Your roof is your business’s first and only line of defense against the elements. As such, it’s important to recognize a roof’s vulnerabilities and to be able to identify any potential or existing issues well before and long after a professional commercial roofing inspection reveals that a problem exists.
Becoming familiar with your roof’s various materials and components can ultimately help protect your business, employees, customers, inventory, and/or equipment. Even if your commercial roof is relatively new, it will eventually have its own set of unique maintenance needs over time.
If you want to pass your next commercial roofing inspection with flying colors and reduce the likelihood that your roof will require expensive repairs, follow these tips.
What We’ll Cover:
- Become familiar with your roof and its construction
- Schedule regular inspections, particularly in areas of concern
- Schedule simple maintenance after seasonal changes and larger storms
- Work with a company that provides free commercial roofing estimates
- If a repair is needed, act quickly
- What your commercial roofing inspection will include
- Key takeaways
Tip #1: Become familiar with your roof and its construction
It’s difficult to know what to look for if you aren’t sure what you’re looking at. Roofing or other types of construction might not be your thing, but learning the basics of how your roof works, where its problem areas are, and what it needs over time can be tremendously helpful in both your search for a quality contractor and in keeping your business expenses in check.
There are a few ways to accomplish this. Except for metal roofs, the first way is to accompany your commercial roofer during an inspection (if it’s safe to do so) and ask questions. Not every contractor will be fond of this idea, but if you’re upfront and straightforward about your goals, creating a good working relationship with your roofer will be much easier. They can explain to you how your roof is constructed, point out areas to keep an eye on and instruct you on how best to address problem areas or how to extend the life of your roof. If you are unable to accompany your roofer, you can request photos and video of problem areas, which will do wonders when attempting to understand your roof and its needs. However, most roofing inspection repair estimates and reports provide this documentation without you needing to ask.
Tip #2: Schedule regular inspections, particularly in areas of concern
Once you have a general sense of how your roof works, what it needs, and how to maintain it, you can move forward with performing regular checks, particularly on potential problem areas. You can do this yourself or, ideally, call a roofing contractor to do this for you. The goal is to spot any notable concerns and have them addressed well before any expensive damage is done to your roof.
It’s recommended that a roof inspection be performed seasonally, but the absolute minimum is twice per year, especially before and after winter or after large storms. You are looking for obvious things like clogged gutters or downspouts, pooling water, build-up of debris such as twigs, leaves, and rocks, missing or damaged flashing, broken, curled, or missing shingles (if applicable), cracks, discoloration, or leaks in your ceiling, and other staining on your roof deck.
Tip #3: Schedule simple maintenance after seasonal changes and larger storms
Whether you choose to perform this simple maintenance yourself or hire a roofing company, it’s important to have debris build-up removed from your roof and have your gutters and downspouts cleaned out regularly. This ensures water can move away from your roof quickly and reduces the chances of standing water or slow water intrusion which can each cause extensive damage to the building over time.
If you request a roof inspection, a qualified roofing company will notify you of any important maintenance that needs to be performed and you can schedule a time with them to perform this work. It’s a good idea to get on the schedule early. If you know you will need your gutters cleaned out every fall, schedule this work far in advance so that you can be sure this simple but imperative maintenance doesn’t fall through the cracks.
IS YOUR ROOF FALLING APART? FIND OUT!
Tip #4: Work with a company like Altitude Roofing that provides free commercial roofing estimates
You might be overwhelmed with the idea of hiring a roofer to come out multiple times per year just to check on your roof, and you might be thinking that this idea sounds expensive!
The good news is that roofing companies like ours can provide free estimates to maintain and repair your roof, saving you money on the front end. This means that you can keep your roof in tip-top shape and be proactive in its maintenance.
Tip #5: If a repair is needed, act quickly
Time is of the essence when it comes to making roofing repairs. Generally speaking, the longer a roof remains in disrepair, the more extensive the damage and the more expensive it is to fix it.
Even though many of us don’t think about our roofs very often, once you have a major issue with one, it’s about all you can think about. It’s a thankless job to be a roof, yet their roles in our lives are quite important. You don’t want to put your roof on the back burner and wait until something major happens to it to make necessary repairs.
What Your Commercial Roofing Inspection Will Include
Your roofing contractor will check the following components for performance and any notable concerns requiring maintenance or repairs.
- Surface Membranes
- Sky Lights
- Roof Vents
- Flashing
- Patches or Previous Repairs
- Field Tears
- Gutters
- Drainage Pipes
Roofers will also check for any cracks or other water intrusion points in the roof. They will determine whether any skylights likely have leaks and check whether any flashing has come away from the roof.
Roofers will also check around non-roof-related infrastructure that might be contributing to roof-related issues, such as HVAC components. They may even do a core sample to determine how your roof is constructed and how those materials are performing. A proper roof inspection is an in-depth look at how your roof is fairing and what you can do to maintain it for the long haul.
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Key Takeaways
It’s in a business owner’s best interest to get regular roofing inspections from qualified roofing contractors. You can’t fix a problem if you don’t know it’s there, so reaching out to a company that specializes in commercial roofing for regular inspections and maintenance just might help you avoid the costs associated with a roof replacement. All it takes is a consistent and proactive approach to roof maintenance and repair.
The #1 Residential Roofing Repair in Central MA
Altitude Roofing is family-owned and operated, with decades of experience and a passion for delivering honest residential roofing services. That’s how we became one of Massachusetts’s most trusted residential roofing companies, a Google Verified Business with an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
We offer a 15-year limited roofing warranty (half the lifespan of a new roof) on all our jobs. Our workmanship warranty is twice as long as other major roofing companies in Worcester, MA. We proudly stand by our residential roofing work for a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
As part of this commitment, we have achieved certifications from some of the industry’s most well-known manufacturers: Carlisle, Atlas, CertaTeed, GAF, Firestone, and Genflex. You can count on our team of skilled professionals for exceptional service and quality craftsmanship. Contact us today for free roofing estimates!
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