Roofs are expensive, costly, and tough to maintain. While we often forget the roofs over our heads exist, they’re an integral part of our building…and our day-to-day business. They keep your goods, services, and customers safe, dry, and sheltered.
So, what are the benefits of a commercial roof maintenance program?
In business and in life, when you fail to plan, you plan to fail. The same saying can be applied to building maintenance. If you fail to put a maintenance plan in place, your roof won’t last the test of time and your bottom line will always suffer.
So let’s walk through the best business benefits for putting a commercial roof maintenance program in place, best practices for maintaining a strong roof, and how implementing a structured system will keep your walls and business afloat for years to come.
Are You at Risk?
Is your place of business located in an area with extreme weather? Are people (whether that be customers or employees) frequently walking on your roof? Your roof is at risk. And it’s only a matter of time before something will need repairing. Let’s hope it’s not your business from the ground up.
Preventative Maintenance 101
When your roof springs a leak, it’s typically a sad and frustrating surprise. With a roof maintenance program, you can anticipate calamities like a leaky roof, mildew infestation, or another structural collapse. How? It’s simple. Schedule regular roof inspections (think every six months) and plan a season ahead. Early fall? Start preparing for potential winter hazards. Early spring? Assess winter damage and address pain points on your roof before the sweltering summer heat arrives. In general, make sure to examine your roof after any major weather event.
Next, check areas of your roof that are especially vulnerable or telling of deeper damage, such as the overall condition of supporting structures, roof coverings, roof edgings, drains, pitch plans, and expansion joint covers.
Finally, write everything down. Record the status of your roof at every examination so you can pass documentation on to the professionals and properly monitor your roof’s progress and status over the years.
The Benefits
Now that we’ve broken down the what, let’s walk through the why. First thing’s first, while roof maintenance preparation may feel like an optional expense, failing to put a plan in place means you’re living unaware of minor roof issues that could quickly spiral into a full-blown (and incredibly expensive) catastrophe.
Spending a bit every few months on roof inspections and small repairs prevents the type of roof damage that can bring down a business with costly repairs or, even worse, harm to a customer. A steep maintenance bill when your storefront floods due to a leaky roof is one mess. A lawsuit from an injured patron is another ballgame of financial and personal disaster.
Not to mention, building relationships with maintenance workers you regularly hire leads to long-term discounts. Compounded with smaller preventative measures, those regular tweaks can drastically lower your annual bill compared to the inevitable moment when catastrophe occurs and you’ve got a steep bill from strangers who aren’t willing to budge.
The Best Practices
We’ve already walked through the basics: have your roof professionally inspected at least twice a year, always record your roof’s seasonal status, and make sure to inspect key areas of your roof for deterioration. But there’s more to keeping your roof standing than a sharp eye and some bookkeeping.
First, it’s best to avoid walking on the roof. The more people stand on or walk through your roof, the faster that roof will deteriorate. Also make sure to unclog gutters and drains and regularly clean your roof to prevent a buildup of debris that leads to clogs (and mildew growth!) in the first place.
Surrounded by tall trees? Prune all overhanging tree branches. It doesn’t matter how many times you clean the gutters or patch up leaks, the force of a single fallen branch is a detrimental and sometimes swift death sentence for your roof. Eliminating branches blocking the sun also prevents damaging algae accumulation.
Overall
As you plan for the fiscal year ahead, don’t forget to add a line item in your budget for roof maintenance. Planning for repairs helps your business grow and thrive without succumbing to the financial disasters of an unexpected setback. If you’re searching for an additional layer of business insurance, roof maintenance is an easy to-do to check off your security list.
MacDermott Roofing are experts in the commercial roofing industry. We have been installing, maintaining, and repairing commercial roofs for over 45 years. We have experience with all types of roofing systems and are an Elite Master Contractor and leading expert of the Duro-Last Roofing System. Call and speak with a roofing specialist for a Free Estimate!