Your Guide to Commercial Roofing Companies

Any business owner should probably know what commercial buildings are.  They are critical for many steps along the way of running one, even if you are primarily working in e-commerce.  This type of property is critical anyway, for things like storage facilities or more.  So, that is why I think it is a good idea to familiarize ourselves with them.

What does that have to do with roofing, though?  Well, did you know that one of the costliest forms of property damage is related to the roofs of buildings?  It is a problem that not a lot of people seem to be aware of, particularly when it comes to their industrial or commercial complexes.  We think of a home and can recognize how bad roof damage can be, but for our warehouses, it might not seem like something to focus on.

If you live in the Southwestern United States, some of the typical threats to buildings that we hear about like snowfall probably are not your top concern.  However, there are still other things that you should consider in this avenue, so do not let your guard down.  There are plenty of resources like this one to help you get an understanding of the bigger picture if you are not familiar!

Commercial Buildings: The Basics

I think this is probably the best place to start, as there seems to be a general lack of knowledge about the different types of them.  Yet, knowing about it is a critical step on the path to working in a business, particularly if there will be any retail or manufacturing going on.  Even restaurants can fall under this category!

They can be defined as any property in which “commercial” activities are taking place.  That is a fancy way of saying it is anywhere where business is conducted, be that a regular transaction or specific act.  This is the legal definition, at least.

Some common examples that most people are familiar with are skyscrapers – most of the large buildings in cities that we see (outside of apartment complexes) fall under this umbrella, in fact.  Just note that there is a difference between commercial buildings and property (I know, it is confusing).

Restaurants

Despite the sheer number of commercial transactions that occur within restaurants, they tend to be overlooking in terms of this type of maintenance.  It remains true whether the owner of the building is renting it out to the restaurant owners or if they are one in the same.  That goes for franchisees as well!

What kind of problems can a leaky or otherwise compromised roof cause for a building like this?  Well, for one thing, it can jeopardize the current inventory you have in stock.  Depending on the type of storage you utilize, it can cause some serious problems.  Did you know that there is a chance of kitchen grease can end up overflowing the grease traps and mix with rainwater?

As you can probably guess, that is a serious fire hazard.  In addition to that, this buildup can end up contributing to further damage to your roof.  A leak could end up decimating entire stocks of ingredients or other supplies that could have lasted you for months.

Of course, this is not even to mention the potential safety and sanitation violations.  There have even been incidents of eight different violations caused by a damaged roof alone.  Talk about a costly result for something like this.  If it is a concern for you, you could consider learning about SW Commercial Roofing, especially if you are in that region of the country.

Rain may not seem like a big deal in drier parts of the United States (and the world, of course), but I still think it is a good idea to be prepared.  If you have not had an inspection for the roof of your restaurant lately, this is your sign to do so.  It might save you some hassle in the future.

Office Buildings

This is another fairly common type.  After all, a lot of people across the globe work in an office every day.  Similar to restaurants, the owners of these properties might have their own offices within the space or rent it out to another proprietor.  Either way, they are still in this category.

Now, as far as roof damage goes in these buildings, the main thing is usually temperature control.  It may not seem like a huge issue on the surface – however, you would be surprised how quickly it can become an HR issue.  You can learn further on that topic here: https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/office-building.

The main takeaway that I would like to emphasize here is that there are many other problems that a damaged roof could cause in this type of space.  If you store a lot of paperwork in the building (as many businesses do, even if we are steadily shifting to store more data digitally), it could all be compromised easily.

Hotels

Now, you might be wondering why hotels count but apartment buildings typically do not.  The main difference between them is that hotels simply rent their rooms out for a few days or weeks, whereas apartment complexes do it on a more semi-permanent basis.  So, the former is considered commercial buildings while the latter usually are not.

Obviously, a leak or other sort of damage to a roof would be detrimental to the operations of a hotel.  If customers have to deal with a leaking ceiling or wet spots in their room, they will probably not be happy.  It is an easy way to lose revenue.

Besides that, though, it could also cause health code violations.  That is why it is so critical to keep an eye on things like that, to avoid costly infractions.  The sooner you take care of them, the less annoying fees you will have to handle in the future.

Warehouses

This type of building usually serves as a storage hub for other businesses – sometimes multiple at once, and sometimes privately owned for use by one.  Generally speaking, they are places of handling package processing and even transport in some cases.  So, clearly, they are an integral part of many types of companies.

If needed repairs are neglected, once again there could be serious issues for the items within the building.  Especially in a warehouse, the stock inside could be damaged or destroyed beyond salvaging depending on how bad the circumstances are.  Obviously, that is not something desirable at all.

Why This All Matters

This may have seemed like a bit of a waste of time, or like I went on for far too long on a tangent, but I wanted to highlight how many different kinds of commercial buildings there are.  I did not even mention all of them – there are still plenty of others.  All of them will probably need services of one kind or another regarding maintaining or repairing their roof.

That is the nature of owning property, as painful it can be to deal with expensive repair bills.  If you do your best to work preventatively, though, typically it can work out a bit better for you.  So, that is part of why I recommend doing so, beyond the other benefits.

Still, no matter what you do, sometimes things happen beyond our control.  Storms, tornadoes, earthquakes – who knows, with the weather patterns right now?  Having professionals in your area that you can fall back on can certainly ease your mind.  If you have not forged a relationship with any local contracts, now might be the time to do so.

As prices rise across the whole country and the world, protecting our property is more important than ever.  Do not let your item stocks get ruined or otherwise compromised.  Check-in on your roof and watch for any damage.

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