O'Brien Group Roof Consulting was founded in 2018 by Conor O'Brien after nearly two decades in the roofing industry. With a career that has spanned all aspects of the roofing industry from the contracting side, to technical presentations to design teams, to owner consultation and material sales, O'Brien Group has the expertise and knowledge to properly diagnose roofing problems and propose effective solutions. The primary service provided when the business began was roof moisture surveys and roof inspection reports. To these were added VCO (Visual Construction Observer) services in compliance with FM 1-52, Roof Observer services, Clerk of the Works and recently aerial drone inspections. Our roof inspection reports are relied upon by some of the area's larger real estate holding companies and are a key component in making capital investment decisions. In 2024, Finian O'Brien came on board full-time and Benjamin O'Brien works for the company in between college semesters. Both have been working part time with O'Brien Group since the company began.
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Roof Consulting Services
Condition Assessments
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Roof condition assessments should be at a minimum annually performed if not twice per year. Our condition assessments provide owners/decision makers with all the critical information regarding their roofing system(s). Drainage systems, thermal value, slope, flashings are all noted and conditions evaluated. This information is summarized in a photo-documented written report with a roof plan denoting areas requiring maintenance. If a facility has multiple roof sections these are described individually with maintenance or replacement recommendations included. More often than not we recommend a roof moisture survey as part of the condition assessment.
Construction Observation
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Roof Observer requirements continue to increase in project specifications. Historically the federal government was the primary owner who had roof observer stipulations in their specifications, but with the enforcement of Factory Mutual's 1-52 standard, these requirements are appearing on roof projects associated with private owners.
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Daily roof reports are generated showing the installation of the roofing system day by day with photo documentation. Conformance or non-conformance with the Contract Documents is noted in the report as well as progress.
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Recent Observer projects performed by O'Brien Group include projects for the U.S. Air Force, Harvard University, Breakthrough Properties, GE and the USPS
Design Assist & Review
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O'Brien Group provides design assistance to architects on roofing projects. Sometimes this takes the form of recommending certain methodologies to remedy defects noted one of our assessment reports that is in a designer's hands, and sometimes we are asked to weigh in on submittals of products or methods. Given our longevity in the New England market, we're often asked for contractor recommendations as well.
Scope & Bidding
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We can provide project scope and plan development, perform bid solicitation and evaluation, site visits during the work and post-construction/closeout inspections. In these scenarios we generally provide the list of contractors to bid too as well.
Roof Moisture Surveys
Infrared Moisture Survey
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Infrared roof moisture surveys are easily the most common type of roof moisture survey in the market for detecting the presence of wet insulation under the surface of the roofing membrane. The method relies on the higher thermal capacitance of water as compared to building materials and the consequent variance in emissivity which is made visible with the use of a thermographic camera. Infrared moisture surveys are typically done post sundown and generally involve marking out identified areas of wet insulation on the roof. Secondary verification via core cuts or a nuclear or impedance gauge is required to confirm the visual results. The thermographic images alongside visible light images are included in a written report that quantifies the wet areas identified. The report also includes a roof plan indicating where the wet areas were found. This information can be used for scope development for replacement or for troubleshooting. Some roofing manufacturers recommend at a minimum biannual moisture scans so that problems can be detected early before requiring complete roof replacement. This is more critical on roofs with non-perforated air vapor barriers (SBS based) and on systems with structural concrete decks where interior leaking associated with roofing defects does not always materialize.
Nuclear Moisture Survey
Nuclear backscatter surveys are very effective at detecting the presence of wet insulation on roofing systems that cannot be accurately surveyed utilizing infrared technology. These include: ballasted EPDM, gravel-surfaced BUR with a thick gravel bed and some new white thermoplastics. A nuclear roof moisture gauge is also an excellent verification tool.
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The method of detection relies upon the thermalization of fast neutrons by the hydrogen atoms in water. Simply put, the gauge sends a low radioactive pulse into the roof assembly and correlates the presence of hydrogen atoms to a number reading on the gauge. Since conditions and material makeups of roof assemblies vary, and consequently the presence of hydrogen does as well, readings must be taken over the entire roof to establish a baseline. This is typically achieved by dividing the roof into a grid, either 5'x5' or 10'x10' and taking readings at the cross-sections. After the readings are taken, a core verification and moisture reading is taken at a suspected wet area. If that location is 20% or more wet, all readings above that reading are assumed to be so. The results are included in a written report with an estimation of square footage of wet insulation.
Impedance Moisture Survey
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An impedance moisture survey relies upon the conductivity of water to detect the presence of wet insulation. We typically utilize impedance technology for verification on white thermoplastic roofs or gravel-surfaced BUR if the gravel bed is thin enough for thermography to be effective. Impedance meters utilize a relative scale and if a roof moisture survey is conducted entirely utilizing an impedance gauge, core verification and field calibration adjustment are required to verify results.
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Due to the sensitivity of these instruments they can be used effectively to detect low-level moisture caused by hygrothermal defects in the roofing assembly that may be missed by an infrared moisture survey.
On-Site: Clerk of the Works Services
The Clerk of the Work on commercial projects plays a critical role in successful project outcomes by being well-versed in the project scope, ensuring project performance meets the contract documents, daily documenting progress, verifying and documenting the need for COR's, and being a lead on-site contact for the owner.
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Several of the projects where O'Brien Group performed this role are shown to the right.
MSBA ACCELERATED REPAIR WOLLASTON ELEMENTARY QUINCY, MA
O'Brien Group provided On-Site Project Representative Services under the City of Quincy's OPM for this 2024 Re-Roofing and renovation project.
MSBA ACCELERATED REPAIR ROOF REPLACEMENT AND ASSOCIATED REPAIRS AT THE HUBBARDSTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
O'Brien Group provided On-Site Project Representative Services under the Town of Hubbardston's OPM for this 2021 Re-Roofing and renovation project.
MSBA ACCELERATED REPAIR MONTCLAIR ELEMENTARY QUINCY, MA
O'Brien Group provided On-Site Project Representative Services under the City of Quincy's OPM for this 2024 Re-Roofing and renovation project.
Post Construction Inspections
Post construction inspections by an independent third party qualified to evaluate roofing installations can add tremendous value to building owners. When performing post construction inspections we verify conformance or non-conformance to the contract documents and industry standards. Most commercial installations will include a manufacturer's technical inspection to put the warranty enforce. Warrantability does not necessarily correlate to quality. For example, ponding water that does not evacuate within 72 hours on a thermoplastic membrane would not void the warranty but can lead to premature membrane degradation, slip hazards when frozen, and could be construed as not meeting the building code. To the right are two examples of installation defects noted in post construction inspections that occurred after the manufacturer's warranty inspection.
The top left photo was taken during a roof evaluation to show ponding on a lower roof. The right photo was post-construction and had been inspected by the manufacturer. Below left is a 3" cold weld on a new roof that had received a manufacturer's inspection prior to our visit.
Aerial Drone Inspections
Aerial drone inspections have gained increasing usage and value in the construction industry whether it's for building assessment purposes or progress monitoring.
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O'Brien Group recently added this service to our offering in order to thermographically assess roofs in certain conditions that do not lend themselves to effective walking surveys, and to be able to perform other aerial inspections.
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​Project related content to be added as we deploy this new technology.
