Most single-ply leaks start at a detail, not in the field, which is why a patch in the open sheet so often fails to stop them. Equipment curbs, pipe boots, drains and wall bases each rely on flashing that is formed and sealed by hand. The sealant at the top edge ages, the boots split in sunlight and curbs shift when units are replaced. Swapping a unit and leaving the old curb flashing in place often produces a leak weeks after the work is finished.

Each gets a visual check and a hands-on check, with a press on the nearby membrane to feel for softness, and the ones needing work are photographed. Where a roof carries a crowd of rooftop units, as a retail or office property might along the Central Park Avenue corridor, the curb list is usually the longest part of the findings, and we rank it by what each detail could reach below.

Height matters. Flashing needs enough rise above the membrane to stay clear of standing water and snow, and a curb that sits too low gets overtopped by a puddle. We measure flashing height at the worst-drained curbs and report any that fall short, since adding rise is a repair and not a patch.

What Westchester Weather Adds

The nearest long-term weather record is the Westchester County Airport, northeast of Yonkers, whose 1991 to 2020 normals set the calendar for membrane work. They average 47.75 inches of precipitation a year, with roughly 105 freezing-low days and about ten days that reach 90 degrees.

That is a pattern of freeze-thaw and summer heat that works on seams and flashing. We schedule checks after winter and after summer, and we plan repairs around temperatures that allow adhesives and welds to work. Cold slows adhesives and stiffens sheets. Heat softens them and shortens working time. After ice has done its work, the snow and ice damage repair plan starts from the recorded condition of the roof. Properties along South Broadway add a neighbor-notice step to the plan.

Warranty, Code and the Roof File

Warranty paperwork from either the Firestone era or the current name may limit who can repair a roof and with what. We request it before work starts and flag in the scope anything that could affect coverage. The 2025 Uniform Code reached full effect on December 31, 2025, and the city handles the local permit side, which we confirm for each scope before dates are set.

The closeout file records the product, the details installed and photographs, along with test-weld results, adhesive batch information when available and the list of any open items. If the owner expects a buyer, a lender or an insurer to ask about the roof, that file answers most of the questions in advance. A roof with a Versico or Soprema section beside the Holcim Elevate one gets a separate entry for each system, and yearly maintenance visits add dated notes.

Commercial Roofing Questions

Is a Firestone roof the same as Holcim Elevate?

The product family is the same. The company changed names, so older roofs may carry Firestone labels and newer ones the current name. Either way, we confirm the sheet type on the roof before choosing a repair material.

How do you repair a leaking EPDM seam?

We clean and prime the seam edges, then apply compatible splice or patch material. Widespread seam failure points toward a larger repair or replacement.

Why pull a test weld?

A small weld pulled apart shows whether the surface and heat were right. Finding a bad weld on a scrap costs less than finding it on the roof.

Which roof details leak most often?

Curbs, pipe boots, drains and wall bases. Their flashing is shaped by hand and its sealant ages.

Does a repair affect my warranty?

It can. Terms are not uniform, so the paperwork gets read before the first patch and any risk is written into the scope.

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