Replacing a roof is a very expensive investment, especially if it’s on a commercial building. The actual cost of a new roof depends on a wide variety of factors, but you can usually count on at least a couple thousand dollars.
When you own a commercial building, one of the very last things you want to deal with is problems with your roof. Luckily, there are steps you can take to prevent major problems from happening. Taking preventative measures will save you the cost and hassle of replacing your whole roof.
We’ve compiled a list of our top seven tips for commercial roof maintenance to help you get started.
1. Avoid Extra Pressure
Roofs are designed to be incredibly strong and resilient, this is especially true for commercial roofs. But that doesn’t mean that they are designed to withstand everything and are indestructible.
A great way to keep your roof intact is to avoid adding additional pressure to it. That means keeping everyone off and reducing the load the roof has to continually hold. Even just the small act of not letting anyone walk on the roof unless necessary can do wonders for reducing pressure.
There are occasions, like for maintenance and repairs, where obviously someone will have to walk on the roof. A few times here and there isn’t going to cause major problems and shouldn’t be worried about.
2. Clean Off Often
Another way to reduce that pressure and breakdown of the roofing materials is to clean it off often. This is one of the biggest list items if you search how to maintain a roof because it’s so important.
Roofs, especially flat commercial roofs, tend to collect debris from the surrounding areas, especially if it’s a windy location. It may not seem like a pile of leaves could do damage, but those kinds of piles are the perfect place for water to hang out and eventually cause mold or rot.
Mold or rot are huge contributing factors to the breakdown of materials that can lead to leaks or holes in the roof. Taking the time to clean off the roof will eliminate these hot spots altogether.
3. Add Snow Removal
There’s more to keeping your roof clean than clearing off leaves and other debris, you also need to pay attention to large amounts of snow as well.
While it looks beautiful, light, and fluffy it can actually be very dense and heavy. Wet snow can add a lot of extra weight to a rooftop, even to the point of causing it to collapse altogether. Removal is important for all roofs but especially commercial roofs that tend to accumulate more than a slanted residential one.
Chances are if you live in an area that gets a lot of snow you have a snow removal company for your sidewalks. It’s quick and easy to check if you can add snow removal to your commercial roofing services as well.
4. Prepare for Season Changes
Along the same lines, preparing your rooftop for the changing seasons can eliminate a lot of your need for repairs (or a replacement) in the future. Prevention is very often the antidote to major problems, that’s because many roof problems come because there is some form of neglect happening.
Before the weather starts to turn cold you can go around and cover vulnerable areas with tarps to prevent sitting water on the roof materials. It could also mean getting the right tools you’ll need for maintenance in that weather.
You know best how the climate affects buildings in your area, just don’t forget about the roof!
5. Make Repairs Quickly
As much as prevention helps to reduce the number of problems you face with your commercial roof, it can’t eliminate them all. There will be times when there are freak accidents or just plain wearing-out problems that come up.
When that happens, it’s critical to get the problem taken care of as quickly as possible. This is the most important of all roofing tips to follow.
Commercial roof repair for small problems like weak spots or leaks is the key to avoiding having to replace the entire roof or (heaven forbid) having a faulty roof cause much more damage to the interior of your building. There’s no substitute for taking care of roof issues quickly and by a professional.
6. Use High-Quality Materials
It’s very tempting to want to attempt to handle all repairs for your commercial building on your own. After all, that seems like it would save you a lot of money. But it could actually end up being the opposite if you don’t have the proper training of skillset.
When you hire a professional to make your improvements and repairs, you know you’re getting the job done with the proper techniques. You can also have more confidence that the right materials are being used for the job.
High-quality materials can make a big difference in the lifespan and resilience of your roof.
7. Regular Inspections
By now you know that making repairs and taking the steps to prevent problems is crucial to maintaining your commercial roof. But how will you know if there is a potential problem if you’re not up there all the time?
This is where regular, professional inspections come in handy. A trained professional knows exactly what to look for and what those pain points might be. They can give you an accurate description of how your roof is looking and help you devise a plan for any potential problems that are found.
A yearly inspection would be a good idea to be able to catch issues quickly. While you might want to avoid adding another yearly expense, chances are as long as you hire an experienced commercial roof inspector, you’ll likely save money on small issues they identify, before those issues turn into huge repair costs down the road.
Proper Commercial Roof Maintenance
When you work or own a commercial building, you know how important it is to keep everything in as good of working order as possible. This keeps everything running smoothly and without interruption.
Following our guide to commercial roof maintenance will give you the peace of mind that you’re doing all you can to take care of your building. Not to mention the savings you’ll see!
If you’re interested in learning more about building maintenance and design, check out our other articles today.
