Tips to Extending the Life of Your Roof

October 23, 2019 | By: Molly Looman
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Making a roof last as long as possible is an attractive goal due to time and costs. With some preventative steps and continuous upkeep, a roof can stay solid past its warranty. Here are a few tips on how to keep your roof up to date and when it may be time to let it go.  

Budget For It 

The best way to fix roof problems is to work on them before they happen. Preventative maintenance in the form of routine inspections and certified roofers can save a lot of time and possibly money in the future. Go ahead and budget in routine roof maintenance, but also repairs, especially if the building is in an area that is subject to rain or natural disasters. With tenant turnover and weather, repairs are typically necessary and usually urgent. Working roofing repair into the budget from the start will save you from scrambling later.  

Leave It to the Professionals 

Making repairs and doing inspections is good, but sometimes calling a professional is needed. While emergency leaks and routine inspections can be done by the maintenance team, when it comes to permanent repairs and annual inspections, a certified roofer should be called. A certified roofer can tell the maintenance team what to look for, what needs to be done to extend the life of a roof and give all the information that may need to be reported to a building manager for budgeting. While the roof is generally under the maintenance team’s care, a certified roofer can give a specialized view that can lead to better roof life procedures.  

Follow Behind  

Tenants move in and tenants move out. While most of the tenant turnover maintenance concerns may be inside the unit, it is important to look at the roof. Make sure to check for any abandoned equipment after a tenant moves out. This could include satellite dishes, vent hoods or mechanical equipment. If this is done early it can prevent damage to your roof and save repair costs if done early and possibly billed to the tenant. Also make sure to do an inspection after anyone has accessed the roof. Loose screws, abandoned compressors, mini splits, broken panels and improperly secured RTU access panels could be waiting on the roof and causing damage. Doing a sweep after outside roof access can lead to preventing accidents before they happen or quickly repairing any issues.  

Age Matters 

Fixing your roof as you go is important, but at a certain point, the age of the roof starts to creep up. Knowing how old your roof is and how long the warranty is can guide your repair versus replacement considerations. Part of extending the life of your roof is knowing whether it’s time has come to an end. According to Amanda Bare with Roof Partners, LLC, if the repair is more than 30 percent of the replacement cost and its out of warranty, the repair probably isn’t worth it. However, if your roof is under warranty and not as old, making sure the repairs are frequent and updated is key to making sure it lasts as long as possible. 

Sources: Amanda Bare, Account Executive with Roof Partners, LLC