You Aren’t Clearing Your Drains!
If ever there was an ounce of prevention that equaled an elephant of cure, it is this: keep your drains clear, and keep your roofs free of objects that can block your drains. It is so easy to do, and the sheer amount of unnecessary costs (small and BIG) that we see caused by blocked drains would shock you. We see a high number of leaks resulting from blocked drains. That’s the best you can hope for. The worst? Roof collapse.
You Don’t Have a Roof Management Plan in Place
How can you navigate if you do not know where you are going? Lay out a management plan that is based in reality, sets clear goals, and assigns budgets to the plan. This is a one-time effort that will save your future self both time and money. As your roof ages and you perform quality maintenance, you can update and adjust your roof plan with a few keystrokes. Without a roof plan, you are much more likely to spend money on low-ROI fixes, use products that you will eventually have to remediate or replace, and find yourself in panic mode spending money on emergency repairs while you scratch together funds for a whole-roof fix. With a roof plan, you position yourself to execute predictive maintenance and life extension.
Roof service life extended beyond the depreciation period is money added to your bottom line. That profitability, and the ability to manage a set-aside fund in turn positions you to invest in a re-roof that is an asset (add value to the property, increases tenant happiness, and more) rather than spend on short term fixes.
You Don’t Maintain your Warranty Obligations
If your roof is warranted, there are owner obligations listed on your warranty - review those, and make sure your maintenance program includes those requirements.
Generally, you want to:
Maintain your sealants
Inspect regularly and document those inspections
Keep records of all activity on the roof
Use contractors and products approved for use with the manufacturer’s warranty
You Don’t Engage Professionals to Design Your (Re)Roofs
Your design sets the groundwork for lifetime value (and cost). A properly designed roof not only addresses the critical risks (environmental exposures, current and potential use, building condition), but also can position you to have warranties which actually provide value. Designs can further optimize for maintenance costs, energy upgrades, safety risks, and solar.Â
You Don’t Get Second Opinions, and Tear Off Roofs Unnecessarily
Why spend the dollars of tearing off an existing quality roof when fluid applied restoration systems and single ply overlays can often be installed successfully over the existing roof? Liquid Roofing, Single Ply Roofing, or Multiply Roofing Systems can be used as a Green Sustainable Roof to extend roof life. Choose an Architect or Roof Consultant to determine the best solution for your building’s needs.
You Aren’t Including Energy Saving Upgrades Into Your Designs
Cool roofs, insulation, daylighting, and solar installations can be leveraged to your significant advantage. Flatly put, in most cases, your roofs can breakeven or generate revenue. According to Energy Star™, a cool roof (simply a reflective roof, whether a coating or single ply) can reduce a building’s HVAC load by as much as 40%. A lighter load extends serviceable life for your mechanical assets, thereby either reducing energy bills for your tenants (NNN) which allows you to raise rents, or reducing your costs (FSG). Additional insulation can often be added at minimal increased cost during single-ply overlays.
There are many options when it comes to solar design and financing, and, if you are in a high-rate market, solar deals can be crafted to add value to your bottom line. Whether you just want to get a roof paid for and not worry about the solar, or if your goal is a value-add buy and sell approach, there is a way to make the roof work for you.Â
You Don’t Create Healthy Competition Among Manufacturers and Contractors
Many property managers and building owners we know struggle to find good contractors. So, when they do find a good roofer, they often end up giving this roofer all of their work. Others, thinking they are creating good competition, do not develop any vendor relationships and use one roofer’s specification and proposal as a basis to bid out other roofers - creating price only competition and mistrust. There is a middle ground, and to reach it, you must create your specifications independently (whether yourself or a 3rd party), and then take these to bid to a qualified pool of contractors who are vetted for installing the system in question. Treat your contractors well while holding a high standard. Understand that your vendors need profit, and you want them to have profit in order to sustainably serve your goals, but balance this understanding with a solid knowledge of how to bid your work. If you don’t have this in-house, build a relationship with an independent, client-focused, dedicated roof consultant.
Contact us today at 916-672-0242 or service@clarityroof.com to discuss ways to extend your building’s performance and life. We are here to serve.