How to Know When to Reroof Your Commercial/Industrial Facility

March 18, 2014

Is it time for a new roof? Ben Fashimpaur, Vice President Regional Account Manager, at D. C. Taylor Co. reveals some of the tell-tale signs that it’s time to reroof.

What are some visual clues that a building may need a new roof?

You would see evidence of cracks in the roofing material due to long-term UV exposure and flashings (wall, pipe, or curb penetrations) that are pulled away from their original positions. You might also notice curling of the edges at seams or plies of roofing material.

What are some things that a facilities professional may not be able to see, but would justify a roof replacement?

  1. Seam delaminations, when different plies of material become disbonded, could allow in water.
  2. Moisture absorption of the substrates could be another latent condition. If isolated pockets of insulation are becoming wet then you have two issues: you not only have the loss of function of insulation, but you may also be trapping water against a steel deck, which could corrode and become a safety issue.
  3. Embrittlement of the roofing material could lead to spontaneous catastrophic failure in the event of a thermal shock.
  4. Attachment failures can be difficult to detect and lead the building to be at risk for a wind loss during a storm event.

How does a facilities professional know when to keep making repairs and when it’s time for a reroof?

Take a look at the initial cost of the project, divided by its projected length of service and thereby come up with an annual cost of the roof, divided by whatever internal rate of return year one money has. Compare that against your direct annual cost of maintenance.

There’s more involved in that calculation than just the roofing cost, though. You must think of what other damage is occurring to the insulations and decking. Consider what your time and efforts in remediation of leaks really costs. Is there risk of product loss? There’s also corporate image and morale to consider. What happens to your productivity or employee retention in an environment that’s less than ideal? Do employees feel like this company doesn’t really care, so they won’t either?

To schedule a Roof Inspection to determine the condition of your roof, contact D. C. Taylor Co. at 319.731.4118.


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