Categories
Choose Language
Popular Posts
Small Business, Big Roofing Project: 7 Things To Consider Before Starting Commercial Roof Replacement
Would you believe us if we told you that there are over 30 million small businesses operating in the United States right now? If you didn’t, you’d be wrong!
The US economy is flooded with business owners today due to how low unemployment rates are and how much consumers are spending on goods and services.
If you’re one of the many people that are running your own business, you may be working out of a commercial office. If you’re working out of a commercial office, you might have some qualms with your work environment… Particularly your office’s roof.
Roofs in commercial spaces are subjected to a ton of ware and tare. At a certain point, ware and tare becomes too much and requires you to call in repairs or buy a new roof.
Before you throw your hands up and opt for commercial roof replacement, consider the following:
1. Are You Noticing Leaks?
One of the main catalysts for roof repairs are leaks. The good thing about this roofing flaw is that it’s pretty hard to miss.
If you’re coming into your office after a rainy day and are noticing that portions of your carpet are flooded, you’ve got a roofing problem.
Leaks should be looked at right away. Even if they don’t seem bad today, they can get bigger, undermine your business insurance and might even be causing extensive, out sight damage to your roof’s insulation.
2. Is Blistering an Issue?
Speaking of your roof’s insulation, one of the tell-tale signs that your insulation has some serious issues is blistering.
As its name suggests, when your roof blisters, you’ll notice large bubbles forming on top of it. These bubbles are telling of much bigger problems that are going on underneath your roof’s surface.
When your roof has flaws in its weather seal, water can slip into your roof’s insulation and get stuck. When the sun heats your roof, the water beneath its surface emits a gas that can lead to blisters, rotting, and costly fixes.
The sooner that you get roof blistering looked at, the better.
3. What Do Your Roof’s Shingles Look Like?
Another way to quickly determine whether or not commercial roof replacement is in the cards for you is to look at your roof’s shingles. If they seem to be in pretty good shape but you’re experiencing small problems (a leak for example) it could be that the overall integrity of your roof is in good shape but needs some spot-fixing.
If your shingles are all over the place, given the cost of extensive re-shingling, commercial roofing replacement might be the way to go.
4. Do You Really Need to Replace Your Whole Roof?
Like we just mentioned in our last point, today’s roofing advances have made it so professionals can spot fix problems which can add years of life to your current roof. Walking that line between if you should repair or replace the roof over your commercial building is always a hard one to stay balanced on though.
When you repair roof problems, you save money… most of the time.
You see, if you pour a bunch of money into spot-fixing a bad commercial roof, you’re just going to end up needing to replace your roof altogether when it gives out and that patching money will have been wasted.
On the other hand, if you replace your roof earlier than what is necessary from an infrastructure standpoint, you’ll be throwing away years of valuable life that your roof still had to offer.
Your best bet here is to call in a few roofers and get their opinion on what to do.
5. Are Your Liable for Roof Costs?
Most people that run their business out of an office or a warehouse are leasing the space. If that sounds like you, chances are, you’re not liable to drop a dime on commercial roof replacement or repair.
In your leasing contract, you should have provisions that guarantee the functional nature of your workspace. A bad roof that effects your ability to do business violates that provision.
Talk to your landlord if you have issues with your roofing and if they refuse to fix it, contact your local enforcement authority or opt-out of your lease.
6. If You Are Liable to Pay, How Will You?
When you repair a roof, you’re going to have to pay somewhere in the vicinity of $3.00 to $8.00 per square foot. That rate will depend on the scope of your project, your area and materials used.
Can you foot that kind of bill?
If roof repair is a necessity and you don’t have the cash on hand to pay, this could be a good time to take out a business loan or apply for a line of credit through a business credit card provider that offers low interest rates.
7. Is Re-Roofing Your Commercial Space a Priority?
Sure, it can be an annoyance to come into work every day and see that your roof isn’t looking as nice as it should. If the problem is not an emergency though, consider whether or not getting your roof fixed now is really the best move for your company.
As a business owner, you’ll be faced with hard decisions constantly. One of the hardest is how to prioritize cash, credit and the resolution of problems.
Always do your best to make the decisions that make the most business sense and you’ll keep your company running well for years to come.
Considering a Commercial Roof Replacement?
Commercial roof replacement is not a cheap project to undertake. We hope that our considerations have helped you to understand the severity of your issue and how to best solve it.
Looking for more free property information? If so, read more of the content on our real estate focused blog!
Popular Posts:
Kaya Wittenburg
Kaya Wittenburg is the Founder and CEO of Sky Five Properties. Since the age of 10, real estate has been deeply ingrained into his thoughts. With world-class negotiation and deal-making skills, he brings a highly impactful presence into every transaction that he touches.
He is here to help you use real estate as a vehicle to develop your own personal empire and feel deeply satisfied along the way. If you have an interest in buying, selling or renting property in South Florida, contact Kaya today.
