Roof Maintenance: A Win-Win Situation

        Roof maintenance is usually discussed as if it were an option. Something that could be ignored, delayed or only done on an emergency basis.

            An analogy of roof maintenance is like maintenance of an automobile. When you buy a new car and never change the oil, or wait until the brakes failed before you fixed them? The answer is obviously not, but on the other hand, people have love affairs with the automobiles not their roofs.

            A better analogy for today’s business climate might be to questions the cost of non-performance, Peter Drucker, in a Wall Street Journal article (April 13, 1993), and later in his textbook Managing in a Great Change (Truman Talley Books/ Dutton), discusses this issue. As a property manager or owner, its easy to assign a cost to performing roof inspection, maintenance or replacement. But, as Drucker points out, how many managers analyze the cost of nonperformance of their businesses because of roof failure? Suppose the roof drains in one bay were blocked and over the weekend accumulated water from heavy rain deflected the roof deck causing it to tear the membrane? This allowed thousands of gallons of water to pour into the building. Suppose the water damaged the fileserver putting all of the computer work stations offline, perhaps damaging shipping records or reservations? What would that cost? Suppose the leak damaged the robotics workstation, causing a two-week shutdown to an assembly line that had a contract to deliver widgets “just in time” to a major (perhaps the only) customer, and this results in the loss of a contract?

            The intent of this article is not rely on scare tactics, to prophesy doom if the roof isn’t maintained, but rather to justify maintenance as an essential investment, not a regrettable expense.

Many corporations are structured so that “capital” comes from some corporate account, while “maintenance” is funded locally as an operating expense. Whit this division of responsibility, a roof becomes a turn-key asset to the building manager, but is may come with no funding to keep it going.

Owners have learned the hard way that a long-term warranty furnished with a new roof does not provide for either inspection or maintenance. Even worse, the lack of maintenance (neglect or abuse) of the roof by the occupants could void the warranty.

Other than lack of funding, why isn’t roof maintenance done? Part of the answer comes from one of the buzzwords of this decade “down-sizing”. The operators of the facility are likely to be so short-handed that they neither have the manpower nor the time to take care of their roofs. In fact, even if they had the desire, they couldn’t spare their key personnel for the time needed to get trained on how to inspect and/or maintain their roofs.

Solutions

        First, recognition that there is indeed a problem. Roofing people ten to think in technical roofing terms, yet the issue is financial and needs to be put into financial terms. Both the Roofing Industry Educational Institute (RIEI) and NRCA seminars on “Roof Asset Management” recognize that the maintenance decisions ultimately will be made by financial managers, not maintenance personnel. The trick is to reach top management in the corporation and to prove to them that managing roofs is a sound financial investment. With a commitment from the top, total roof management will happen.

            Secondly, let’s tell the whole story. Roofs are called 20-year roofs. We deceive ourselves and our customers with long term guarantees. We all know that there is no chance for long term performance, unless the roof is inspected and maintained. We should communicate to the owner what must be done and when, at the time the owner takes beneficial occupancy. Material manufacturers should present the owner with an outline of the requirements for the roof system maintenance at the same time the guarantee is delivered. A list of recommended service providers is a good idea, especially for single ply membranes, as the owner’s personnel is not likely to have the training or the tools to perform even minor maintenance.

            Many astute roofing contractors offer either total roof management programs, or at least roof maintenance programs. These need to be sold to the specifier so that the specifier’s will include them in bid documents. The specifier, in turn, needs to explain to the owner that the roof system selected will only perform if the owner commits to maintenance.

            In many cases, the best way to do this is to outsource the inspection function to a roofing specialist, either a professional roofing contractor or roofing consultant.

            How does this work? At the time of bid, roofing contractors bid not only the roofing job, but also the maintenance agreement at the same time. At the end of the customary two-year contract warranty period, the maintenance agreement kicks in. For an agreed upon sum, the contractor will survey the roof, provide a written report, and perhaps perform a specified number of man-hours for debris removal, minor repair, etc. If major work is necessary, this work would be charge on a time and material basis at a pre-agreed upon rate.

            Another option a corporate property owner might consider is to outsource the entire roof management program on a national basis, either to a roof consulting firm or a roofing management organization.

            Several NRCA contractors now offer such a program. The U.S. Army ROOFER program is an attempt to manage roofing on a national or at least a regional basis. Because there is never enough money to do everything, the ROOFER program allows the army to prioritize its requirements and helps to make decisions on whether a particular project is better of repaired or replaced.

Into Action

Natural disasters – a roofing opportunity. When struck by a hurricane, hailstorm, sever wind or whatever, building owners, discover they have a roofing emergency. In the selling of roof management programs, provisions for emergency preferential treatment can be a strong selling point. Bring attention to what happened last time that some buildings suffered severe damage because the local contractors were overloaded and were forced to turn down all but their regular customers. Providing a private, 24-hour emergency phone number for customers with a signed maintenance agreement, and furnishing those customers with priority service would be a strong selling feature.

            Staffing a maintenance organization, depending on the scope of the work, two skilled workers with a light truck and two-way communication equipment could provide the inspection and light repair work. This team needs a formal inspection protocol, as record keeping is important to the success of the program. Inspections could be conducted when weather is not conducive to roofing operation. This is a good way to keep personnel occupied. Back at the office, a computer operator needs to track work done, prepare work orders, proposals and invoices, and to furnish written reports to each client on a timely basis. Preparation of budgets is a valuable client service, especially if work is to projected three to five years into the future. When does all this begin? The ideal time for a roof management program to begin is during the design phase. An astute building owner will set specific roof criteria for the design tem, which extend far beyond “give me a 20-year roof”. In general, the building code only sets minimum roof criteria.

The owner might require things that are far more stringent than the code.

Ø      Positive drainage, with no water standing more than 24 hours after a storm. This includes all valleys, where crickets shall be installed where needed.

Ø      All copings shall be sloped to shed water, and a membrane shall be furnished under all coping joints.

Ø      All roof equipment will be adequately elevated and spaced, following the NRCA criteria furnished under its construction detail plates. Rooftop air conditioning shall follow the joint guidelines of the Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Institute, NRCA and SMACNA.

Ø      Roofing penetrations shall be minimized and clustered. Avoid pitch pockets, following the NRCA’s recommended curbed details.

Ø      A roofing file shall be furnished at the time of beneficial occupancy, including a roof plan

Ø      Copies of as-build details, and recommended maintenance provisions. A schedule of resurfacing shall be furnished for any systems that utilize protective coatings.

Ø      Quality assurance shall be furnished by a third party during roof construction

Ø      Permanent signs shall be affixed at roof entry points stating the roof system, name and phone number of the contractor, name of materials manufacture and phone number for warranty work, and the expiration date of the warranty.

Ø      Minutes of any pre-construction conferences shall be furnished as well as copies of inspection reports.

Ø      Specimen copies of all guarantees, warranties and maintenance agreements shall be reviewed by the owner before the proposed roof system is accepted.

Ø      A maintenance agreement shall be furnished that provides for a minimum of one roof inspection per year.

Ø      A moisture survey shall be performed upon occupancy

            Not everyone will agree with the last point, but both sides can benefit. The owner gets assurance that the roof insulation is dry when taking title, and if there are wet spots, gets them fixed before acceptance. The contractor can benefit as well, because if the roof is dry now and wet later, one could point out that something happened after the roofing team left the job.

            An effective roof management program is a win-win situation. The owner gets a trouble-free and cost effective roof system, without the concerns of the unexpected non-performance of the building. The specifier gets the assurance that the roof system will perform as designed and intended, and a satisfied client. The roofing contractor gets an enhanced reputation, repeat business and profitable no-bid work. When one is dealing with shelter, on the top of the list of hierarchy of mankind’s needs, it’s nice to be able to provide affordable, durable, and reliable roofing, Good design, proper materials and installation, and conscientious maintenance make it happen.