Common core, common cold, commoner – depending upon the day, and your chosen definition, common has become almost a dirty word. At the very least, it’s not something we revere. In fact, it reflects things so mundane that we often dismiss them (except for Common Core which has taken on a life of its own). Regardless of your feelings on the education system in this country, common is not a word we want to have as a descriptor. However, not all things associated with common are bad. Take common sense, for example. It’s good to have common sense, and one way to exercise your sensibilities is to ensure that common maintenance items are regularly performed on your commercial roof.
“It’s easy to determine the basic and common repairs required on your commercial roof by simply choosing to have an assessment performed,” said Steve Little, president of KPost Company. “The right assessment, performed by a qualified, competent contractor, will ensure you have the best information available to perform common roof maintenance and repairs. In many cases, there will be repairs covered by the manufacturer’s cost.”
What to Repair When
A qualified commercial roofing company will perform an assessment that provides a great deal of information. Using this report will help you determine the type, level and priority of repairs needed, as well as give you a solid idea of the timing and potential cost. You will know you have received an excellent assessment when it contains the following information:
- Roof condition summary – outlines the sections of the building’s roof as well as the condition and recommendations.
- Repair scope of work – provides warranty information as well as non-warranty information on the roofing components. In addition, the report will outline appropriate building maintenance that should be performed quickly.
- Budget information – the assessment should give a total for the warranty repairs, non-warranty repairs and building maintenance repairs. Premier commercial roofing contractors will provide a bundled price for combining the work, giving you a price break and them the opportunity to perform all the repairs in one visit, thereby saving everyone time and money.
In addition to the information above, the assessment should also provide details regarding the areas in need of repair, including details about the repair and images that show the exact repair required as well as the location on the roof.
“The best assessments give you so much information that most authorized contractors can do the repairs,” said Steve. “You you should have a well thought-out document that gives you every piece of information needed to make an educated decision on the priority, type and need of each repair recommended. This level of detail ensures you can budget appropriately while also keeping your commercial property in the best shape possible – an important aspect of ensuring your commercial roofing materials stay under warranty.”
Keep Your Commercial Roof Under Warranty
Doing roof assessments combined with an annual roof maintenance program reduces property liabilities as well as “risk management” cost. All manufacturers require some type of annual scheduled maintenance to enforce the roof warranty. By simply choosing to have a proactively scheduled inspection of your commercial roof and property, you will uncover many issues before they become a major problem.
When determining the best roofing contractor to perform the inspection, it is important to remember they must first be an authorized contractor for the Manufacturer’s roof system to work on the installed roof during the warranty period. Second, possess the skill set to properly assess damage from a roofing manufacture’s products point of view. This means understanding where to look, how to spot trouble spots and potential issues, and how to perform a visual inspection that results in a good condition assessment / maintenance report.
There are multiple areas to assess and determine the level and priority of damage so that a repair schedule can be developed. Getting an assessment will not only provide you with a budgeting tool, but also a prioritization tool to determine which repairs are critical and which can be scheduled at a later date.
“The more proactive you are, the better for your commercial property, and your budget,” said Steve. “We have historical and measurable results that prove proactive annual roof maintenance programs following a professional roof assessment by an authorized contractor reduced the cost of roof repairs after the first few years. In addition, taking these steps extend the life of the roof and saves tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long run.”
