A properly installed and maintained flat roof can be one of a building's biggest assets while a leaking or failing roof can quickly become a building's biggest expense and drain on your maintenance budget.
Here are 5 tips to more effectively manage multiple flat roofs
1. Gather info and make it available to your staff
Make the effort to gather important information about each flat roof on your campus. Attempt to learn the kind of roof system, approximate sq. ft. of the roof, approximate age, approximate year roof replacement is scheduled, who installed the roof, location of the roof hatch and/or safest way to access the roof, approximate tie off locations, location of keys and/or lock combinations, closest electrical outlet, current trouble areas, and what member of your maintenance staff is responsible for inspecting the roof and reporting problems. Condense essential roof information to an easy and simple to understand one page form and make this form easy to access via shared filing cabinet or electronic filing with programs such as Dropbox or Google Docs. ON the back of this form or on a separate one, give general guidelines for how to inspect the roof type and general maintenance guidelines.
Providing this info to your staff will:
- Reduce time wasting uncertainty around roof maintenance, routine inspections and who is accountable for the roof
- Increase level of productivity and safety for your team or for hired roofing contractors
- Allow you to better plan and budget for expensive flat roof replacement projects
- Allow you more accurate estimate expected for future roof replacement costs
2. Stock emergency roof repair materials
Stocking a small amount of compatible roofing material and sealant for each type of flat roof your campus has in order to perform emergency flat roof repairs in house will not only make the job easier and less stressful for your maintenance crew, but it will eliminate the headache and cost of hiring a roofing contractor for emergency repairs. Putting yourself in the position where you need a roofing company to execute same day or next day repairs may mean that you will have little choice about how repairs perform. Beggars can't be choosers but planners are rarely beggars.
3. Roof maintenance doesn't just happen-it's scheduled
Assuming that someone on your staff will take the time to climb up in the roof and perform an inspection then return to the shop and gather necessary repair material only to return to the building and then repair the roof all on their own is probably wishful thinking. However, for members of your staff to perform scheduled and routine flat roof inspections at your request because you have allotted time and energy towards such activities is another story. Your staff, in most cases, is happy to perform the activities you ask them to do and inspecting the roof is no exception.
4. Who's building is that?
Appointing staff to be responsible for particular buildings instead of "buildings in general" will increase accountability and the quality of the inspection/maintenance of your campus. When staff understand that properly caring for the building that has been assigned to them is part of their job description and that failing to maintain their building correctly will negatively effect their performance reviews, they will more aggressively protect the facility.
5. Build a relationship with a local roofing contractor
Unless one of your staff members had worked on flat roofing crews before, he or she became employed at your company, you will encounter problems that will go beyond your maintenance staff's ability and you will need outside help. Having a relationship with a trusted roofing contractor can benefit you in many ways. It can mean lower repair and replacement cost, better all around service and more timely service. Having a "go to" roofing company when the need arises is a great benefit.