Obviously there are many factors and pre-cautions to consider when planning an upcoming re-roofing project on a commercial building. Time of year, contractor, product, and building use are all important things among many other factors to discuss and work through in prepping for a major construction project such as the installation of a new roof system. However, many commercial property managers seem to ask what are some of the most important things to be aware of when budgeting and planning a re-roofing project. So to be simple and narrow things down to just perhaps the first three things to be aware of when budgeting and considering things, here are the three notes different property managers recommended as being important to be think of in advance…..
1. How many roof layers are on the building? Per standard buildings codes, buildings are allowed to have up to two roof systems on their building at a time. So with that being said, once a building has two roofs (layers) present on it, a third layer or recover option cannot be entertained and installed. Besides violating code requirements, no roof system manufacturer will warrant or approve this application either. In the instance that the building only has one layer of roofing on it, there are many different options that the building owner can pursue to recover or lay over the existing roof system in the re-roofing process. A key reason to know whether a building has one or two roof layers on it, besides meeting installation requirements, is mainly price driven. If a roof system has two layers on it and must be torn off, the new roof from a labor stand point as well as a new “code insulation system” drive up the cost dramatically in lieu of being able to do a recover system. The price of a “tear off” roof installation versus a “recover” roof installation can be a very large price gap.
2. What type of structural decking do you have? Depending on what type of structural roof deck a building has will decide on what type of roof applications may be able to be used for a new roof system. Roof deck systems can be metal, concrete, gypsum, Tectum, metal panel, wood, etc. and each type of deck has a preferred application method that meets the ideal wind uplifts and attachments. Other than meeting the best industry standard roof application methods for workmanship, knowing the deck type for application also drives pricing in many ways. If a roof system can be mechanically attached to a metal deck for example, it will be extremely less expensive than if you had to fully adhere the system with bonding adhesive to a concrete deck system.
3. What type of roof system do you need? This question can always be very widely debated but through a little research and industry guidance, there are usually different systems that might be more recommended or preferred. For example, for an owner who is mostly price driven and seeking a white reflective membrane system in high heat zones, a TPO roof system may be the proper choice. For an owner desiring an extremely long lasting, heavy duty, puncture resistant roof, Fibertite could be the roof of choice. Restaurants with a lot of grease on the roof may best be served by a PVC roof. Some building owners up north seek black EPDM for their system of choice. There are many alternatives and options to consider but proper research and education will always help in making a strong decision for a buildings proper roofing needs.
Peach State Roofing, Inc. – National Commercial Roofing Services
1-800-604-9309
www.PeachStateRoofingInc.com