Blog - Stephen McLaughlin Roofing Consultant

February 28, 2013June 6, 2017

Why Building Owners and Managers Should Consider their Roofs an Asset:

Why Building Owners and Managers Should Consider their Roofs an Asset:

The cost of performing a Roof Replacement project has and will continue to increase. The industry is directly affected by the petroleum industry price structure. The cost of petroleum based materials, combined with the cost of insurance, transportation, wages, benefits and other business costs has resulted in significant increases in your Roofing Systems value. The Roof of your facility is now expensive enough to be managed as an Asset. A good Roofing Consultant will act as an Asset Manager for your Roofing Systems. In the end, a good Roofing Consultant will design and implement a Roofing Maintenance Program that will extend the Service Life of your Roofing Asset(s).

A $1,000,000.00 roof is not very big in today’s roofing market. A $1,000,000.00 roof can be less than 60,000 square feet. A new roof on a 1500 square foot house can cost in excess of $10,000.00!

If a building manager considers his/her roofs an asset, one will take care of that asset. A managed roofing system may offer as much as 5 additional years of in place service over an un-managed roofing system. If you can maintain a 23 year old roof and extend the service life to 26 or even 30 years, the savings can be huge. If one can set aside $200,000.00 for each of the 5 additional years to reach the $1,000,000.00 cost, is it not worth spending $30,000.00 per year to MAINTAIN your ASSET and extend the roofs life for the 5 years?

The best way to develop a Roofing Maintenance Program is to find a Good Roofing Consultant to Evaluate your roofs and develop and implement a Roofing Maintenance Program.

February 26, 2013June 6, 2017

How do I find a good Roofing Consultant for larger facilities?

How do I find a good Roofing Consultant for larger facilities?

Today’s post is a follow-up to the last post; How do I find a good Roofing Consultant?

So, how do I find a good Roofing Consultant for the Physical Plant Manager of larger facilities such as Hospitals; Colleges; Universities; Secular and other Institutions?

For the Physical Plant Manager of these larger institutions, you know the value of a leak proof roof. Often, the managers of multiple building facilities do not have extensive knowledge of roofing systems and issues. There are a tremendous variety of roofing systems and materials and membranes and insulations… It is amazing what changes have taken place in the Roofing Industry.

For those managers of the older Historic buildings likely have “Traditional Roofing” or slate, tile or metal roofing systems. You may have “Traditional Roofing” systems interfacing with the modern polymer based roofing systems.

In our last post, we discussed that a Roofing Consultant should bring a well rounded knowledge and experience to a building Owner/Manager. Some roofing consultants may specialize in Low Slope roofing systems and may not offer Steep and/or historic roof consulting services. Other firms may specialize in steep sloped and historic or “Traditional Roofing” systems.

To locate the right Roofing Consultant for your specific needs you must identify what services you require. If you manage multiple buildings, such as a School District or a College campus, it is possible that you manage 15+ buildings. Imagine the following scenario: Of those 15 plus buildings, 5 are steep slope. They look like shingles. You have no idea how old they are. You have no idea what condition they are in. Of the remaining 10+ buildings, all are low slope. One is black, one has rocks, one looks like it is blowing in the wind and you have never seen the other ones.

You have no idea how old the individual roofs are. You do know that you have called the local roofing contractor more often this year than the last few. He is an honest guy and he just told you that your roof is showing signs that it won’t last much longer! That roof is huge! You have not prepared for such a large expenditure. There is no room in the budget for the next 2 years. This year we have contracted to replace the boiler plant. Next year we break ground on the new building. If we replace the roof in the third year, we will not have any money to keep operations going.

Now what do we do?

In all but the most dire of situations, a good Roofing Consultant should be able to prepare a Roofing Maintenance Program that is designed to extend the Service Life and maximize your roofing system(s) Life Expectancy. In short, a good consultant should be able to specify a repair program to buy the time until a total roof failure becomes eminent.

If you are a building manager, facility engineer, or a professional who is responsible for the life and integrity of a building and have a roofing concern, please contact us via our website by clicking HERE

February 19, 2013June 6, 2017

Steve McLaughlin Roofing Consultant Update 2/19/13

Steve McLaughlin Roofing Consultant Update 2/19/13

Today I want to give you a little update on the projects I am currently working on and what’s happening at Steve McLaughlin Roofing Consultant.

Thomas Wynne Apartment Complex

Interestingly enough, the roofs on this apartment complex are called “inverted” or “green” roofs. Inverted roofs are basically what they sound like – a roofing system where the typical exterior of the roof is below a form of water proof insulation. These are low slope roofs and are most commonly found on plazas and underground garages and can also be found on the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia (another SMRC project). See more pictures of the Thomas Wynne Apartment Complex: HERE

University of Pennsylvania – Arch Building

Our next big project is the Arch building. It was built in 1927-29 and was purchased by the University of Pennsylvania within the last 10 years. The roof on this building is more traditional and historic. It is a natural slate and copper roof combined with EPDM or rubber roofing over concrete plank deck. See more pictures of the Arch Building: HERE

Washington’s Crossing State Park

The last big project I’m going to mention today is interesting because of the history behind the site. This is a historical site because in 1776 General Washington and his men crossed the Delaware River and went on to Trenton, NJ to defeat the Hessians. We are responsible for the Evaluation, roof replacement design, contract administration services of 11 buildings plus each outbuilding. See more pictures of Washington’s Crossing: HERE

February 12, 2013June 6, 2017

How do I find a good Roofing Consultant?

How do I find a good Roofing Consultant?

Roofing Consultants are relatively easy to find with the right Google search or Yellow Page Ad, but what these don’t do is tell you how to find the good ones. That is the purpose of this post, whether you are a homeowner and/or a building manager, property manager or anyone else responsible for keeping the roof over the heads of your family, tenants or customers.

(It should also be noted that this post is a follow-up to our original article What is a Commercial Roof?)

So…How do I find a good Roofing Consultant?

First, one must ask…..What makes a good Roofing Consultant?

In short, a good Roofing Consultant should be able to manage all of your Roofing Systems and be able to determine the cost effectiveness of Repairing vs. Replacing your Roof. When your Roof is close to the end of its Serviceable Life, determined through the Evaluation process, a good Roofing Consultant will offer a quality Roofing Design that specifies the best Roofing System that fits within the Owner’s budget.

Let me explain what value a Roofing Consultant should provide:

A Roofing Consultant will bring to a building Owner/Manager, a well rounded knowledge and experience. Some roofing consultants may specialize in Low Slope roofing systems and may not offer Steep and/or historic roof consulting services. Other firms may specialize in steep sloped and historic or “Traditional Roofing” systems.

To determine what Roofing Consultant is best for you, you must be sure the services offered by the Roof Consultant that you interview will meet your needs.

The years of experience in the roofing industry and knowledge of multiple roofing systems are also key factors in your selection.

Roofing Consultants will offer some, if not all of the following services to the Building Owner and/or Building Manager:

Leak Investigations;
Forensic Roof Investigations;
Infrared Thermographic Surveys;
Electronic Vectoring Leak detection;
Roof Evaluation Services;
Exterior Building Envelope Assessments;
Roof Replacement Design Services;
Project Management and Contract Administration Services are the services most requested.

The best place to start your search for a Good Roofing Consultant should begin within your own network of business Owners. Their experience and/or Roofing Nightmares may steer you in the direction of a Good Roofing Consultant. If your network does not lead you to a good roofing consultant, RCI Incorporated is a good place to locate a qualified roofing consultant.

The RCI Incorporated, on its own website, rci-inc.org states:

RCI, Incorporated is an international association of professional consultants, architects, and engineers who specialize in the specification and design of roofing, waterproofing and exterior wall systems.

Follow stevemclaughlin.biz for our roof blog.

In my next post:

“How do I find a good Roofing Consultant for the Physical Plant Manager of larger facilities such as Hospitals; Colleges; Universities; Secular and other Institutions?”

For topic requests and/or specific questions, see our future post on the concept of managing your roofing systems as an Asset as opposed to an Expense.

Including:

The development of Short Term and Long Term Plans to manage your Roofing Asset. And: Develop and implement an “Asset Management Program” for your Roofing Asset.

December 5, 2012June 6, 2017

Why you need clean roof drains NOW

With the autumn season coming near, the trees drop their leaves and the organic debris gathers in the corners of your parapet walls and surround your roof drain strainers. The temperatures are dropping and we are feeling the onset of sub-freezing temperatures. When the leaves and debris are surrounding your drain strainers they will get wet when it rains. The leaves and debris will freeze around your strainers and in your gutters thus inhibiting drainage.

The reason that you have to clean your roof drains and gutters now is simple. When it begins to rain or snow, the melt water cannot efficiently drain the roof. As dusk nears, the temperatures drop causing further icing at the drain strainers. If a significant snow event occurs, the melt water will build up and overload the roof (structure). This condition, in a worst case scenario, could lead to compromising the structure.

As a general note, ALL Building Owners should walk their low slope roofs a minimum of 4 times a year to verify that the drains are clear of obstructions. This time can also be used to look for damage to the roof since the last inspection. What? You mean that you have not inspected your roof lately?

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

We want to hear from you about how often you inspect your buildings’ roof drains/gutters. Kindly submit your answer in the form below:

Stay tuned next week as we answer the next logical question:

How do I find a good Roofing Consultant?

November 13, 2012June 6, 2017

What is a Commercial Roof?

What is a Commercial Roof?

@amyvarg on Twitter asked us a great question the other day:

What is a commercial roof?

Answer: A commercial roof is a generic term for all non-residential roofing. It includes steep (> 3” rise in 12 feet) and low slope (< 3” rise in 12 feet) roofing applications, no matter the size: from strip malls to universities to skyscrapers.

The term “Commercial Roofing” is used to allow Facility Managers, Physical Plant Directors, Property Managers and Building Owners to differentiate between residential and non-residential roofing contractors.

Now that you understand what a commercial roof is, a typical question we often get is:

I do have a commercial roof and I have determined (by visual observation) that my roof is either low slope or steep slope, what do I do now?

The answer, however, requires more research. A series of questions are now pertinent.

A Facility Manager, Physical Plant Director, Property Manager or Building Owner should answer the following questions:

How old is/are my roof(s)?
Do I have any active leaking?
Do I need any repairs to my roof(s)?
What type of roof(s) do I have?
When is the last time I inspected my roof(s)?
How long will my roof(s) last?
Should I consider a regular maintenance program for my roof(s)?
How much will it cost to replace my roof(s)?

The answers to these questions usually illustrate the fact that the vast majority of people know almost nothing about roofs beyond the fact that they are intended to keep the weather outside!

The answers to the first 2 questions may help to answer some of the others. The answers to numbers 4, 5 and 8 may be located in your records from when the roof was installed. A manufacturer’s guaranty will give you the projected life expectancy of your roof as well as the age and cost.

Now that you have gathered your data, you may ask the following:

What do I do now?

Answer: The answers to this question may not necessarily be determined without a roof inspection. This is where a Roofing Consultant may be the person to help.

Of course this often leads to the next question:

How do I find a good Roofing Consultant?

For the answer to this question, and more generic roofing comments, follow our future blog posts…