K-12 School Roofing in Fort Collins, CO

School Roofs for Poudre and Thompson School District Buildings

Poudre School District and Thompson School District together run dozens of buildings across Fort Collins, Loveland, and the surrounding towns, and nearly every one of those roofs has to be worked on during a window when the building is empty. That constraint shapes how we plan every school project from the first site visit.

Summer Break Reroof Windows

The stretch between the last day of school in late spring and the first day back in August is short once you account for graduation events, summer school sessions, and building maintenance already scheduled by district staff. We start planning a summer reroof months ahead so materials are ordered and crews are lined up before the window even opens.

Missing that window is not really an option on an occupied school. A project that runs long into August means construction activity around students and staff on day one, which no district wants and no responsible contractor should be comfortable proposing.

Gymnasium and Cafeteria Long-Span Roofs

Gymnasiums and cafeterias sit under some of the largest clear-span roof sections in a school building, and those large open fields see more wind uplift stress and, on the Front Range, more hail exposure per square foot than smaller sectioned roofs over classroom wings. Cafeteria roofs also carry kitchen exhaust hoods that need flashing detail matched to the grease and heat exposure coming off them.

We inspect these large-span sections separately from classroom wing roofs during any district-wide assessment, since they age differently and often need attention on a different cycle than the rest of the building.

Portable Classrooms and Additions Tied Into Older Roofs

Growth across both districts has meant portable classrooms and building additions bolted onto original school structures, sometimes decades apart in construction. Those transition points, where a newer addition roof meets an original 1970s or 1980s roof deck, are common leak sources because the two systems were never designed to work together.

We flag those tie-in areas early in any assessment, since a facilities team planning a capital project needs to know whether a transition detail is a minor flashing fix or a sign that the whole addition roof needs to come off with the next phase of work.

Hail Damage Documentation for District Roof Committees

Front Range hailstorms hit school roofs the same as any other flat commercial roof, and district facilities committees need clear documentation to bring hail damage claims and bond-funded reroof requests through their approval process. We photograph and log impact patterns building by building after a storm, giving facilities staff something concrete to present rather than a general damage estimate.

Bond and mill levy funding cycles run on district timelines that do not move for a contractor's schedule, so we get scope and cost information into facilities staff's hands early enough to make the next funding cycle rather than missing it and waiting another year.

A district managing dozens of buildings often needs to rank roofs by urgency rather than replace everything at once, and our damage documentation gives facilities staff a way to compare condition across buildings on the same terms instead of relying on separate reports written at different times by different inspectors.

• Elementary schools with low-slope EPDM or TPO roof systems
• Middle and high schools with large gymnasium and auditorium roof spans
• District administration and support service buildings
• Athletic facility and field house roofs
• Bus barn and maintenance facility roofs
• Portable classroom and addition transition roofs

Keeping Crews and Kids Separate During the School Year

Not every school roof problem can wait for summer. Storm damage and active leaks sometimes need attention while a building is fully occupied, and that means fencing, signage, and controlled access so students and staff never share space with roofing work in progress.

We coordinate directly with building principals and district facilities staff on timing and access for any in-session work, keeping equipment staging away from drop-off zones, playgrounds, and walkways students use daily.

Background checks and site check-in procedures are standard practice at both districts, and we make sure crews follow whatever visitor and contractor policy a specific school has in place rather than treating every campus the same way a commercial site would be treated.

What Poudre and Thompson School District Facilities Staff Ask

Can a full reroof realistically happen in one summer?

Usually, if planning starts early enough that materials and crews are secured before the window opens. We build the schedule backward from the first day of school to make sure that holds.

How do you document hail damage for a bond or insurance claim?

We photograph and log impact patterns building by building right after a storm, giving facilities committees documentation they can bring directly into their funding and claims process.

Do portable classroom additions cause roof problems?

The tie-in point between an addition roof and the original building roof is a common source of leaks, since the two sections were rarely designed as one continuous system.

Can work happen safely while school is in session?

Yes, for urgent repairs. We fence and control access around active work and coordinate timing with the principal and facilities staff to keep students clear of the work area.

Do gymnasium roofs need different attention than classroom roofs?

They do. Long clear-span sections over gyms and cafeterias take more wind and hail stress per square foot, so we assess them separately from smaller classroom wing roofs.