Articles

On the surface, it would appear the trend of commercial roofing warranty lengths extending to 20 or more years in duration should really put a facility owner's mind at ease, right? Unfortunately, a problem lies in that many buyers of roofing systems fail to look beyond the surface of what the warranty's coverage terms are, [...]

When it comes to hail damage or another major weather event, the insurance industry might benefit from the “an ounce of prevention can equal a pound of cure” philosophy used in the healthcare world. Let’s say a person has a simple respiratory infection. They can go to the doctor for a diagnosis and often times [...]

Roof leaks. The mother of all maintenance concerns that property managers and building owners face. Roof leaks equate to time and expenses that you might not have budgeted for. They’re a nuisance to deal with so when you spot a potential problem during a routine inspection, you might be tempted to put off the repair […]

So many maintenance needs. So few budget dollars. Facility executives have limits on what they can spend on building maintenance, and big-ticket items like unexpected roofing expenses can quickly eat those up. The operations and maintenance category represents the greatest expense in owning and operating a facility over its lifecycle, according to the National Institute [...]

A roof is taken for granted until something goes wrong - and that something is usually a leak. When a leak occurs, the facility manager's priorities are often limited to the specific repair, so the rest of the roof is forgotten until another leak is discovered and the budget takes another hit. This reactive cycle [...]

When you break down what you really want to get out of your roof, it’s basically as simple as (1) avoiding leaks, and (2) minimizing costs to maintain it. You want predictable performance and budget certainty. You want to prevent surprises, which in “roof language” typically equates to huge capital outlays that you weren’t planning […]

Maintaining a roof by merely reacting to problems costs an average of 25 cents per square foot annually; however, those who have a proactive roof program in place only spend an average of 14 cents per square foot annually. Plus, proactively maintained roofs last an average of 21 years compared to an average lifespan of 13 years for those under reactive maintenance.

There are essentially two guarantees with concrete: it’s going to harden, and it’s going to crack. Knowing when and how to intervene when it does crack, however, takes an experienced eye. While concrete is the most commonly used material in construction, it can also be among the most misunderstood — particularly as it relates to [...]

Breaking it down to its core, the roof is essentially a waterproofing mechanism for an institutional and commercial building. The basic expectation is that a roof will keep building occupants dry and the building’s contents protected. Virtually any type of roofing system does its job on a dry day, but enter some rain into the [...]