Do you spend money on your business’s commercial roof? Whether you put a check in the mail or not, you are spending money on your roof through unseen and often unnoticed expenses. Items like lower energy efficiency, shorter life span, and poor indoor air quality all take a toll on your bottom line. Why get a roof inspection? We can think of at least three great reasons.
1. Peace
You can enjoy true peace of mind knowing your roof has been thoroughly inspected by a highly-skilled, local commercial roofer. You may not know TPO from PVC, but your roofer does. Your roofer can identify small issues with your roof and prevent them from becoming large (and expensive) problems.
Especially before challenging weather seasons like frigid winter and broiling summer, a roof inspection can more than pay for itself. You can start the ice and snow season knowing your roof is in excellent condition. You can deal with high summer temperatures and humidity, knowing your roof will hold up under the sun’s unforgiving rays.
2. Prevention
Your reliable, local commercial roofer can get to know your roof through annual and semi-annual inspections. Each time, the trained, experienced eyes of your roofer can spot areas of concern and make fast, thorough repairs.
Each minor repair performed on your roof during these inspections can prevent:
- Water infiltration
- Clogged scuppers and internal drains
- Increased interior humidity
- Ruined inventory
- Damaged machinery and equipment
- The need for complete roof replacement
- Poor respiratory health among employees and customer
You or your facilities crew are not ideally equipped or trained to diagnose commercial roof problems. Leave that work to your nearby roofer. First, any roof can be unsafe, so keep off the roof if at all possible. Second, only your commercial roofer has the safety equipment, proper inspection tools, and vast knowledge to spot trouble.
A common issue with in-house repair work is mismatching the roof material — EPDM, for example — with a repair material such as TPO. This can lead to greater damage, voided roof warranties, and a failed roof.
To truly prevent small problems from escalating into costly errors, leave the inspection and repair work to your helpful commercial roofer.
3. Protection
A thoroughly inspected commercial roof will perform at its absolute best, providing your business with blanket protection against wind, weather, chemicals, and other hazards.
Neglecting your roof is never a wise strategy, since every year your roof is ignored shortens its potential life span. Your roof protects the entirety of your business, so the minimal cost of annual or semiannual inspections is a tiny investment with a huge return.
For the cost and time of a commercial roof inspection, you can keep your roof performing well for years, often far longer than its anticipated life span. Every year you can defer complete tear-off and replacement is money saved!
What a Roof Inspection Looks Like
By partnering with a highly professional, local commercial roofer, you can see your roof through fresh eyes. Your roofer will look over every inch of your roof, from inside the building envelope (including the roof deck if accessible) to the perimeter of your property. Some areas you can anticipate your roofer to examine as part of a roof inspection:
- All seams
- Metal and rubberized flashing
- Metal fasteners
- HVAC curbs and flashing
- Parapet scuppers
- Gutters
- Downspouts
- Internal drains
Your roofer assesses each item and determines its state of repair. Is it good for now? Something to watch over? Or something that requires immediate attention from a trained roofer?
Usually, your roofer will provide you with a complete report (including thermography and photographs) about your roof. Included will be suggestions for necessary repairs and a strategy for increasing the life span of your existing roof.
Getting a Roof Inspection
The sooner you contact your local commercial roofer, the faster you can have a complete roof inspection performed. Like any business, roofing has seasonal busy times. Your inspection should come before harsh winter weather here in the Northeast, but two perfect times for semiannual inspection are:
- In early spring, after winter has taken its toll
- In late autumn, after summer heat has lessened but before temperatures plunge
Contact your roofer and share what you know about your roof. Do not be shy if it has suffered “benign” neglect. You may not even know the composition of your roof — never fear, your roofer can be a great detective and decipher your roof’s anatomy and some of its repair history. Once you have the inspection, you are on your way to building a strong, long-lasting relationship with your local, trusted roofer. And, you will save money over time!
For commercial and industrial property owners and managers throughout the Northeast, Vanguard Roofing is your proven, trusted commercial roofer. Contact us today to schedule your next commercial roof inspection or learn more about our complete roofing services.
