Each property—residential or commercial—is an asset that needs to be maintained. When it comes to commercial buildings, roof maintenance is all the more important for longer life.
However, facility managers often face budget cuts which can influence their decisions with regards to operation and maintenance costs of the building. In this scenario, focus should be on preventing damage.
Deferring routine maintenance, skipping inspections and putting replacement work on hold can seriously risk the roofing system. This can further increase the long-term cost.
A possible solution is to promote a maintenance program to facilitate inspections, tailored for the roofing system installed. There are three major factors to focus on.
1. Proper design and installation
A cost-effective roofing system gives you best value for your money. However, a low cost one gives you a bad start to your roofing project. It can result in early roof failure.
Both roofing materials and experience of the roofer is necessary for properly designing the roof. Compromise on either of these two factors can put the project at risk of failing.
Roofing system should be carefully selected to meet the needs of the building. Weather conditions—expected foot traffic, state and federal regulations (if applicable)—must be considered.
Roofing contractors must be well aware of commercial roofing needs and have experience with the particular system you intend to have installed.
2. Routine inspections
Inspections can help detect damage in early stages, potentially saving you from spending thousands of bucks on replacements.
In most cases, a visual inspection is enough.
Facility managers should schedule inspections on a routine basis. Roof warranties require that proper inspections take place, otherwise they become void.
While a proper inspection should be carried out twice a year, it is wise to schedule them around weather conditions. Heavy rainfall and storm necessitate an inspection afterwards.
Twice a year visual inspection is only the minimum requirement. You can schedule it on a quarterly basis or more often. Apart from visual inspections, conduct a roof moisture survey with the help of an outside contractor.
3. Timely repairs
Inspections are only useful if paired with timely repairs. Surveys and inspection records should be properly maintained to note any developing defects.
If a survey reveals a defect, managers should act immediately to address repairs. Calling in-house expertise should be the first step. However, for anything beyond common repairs, you’ll have to take outside help.
Emergency services may or may not be available. You can instead sign a contract for roof maintenance and repairs to ensure proper action.
Committing to a roof maintenance program focusing on these three factors is particularly advantageous. This can add as much as 10 years to the roof life. For better commercial roof installation services and repairs, call our roofing experts at (972) 284-1655.
