Having a maintenance program is essential for your roof. Many roofing warranties require one, so without it, you could forfeit your warranty. Sometimes, you can even get a warranty extension if your company has a good enough maintenance program. You have different options for a roof maintenance program, so choose one based on the needs and resources of your business.
Have Your Staff Check the Roof
If you’re a facility manager with a maintenance staff, you could have a roofing consultant teach your staff the problems to check for on a commercial building’s roof. The staff can then check it on a regular basis, and your company can bring in a contractor when your staff finds a problem. This type of maintenance program can save your company money on contractor inspections, and is often a smart choice for new roofs. However, it might not be enough to satisfy your warranty’s maintenance requirement.
Bring in Outside Help
If you’re a business owner without a maintenance staff or you’re a facility manager who wants to ensure you follow warranty requirements, you can create a maintenance program based on outside help. Roofing contractors provide annual maintenance programs where they inspect the roof twice a year and provide any necessary repairs. Generally, your company pays a fixed-fee amount each year for the service, with the costs rising along with the roof’s age. With the fixed fee, this type of plan is easier to fit into your budget than the unexpected costs of fixing or replacing a damaged roof. However, you will pay for the program each year, even though your roof might not need the work performed every year. Nonetheless, these maintenance programs can catch problems early and will generally keep your warranty in effect, as long as you keep documentation of the inspections and work performed.
Instead, you could contract a roofing consultant or a reputable roofing company to inspect the roof two times per year. During that time, ask the professional to provide documentation of any problems that need to be fixed, with estimates. You can use that list to prioritize the jobs. This type of program will generally satisfy a warranty’s requirements, as long as you keep documentation.
Making the Case for the Cost of a Roof Maintenance Program
No matter what kind of company you have or your role in it, your best bet is to hire a contractor to provide maintenance, whether you sign up for a maintenance program or hire them for inspections twice a year. If your company has trouble with the idea of budgeting for maintenance, keep in mind that this service can solve problems before they get worse, and lengthen the time before you need a new roof, so you can actually save money in the end. Maintenance can turn a roof with an expected life of 10 years or more to one with a life of 20 years or more, explains Robert W. Lyons in the Roofing Solutions reference manual.
The best argument for hiring a professional for roof maintenance is that your company will generally pay much less of its budget on maintenance costs than on emergency repair costs. In addition to the cost of fixing or replacing the roof when there’s a problem – which includes higher emergency rates – you and higher management need to think about how a leaking roof could damage the interior of the building, creating the need for internal repairs and cutting into the company’s productivity. The leak could also damage equipment, merchandise and other goods. In addition, you can end up with an unsafe space for employees, customers and clients. The cost of maintenance is much cheaper than that.
