Northern California
Commercial Roof Inspection and Maintenance in Santa Clara, CA
Santa Clara holds one of the largest clusters of data centers in the country, along with semiconductor campuses, Levi's Stadium and older retail along El Camino Real.
What kinds of commercial buildings are in Santa Clara?
Santa Clara's commercial roofs fall into 4 main groups: data centers, semiconductor and tech campuses, retail and office along El Camino Real and Stevens Creek, and buildings around Levi's Stadium and the convention center.
The city's own electric utility has helped draw dozens of data centers, many housed in converted research buildings with heavy cooling equipment on the roof. Data center roofs tolerate almost no leaks, which makes early moisture detection worth far more than on a typical warehouse.
- North Santa Clara near Tasman Drive: Levi's Stadium, the convention center and office towers
- Central Expressway and Bowers Avenue: semiconductor campuses and data centers
- Lafayette Street corridor: data centers and older research buildings
- El Camino Real: retail, restaurants and small office buildings near Santa Clara University
| Building type | Common roof system | Typical age | What Santa Clara does to it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data centers | TPO or PVC with heavy cooling equipment | 5 to 30 years old | Penetrations at chiller and condenser supports |
| Semiconductor and tech campuses | TPO or modified bitumen | 15 to 35 years old | Exhaust and process piping on the roof |
| El Camino retail | Built-up roof or TPO | 20 to 45 years old | Ponding near drains and parapets |
What does the Santa Clara climate do to a flat roof?
Santa Clara gives a flat roof about 15 inches of rain a year, warm summers and long dry spells.
Data center roofs also carry constant vibration and heat from condensers and chillers, which works at curb flashings and pipe supports year round. The first heavy storm of the season often finds openings that formed during months of dry weather.
How often should commercial roofs in Santa Clara be inspected?
A Santa Clara data center roof should be inspected 4 times a year, because a single leak over server space can cost far more than a full year of maintenance.
Retail and office roofs in the city usually need 2 visits a year. Our commercial roof inspection page explains what each visit covers.
What does a maintenance program cost in Santa Clara?
A maintenance program for a 120,000 square foot data center in Santa Clara costs $48,000 to $54,000 a year on our Manage program, priced at $0.40 to $0.45 per square foot with a $4,500 minimum.
Manage suits Santa Clara data centers because quarterly visits, a yearly Moisture Map and capital planning match the near-zero tolerance for leaks. Compare all 3 tiers for Santa Clara on the maintenance programs and pricing page.
Santa Clara figures use our published rates: Monitor $0.12 to $0.15 per square foot a year with a $1,500 annual minimum, Protect $0.22 to $0.25 per square foot a year with a $2,500 annual minimum, Manage $0.40 to $0.45 per square foot a year with a $4,500 annual minimum.
How soon can you scan a roof in Santa Clara?
We can scan a roof in Santa Clara as soon as roof access is confirmed after your request, and a 120,000 square foot data center takes about 2.5 hours at roughly 50,000 square feet an hour, with the PE-stamped report delivered within 48 hours.
Santa Clara data centers have strict access control, so we arrange escorts, badges and roof access times with the facility team before we arrive. Send the Santa Clara address through our roof scan request form, or see coverage across Northern California.
FAQs
Why do Santa Clara data centers need quarterly roof checks?
Santa Clara data centers need quarterly roof checks because rooftop cooling equipment creates constant wear at curbs and supports, and any leak over server space is very costly.
Can you scan a Santa Clara data center roof while servers run?
Our scan works from the roof surface and needs no power shutdown, so a Santa Clara data center keeps running normally during the scan.
Which parts of Santa Clara do you cover?
We cover every flat and low-slope commercial roof in Santa Clara, including North Santa Clara near Tasman Drive, Central Expressway and Bowers Avenue, Lafayette Street corridor and El Camino Real.
How long does a roof scan take on a data center in Santa Clara?
A roof scan on a 120,000 square foot data center in Santa Clara takes about 2.5 hours, because our robotic scan covers roughly 50,000 square feet an hour, and the PE-stamped report follows within 48 hours.
What is the most common commercial roof system in Santa Clara?
TPO or PVC with heavy cooling equipment is the most common roof on Santa Clara's data centers stock, and those roofs are typically 5 to 30 years old.
Who issues reroof permits in Santa Clara?
Reroof permits in Santa Clara are issued by the City of Santa Clara building department. Santa Clara reroof permits come from the City of Santa Clara building division, and work over live data halls is usually phased to keep the building dry at all times.
Which program fits most Santa Clara roofs?
Manage suits Santa Clara data centers because quarterly visits, a yearly Moisture Map and capital planning match the near-zero tolerance for leaks.
What does a Manage program cost for a data center in Santa Clara?
A 120,000 square foot data center in Santa Clara costs $48,000 to $54,000 a year on Manage, at $0.40 to $0.45 per square foot a year with a $4,500 annual minimum.
Do you need to go inside the building to scan a roof in Santa Clara?
No. The scan runs on the roof surface in Santa Clara, so offices, plants and tenants below carry on as normal.
How soon after the scan is the Santa Clara report delivered?
Santa Clara owners receive the PE-stamped report within 48 hours of the scan, with the Moisture Map, Deficiency Map, Roof Condition Score and Estimated Remaining Service Life.
Which roof systems do you scan in Santa Clara?
In Santa Clara we scan TPO, PVC, EPDM, modified bitumen, built-up and spray foam roofs on flat and low-slope commercial buildings.
How do I book a roof scan in Santa Clara?
Send the Santa Clara address through the roof scan request form or call (310) 647-7192.
Schedule a non-destructive roof scan in Santa Clara.
Trusted since 1983 on over 20,000 commercial roofs. California License 435836.