Commercial and Industrial Roofing in Cape Town

Roof Direct handles roofing, waterproofing and asbestos roof projects for factories, warehouses, offices and retail buildings across Cape Town and the Helderberg. We draft health and safety files for larger projects, our teams are working-at-heights compliant, and we plan the work around your operations.

Commercial roofing contractors for Cape Town businesses

Roof Direct is a commercial roofing contractor in Cape Town, and most of our work is on commercial and industrial buildings. We replace and repair roofs, waterproof flat roofs and box gutters, and manage asbestos roof projects for factories, warehouses, offices, retail buildings and schools across Cape Town, the Helderberg and the West Coast.

We’re owner-led: Andre Smit or our foreman, Randall Swarts, oversees every job, so the person who inspected your roof answers for the result.

Planning around your operations

We agree the plan with you before anyone goes up on the roof: which sections are done when, working hours, access routes, where materials are stored and which areas of the floor stay clear. Noisy stages or work over sensitive areas can go in quieter periods. If your operations change, we adjust the sequence.

Safety files and working at heights

On larger projects we draft a health and safety file before work starts, so your safety officer or principal contractor can see how the site will be run. Our teams are working-at-heights compliant, and where scaffolding isn’t practical, on tall facades or high gutters, we use rope access. For the detail behind each credential, and which company holds it, see safety and compliance.

Itemised quotes for procurement

Our quotes are itemised, with each part of the work priced separately. They are easy to compare, approve in stages or fit into a procurement process.

The buildings we work on

Each type of building brings its own roof problems:

Factories and industrial units, usually with IBR, corrugated or Klip-Lok sheeting, long box gutters and skylights. Industrial roofs in the Northern Suburbs and the Cape Flats see heavy winter rain and strong summer sun.
Warehouses and distribution centres, where a single leak over stock or racking can cost far more than the repair.
Offices and retail buildings, often with flat concrete roofs, parapet walls and plant mounted on the roof.
Schools, where work has to be planned around learners and the school calendar.

Near the coast, salt air speeds up corrosion on sheeting, fixings and flashings, so we specify coastal-appropriate materials.

Industrial roof replacement, done in sections

On an industrial roof replacement, the roof comes off and goes back on in sections, so the building stays dry and only part of it is open at any time. We use roof sheeting from Youngman Roofing and Safintra, Pryde trusses where the structure needs work and Brink gutters.

If your roof is ageing, leaking in different places each winter or rusting through, see roof replacement or the full range of roofing services.

Warehouse roof waterproofing

Warehouse roof waterproofing usually means box gutters, flat roof sections, parapets and the joints between them. Box gutters are the most common source of leaks on large roofs, because they carry a great deal of water and sit inside the building line.

We remove failed layers, repair cracks and joints, clean and dry the surface, and apply the right system for each area. On flat roofs and box gutters that is often a torch-on membrane, with Soudal sealants at joints and details. See all our waterproofing services.

Maintenance and emergency call-outs

Regular inspections catch blocked gutters, loose flashings and failing joints before they turn into leaks over stock or equipment. Where a building needs it, we recommend a roof maintenance plan, worked out case by case. If water is already coming in, we offer emergency call-outs for active leaks, then plan the permanent repair.

Asbestos roofs on commercial buildings

Many older factories, warehouses and schools still have asbestos cement roofs. Asbestos removal and encapsulation is carried out by our sister company, Indi Maintenance Services, a Registered Asbestos Contractor (Type 2), certificate 2025RAC/CI-180, valid until 26 August 2028. Indi quotes the asbestos work, and Roof Direct quotes and installs your new roof, so you have one point of contact throughout.

Staff at both Roof Direct and Indi have asbestos safety training, and the plan of work and asbestos documents carry Indi’s name. See asbestos roof replacement or our asbestos services. If you’re planning solar on a commercial roof, read solar on asbestos roofs first, because panels can’t be fixed to asbestos sheeting.

Documents and guarantees

At the end we check the work with you on site and hand over the guarantee terms set out in your quote and, on larger projects, the health and safety file. On asbestos projects you also receive the plan of work, the disposal certificate and the clearance certificate. Our workmanship is guaranteed for two years on most work, including new roofs, and 1 to 4 years on waterproofing, depending on the job, plus the manufacturer’s guarantee on materials.

Request a commercial quote

Request a commercial quote, call us or send photos on WhatsApp, and Beverley in our office will usually reply within minutes.

Frequently asked questions

Do you provide a health and safety file for commercial roofing work?

Yes. We draft a health and safety file for larger projects, setting out the risks on your site, how work at height will be managed, and who is responsible for what. Your safety officer or principal contractor can review it before we start, and it stays on site while we work. On asbestos projects, the plan of work carries our sister company Indi's name.

Can our factory keep running while you work on the roof?

Usually, yes. We plan the job in sections, so only part of the roof is open at a time, and we agree working hours, access routes and no-go zones with you before we start. Where a stage is noisy or needs part of the floor cleared, we schedule it for a quieter period, such as a planned shutdown, where that suits you. The safety file sets out how the work areas are kept apart from your staff.

Do you work on large warehouse roofs?

Yes. Large commercial and industrial roofs make up most of our work, including warehouses, distribution centres and factories with long runs of metal sheeting, box gutters and skylights. Big roofs are replaced or waterproofed in sections, with the open area protected each day, and Andre Smit or our foreman, Randall Swarts, oversees the job from start to finish.

Can you quote for a tender or procurement process?

Yes. We provide itemised quotes that set out each part of the work separately, such as sheeting, gutters, waterproofing and any asbestos removal, so they can be compared line by line and fit into a procurement process. If your tender has its own schedule of quantities or format, send it to us with the inspection request and we will tell you how we can work with it.

What documents do we get at the end of a commercial project?

You get the guarantee terms for the work, as set out in your quote, along with the health and safety file on larger projects. Where asbestos was removed, you also receive the plan of work, the disposal certificate from the registered disposal site and the clearance certificate from the approved inspection authority, all carrying Indi's name. File them with your building records.

Do you use rope access on commercial buildings?

Yes, where scaffolding isn't practical. Rope access suits tall facades, parapets, high box gutters and spots above loading bays or busy entrances, where scaffolding would block the site or take too long to put up. We decide on the safest access method at the inspection and set it out in the quote and, on larger projects, in the safety file.