Proactive Planning Will Save on Roofing

As a property manager or owner, it is your responsibility to determine when the roof of your property needs repair or eventually, a full replacement. While some cases are urgent or severe, and there may not be much time for planning, an ongoing roof management program and / or plan allows you to select the most advantageous time to undertake a roof replacement. When you do have the flexibility to plan accordingly, some key and money-saving factors to consider include:

Project Funding:

There may be preferred fiscal times of the year for your business to make repairs or replace a roof. If the project is not well planned and scheduled in advance, however, a contractor may need to add additional crew and overtime costs in order to complete the project within the fiscal deadline. Planning in advance will allow your contractor to use their best crew at the best time and cost.

Timing & Business Operation:

Consider the best time in terms of business operation. The last thing you need is for the project to disrupt business. In many cases contractors can safely and discretely perform roof work during business hours; however some projects do require a complete shutdown or temporary relocation. If you can arrange to do this during slow periods (vs. peak business times), the project as a whole will no doubt cost less (indirectly). Should you happen to be working on a remodel or additional construction, a roofing company can often give a better rate if they’re able to perform work while the building is empty and / or before other types of construction.

Climate & Weather:

Consider the best weather for your project to take place. In the Southwestern deserts, summer is probably not the best time to tackle a full roof replacement due to the extreme heat. The heat is hard on materials, labor and possibly on your valuable property, especially if you’ll lose HVAC inside the building and have merchandise that needs protection. In addition, rain season makes any roofing (other than emergency repairs) a bit complicated — it’s important to avoid damage on top of an already dismantled roofing system. The additional time arranging for the roof to be protected during storms, and the overall interruption of the actual storm will no doubt increase the project duration.

Conversely, should you happen to live in an area of the country with snowy winters, summer is generally the preferred time to plan for a roofing project. Since this can be peak season for roofing companies and demand is high, the earlier you plan, the better.

Due Diligence:

Depending on the extent of the repairs or replacement, you should allow plenty of time to gather the necessary information. For instance, in the case of a leak, you may need time to assess the condition of the decking and structural supports, as well as the extent of the damage to the roof. In addition, you’ll need time to develop the design for the repair or replacement (especially if you are changing the roofing materials), evaluate and price out materials, and then create the bidding documents.

Bidding Documents:

Bidding documents will allow you to assure that the bidders for the job are authorized and capable of installing your roof, are licensed, bonded, insured and have proper references from previous and similar projects. Allow a suitable amount of time for competing companies to generate their bid.

The Contract:

Once the bids have been submitted, you’ll need to select the bid that represents the best value. Depending on your company and management, this could take several weeks or months depending on your company’s procurement structure. Once everything has been approved, it would be a good idea to sit down with the contractor and review the project requirements so you are both on the same page.

Permit:

Last but not least, if you are required to obtain permits by the city or state for the proposed work, you’ll want to get that paperwork submitted and wait for approval. Generally, this only takes a week or two in most states, but some may take weeks or months (California and South Florida tend to be rather slow).

Conclusion

As you can see, a roof management plan or program will allow you to plan ahead and have plenty of time to complete all the steps necessary for a repair or replacement. It will no doubt result in substantial cost savings compared to an unforeseen roof failure that requires you to go through all these steps in a hurry, peak season (you or the roofing company) and / or unfavorable fiscal time of year.

Global Roofing Group would be delighted to discuss any roofing needs you may have and suggest planning tools that may assist you in creating a roofing management program.