Most commercial buildings around Wheaton and Glen Ellyn carry flat or low-slope roofs, which behave nothing like the steep-slope shingle roofs on a house. Standing water, ponding after a heavy DuPage County rain, and the freeze-thaw swings between January and March are what kill a commercial membrane early. Summit & Slate Roofing has installed and serviced TPO, EPDM, and modified bitumen systems on retail strips, offices, warehouses, and churches across the western suburbs since 2005, and owner Mark Sundeen runs every commercial estimate himself.
The building stock matters here. Older masonry buildings along Front Street in downtown Wheaton or in downtown Naperville often have aged built-up gravel roofs that need a full tear-off down to the deck. Newer flex and industrial space out toward Aurora and the I-88 corridor was built with single-ply TPO or EPDM that may only need a recover or targeted repair. We core-cut to see what is actually under the membrane before we quote, because guessing the deck condition is how a commercial bid goes $40,000 wrong.
Lake-effect snow load and summer hail are the two forces a Chicago-area commercial roof has to survive. A flat roof holds snow that a pitched roof sheds, so drainage, tapered insulation, and seam integrity decide whether you get a leak over the server room in February. We design for positive drainage, weld TPO seams with a hot-air robotic welder, and pull every required DuPage or Kane County permit. Crews are W-2 employees of Summit & Slate, never day-labor subs.
You don't need to book a sales visit to find out where your home lands: enter your address, we measure your roof from satellite imagery, and you get a real estimate range in minutes. We serve Wheaton, Naperville, Aurora, Lisle, Glen Ellyn and Downers Grove and the surrounding the Chicago western suburbs towns.
When do you need Commercial Roofing in Wheaton?
An honest contractor should talk you out of work you don't need. We recommend Commercial Roofing when we see:
- Granules collecting in your gutters and downspouts
- Curling, cupping, or missing shingles
- Daylight or water stains in the attic
- A roof past 20 years on a single layer
- Repeated leaks at the same valley or flashing
- Storm or hail damage documented by an adjuster
If none of these apply, we will tell you so. We would rather earn a repair today than sell a replacement you do not need.
What Summit & Slate Commercial Roofing actually includes
No good-better-best games. This is what is in every Commercial Roofing job we do across Wheaton:
TPO and PVC single-ply membrane
Hot-air-welded single-ply roofs in 60 mil and 80 mil thickness, the standard for flat retail, office, and warehouse roofs in the western suburbs. White TPO reflects summer heat and cuts cooling load on south-facing Naperville buildings.
EPDM rubber roofing
Fully adhered or ballasted EPDM in 60 mil and 90 mil, a proven flat-roof system that handles DuPage freeze-thaw cycles well. We seam with primer and tape or factory-welded splice for buildings that need a 30-year service life.
Modified bitumen and built-up
Two-ply and three-ply modified bitumen for roofs with heavy foot traffic or rooftop equipment. A good fit for older Wheaton and Glen Ellyn commercial buildings that already carry an asphalt-based built-up roof.
Tapered insulation and drainage design
We add tapered polyiso insulation to build positive slope toward drains and eliminate the ponding that voids most membrane warranties. Proper drainage is the single biggest factor in how long a flat roof lasts in this climate.
Commercial roof maintenance and repair
Twice-yearly inspections, seam and flashing repair, drain clearing, and leak diagnosis for property managers and building owners. A maintenance plan catches a $400 seam fix before it becomes a $60,000 saturated-insulation tear-off.
How Commercial Roofing works with Summit & Slate
Five steps from first call to final walkthrough. You know what happens and when, the whole way through.
On-site assessment and core cut
Mark Sundeen walks the roof, checks drainage, flashing, and seams, then takes a core sample to confirm deck condition and how many existing membrane layers are present. This determines tear-off versus recover and drives the real number.
System spec and written proposal
We recommend the membrane and insulation that fit your building, budget, and warranty goal, then put it in writing with square footage, mil thickness, and scope. No verbal-only quotes and no surprise change orders mid-job.
Permitting and scheduling
We pull the DuPage or Kane County and municipal permits, coordinate roof access and parking, and schedule around your business hours so a retail or office tenant keeps operating during the work.
Tear-off or recover and installation
In-house crews remove the old roof or prep for recover, install insulation to positive slope, then mechanically fasten or fully adhere the membrane and hot-air weld every seam. Equipment curbs and penetrations get new flashing.
Flood test, inspection, and warranty
We check seams, drains, and terminations, pass the municipal final inspection, and register the manufacturer membrane warranty plus our 25-year transferable workmanship warranty on qualifying systems.
How much does Commercial Roofing cost in Wheaton?
Commercial Roofing is quoted per project after a free measurement. You get a firm written price before any work starts, never a guess over the phone.
From Commercial Roofing customers
"Our 1962 ranch had three layers of shingles and Mark's crew tore all of it down to the deck instead of laying over like the last company wanted to. They found rotted sheathing over the garage we never knew about and replaced it before the new GAF shingles went on. Site was spotless every night. The 25-year warranty is in writing and transferable, which mattered to us since we may sell in a few years."
"After last February's freeze-thaw stretch we had water staining the upstairs ceiling. Mark came out himself, showed me the attic had almost no soffit-to-ridge airflow, which is why the ice dams kept forming. They added baffles and a ridge vent and re-did the valley flashing. No leaks through this past winter. He explained the actual cause instead of just selling me a new roof."
"The June hail storm beat up our roof and Mark's office walked us through the whole insurance claim. They met the adjuster on site and documented everything. Crew finished our two-story in a single day, in-house guys, no random subs showing up. Impact-resistant Class 4 shingles went on and our insurer gave us a premium discount for it. Honest pricing, no high-pressure storm-chaser nonsense."
"A summer wind event ripped shingles off the back slope. Two storm-chasing companies knocked on our door the same week with scary estimates. We called Summit & Slate instead because they are local and GAF Master Elite. Fair quote, no pressure, and they matched the existing shingle color almost perfectly. Mark stands behind his work and you can actually reach him."
"Got three quotes for replacing our aging architectural shingle roof. Summit & Slate was not the cheapest but Mark walked the roof, photographed the soft spots, and gave a line-item estimate with no surprises. Crew was respectful, protected the landscaping, and ran a magnet over the whole yard for nails when they finished. The transferable workmanship warranty sealed it for us."
Why choose a family-owned, GAF Master Elite Contractor roofer?
Mark Sundeen started Summit & Slate Roofing in 2005 after a decade installing roofs across DuPage County, tired of watching homeowners get burned by storm-chasers and subcontracted crews. He grew up in Wheaton and still lives here, so when he warranties a roof for 25 years he expects to drive past it for the next 25. Summit & Slate runs its own crews, never subs out the work, and holds GAF Master Elite certification, a standing fewer than 2% of US roofing contractors earn. Mark's standard is simple: tear off to the deck, fix what the last guy hid, flash it right, and leave a roof that survives a Chicago winter and an August derecho. He still climbs roofs on the hard ones.