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:

1. How old is/are my roof(s)?
2. Do I have any active leaking?
3. Do I need any repairs to my roof(s)?
4. What type of roof(s) do I have?
5. When is the last time I inspected my roof(s)?
6. How long will my roof(s) last?
7. Should I consider a regular maintenance program for my roof(s)?
8. 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…