How Floridian Roofing & Solar Restored a Historic St. Augustine Hotel’s Roof Without Closing a Single Room

Gregg Braswell performed a detailed physical inspection of the existing roof before recommending any course of action. That inspection confirmed the building carried only one existing roof membrane layer. Under Florida Building Code, a second system can legally be installed over a single existing layer without requiring a full tear-off. That single detail changed the entire project. It meant Floridian Roofing & Solar could engineer a full restoration in place, rather than demolishing what was already there.

Working directly with GAF Technical Representatives, the team specified the GAF HydroStop® System, a liquid-applied, fabric-reinforced acrylic waterproofing membrane built for exactly this kind of commercial application. Because the system is fluid-applied rather than mechanically fastened or torched down, Floridian Roofing & Solar installed it with no hot asphalt odor, no open-flame equipment, and no disruptive tear-off phase. The embedded polyester reinforcing fabric gives the finished membrane the tensile strength and puncture resistance of a thick built-up roof system, combined with the flexibility and self-flashing behavior of a fluid coating.

The roof’s mechanical areas needed a different answer. Casa Monica’s HVAC units sit in confined zones where standing water can collect even on a roof with otherwise good slope and drainage. For those specific areas, Floridian Roofing & Solar specified an additional layer of GAF High Solids Silicone Coating, applied around each HVAC penetration and curb to create a dedicated barrier against ponding water. This targeted approach let the team match the coating to the actual risk in each zone instead of applying a single blanket solution across a roof with very different demands in different areas.