Year after year, your commercial roof silently performs its duties, keeping occupants safe and preserving the structural integrity of your building. Eventually, however, signs of aging appear – membranes shrink or crack, seams open up, fasteners corrode or flashings fail. Even though you may not know it, your roof needs attention. When this occurs, there are a variety of commercial roofing services you didn’t know you needed that become crucial to protecting your real estate investment.
1. Roof Removal
At some point, it is no longer cost-effective to maintain a roof that’s performed admirably for so long. Perhaps you didn’t know you’d eventually need a new roof, but soaring maintenance costs are a sign that the time has come. Fortunately, there are important benefits to removing a roof to make way for an updated version, including energy savings, reduced maintenance costs and overall peace of mind. A white PVC or TPO roof with heat-welded seams comes with a lengthy warranty that eliminates those budget-busting repairs for years to come.
A professional roof inspection by a qualified inspector may reveal problems you didn’t even know you had. For example, thermal scans or core cuts may demonstrate that there are large amounts of moisture trapped between roof layers, potentially causing rotting, corrosion, wet insulation and possible mold growth. Moisture may weaken fasteners, making the roof vulnerable to catastrophic damage in strong winds.
2. Re-Roofing
One of the commercial roofing services you probably didn’t know you needed is the installation of a new roof. When re-roofing is required, property owners can choose from light or dark-colored TPO, PVC or EPDM membranes.
There are pluses with both white and dark roofs. A traditional black single-ply membrane roof typically costs less upfront, but a light-colored membrane may offer energy savings that compound annually. Light-colored membranes also may extend roof life by keeping components cooler. No matter which color you choose, some architectural designs may influence the effectiveness and be more beneficial than others.
A roofing contractor who puts your interests first is in a good position to help you weigh the benefits of the various kinds of flat or low-pitch roofs available to you.
3. Leak Resolution
Another roofing service you may not even know you need is leak repair. Leaks are often subtle at first. The well-trained eye of a certified roof inspector is often required to detect leaks when they first develop. Once leaks become obvious, widespread damage may have already occurred.
Commercial flat roofs develop leaks for many reasons, including:
- Punctures
- Ponding water
- Membrane shrinkage
- Breaches in seams
Although punctures are commonly caused by falling tree limbs and wind-blown debris, other contractors working on the roof may also damage membranes by dropping tools or dragging equipment across the surface.
Ponding water results from drainage problems and uneven surfaces. The longer water remains on the roof, the greater the chance that it will leak its way into the roof’s substructure. Therefore, it is important to solve drainage problems and repair low areas of the roof.
Roof membranes must remain flexible as they expand and contract when temperatures soar above 100 and drop below zero. However, as membranes age, they may lose that flexibility and begin to shrink. When this happens, seams may fail or gaps may appear around the roof perimeter.
Since EPDM seams are not heat-welded, it is ideal to restore seams every seven to 10 years by covering them with a special tape. Seam restoration is the answer when leaks are modest, but re-roofing is often the best solution if there is significant membrane cracking or shrinkage.
4. Roof Maintenance Program
A roof maintenance program from a well-established, reputable roofing contractor is another service you probably didn’t know you needed. However, it is all too easy to lose track of the status of your roof while you are attending to the day-to-day demands of your business. Also, reacting to roofing problems only after they become obvious is expensive. By contrast, property owners who are more proactive may save thousands of dollars in repair costs. They may also delay full roof replacements for years to come.
5. Commercial Service Work
You may not have known that you need periodic commercial roofing service work, but it can save you significant sums over time. Routine roof inspections reveal problems with flashings, seams and fasteners before they become more costly to resolve.
Certified roof inspectors can also use sophisticated tools to reveal the true condition of your roof. For example, infrared thermal scans require equipment which costs thousands of dollars. However, these scans can reveal temperature variations which identify hidden leaks, trapped moisture and wet insulation.
Timely resolution of moisture problems may even prevent mold growth that could require expensive remediation. Weakened fasteners can be replaced before whole sections of the roof are compromised in high winds.
Contact Us for Assistance
Since the 1970s, CRS Roofing has been a leader in providing innovative and professional commercial roofing services from Bergen County, NJ, to Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
Our experienced design team customizes every commercial roofing project to obtain the best results, and our VP of Operations oversees every commercial roofing project. We work with tenants to minimize the impact on their businesses, and we maintain a clean and organized work site.
Whatever your roofing requirements, we would welcome the opportunity to earn your business. Please contact us today to arrange for a comprehensive commercial roof inspection. Estimates are always free.
