There is a lot more to commercial roofing than most people realize. One of the biggest mistakes that a contractor can make is to allow people to build them that like to take shortcuts or do shoddy work. If that roof is not built correctly from the very first day, it will progressively become worse and worse over time and end up having to be replaced – which costs a fortune.

Lasting Quality and Durability

Depending on the type of roof that is built there are a number of things that could be done in a way that will take away from the durability of the roof. For example, if there is a metal roof that is not fit snugly enough where the panels meet it can allow wind to break through areas and cause the pieces of the roof to wear out much quicker than they normally would because there was a weakness in the structure of the roof, to begin with.

The metal roof can last upwards of 20 years without having any issues at all if it is put together correctly in the first place. Especially if it is a quality material that does not allow rust to weaken it.

Where many residential homes that are made out of shingles can come with warranties that last over 40 years, many of the commercial roofing solutions can boast as long of a warranty or even more.

Since commercial roofs can cost upwards of hundreds of millions of dollars to install it is in the best interest of the company that is getting the roof put on to make sure that the people installing the roof know what they are doing so that the roof lasts as long as it possibly can.

If the roof is built with quality materials by a team of professionals that take the time to do the extra work that helps the roof last virtually forever, the company will not have to worry about replacing the roof for a very long time.

Wind, Hail, and Rain

Wind, hail, and rain can be very destructive to a roof and other parts of a structure. One thing about the roof is that if it is properly constructed it will be able to withstand a large amount of wind and rain at the same time without coming apart and causing leaks to go through to the unprotected structure underneath.

The science behind flat commercial roofs is that they are sloped in a way that when the rain comes down in torrents it will never cause flooding up there because of the way that the slopes are created allow the water to flow freely from one area to the next of the roof, then flow effortlessly down a drain and safely to the ground.

The same type of roof can withstand aggressive winds because there is nowhere for the wind drafts to catch and pull up away from the surface. Where some roofs will have shingles that can be blown up and off of the roof, a flat roof will not have anywhere for the wind to get a rip and cause damage.

Even in the cases where commercial buildings are covered with shingles, if they are installed properly and with the care it will be difficult for wind to tear them off of where they are nailed in unless it has been a substantial amount of time. If the roof is old and wasting away, the wind will have a chance at making its way under the shingles and giving a way for them to be ripped off of the place they are tacked into. However, this is if the roof is over 40 years old, if it is installed correctly in the first place.

Hail can come down in large amounts and punish whatever it hits with freezing, driving force. However, roofers that know what they are doing will install a roof in a region that is susceptible to powerful hail storms they will make sure that they do everything that they can to protect the roof from damage by big hailstones.

Of course, there is no way to determine when and where a storm will come from or to know how strong that storm might be so there is always a possibility a roof can be damaged by forces that are beyond control like hurricanes or earthquakes. Not to mention fires and lightning strikes. However, if the commercial roof is built right in the first place, there is a lot better chance of that roof being damaged by violent storms.

The Costs Over Time

In most cases, whether or not the roof is built with quality in mind, there will not be any signs of problems for at least a  couple of years. Especially if it passes all of the initial inspections by the county or whatever agency inspects the job.

Although it will take at least a couple of years to see any damages that might take place because of poor installation practices once they do start showing up, they will start costing a lot of money to stay on top of. Where one little area becomes a problem, there will be plenty more to spring up where that first one came from.

If you take into consideration how much money it will cost to have a commercial roofing contractor come out and assess any damage that could be present, year after year it can add up to big-time dollars.

Think about what happens if the flashings are not properly installed where there are vents or heating and cooling systems. Where there will be damage from the beginning that nobody can see, the damage will continue to progress as time goes by and the small leaks turn into larger problems where the roof is weakened end collapses under its own weight. Whenever the contractor comes out to inspect the damage that is going on, they may or may not realize the entire issue because they could assume that since the roof was only installed within the last couple of years that it can’t be that bad. If the contractor that originally installed the roof is not available although insurance may cover what issues are uncovered, it will not change the fact that the entire roof may have to be torn off and reinstalled.

I each visit from your contractor costs you $5,000 and you have to see them several times a year those costs can add up to literally millions of dollars that would otherwise be saved simply by making sure that the roof was properly installed in the first place.

When Things Are Correct

There should never have to be a conversation about the damages that a poorly constructed roof can cause. Roofers, especially commercial roofers, should never allow a roof to be built in their name that is of poor quality or has any kind of shortcuts during the installation. However, things happen and people can get lazy. If a roof is done correctly in the first place, there will be nothing to worry about by the customer because the roof will be in tip-top shape and ready to go for decades. When the roof is built to last by a professional that cares about their work, it will last as long as they are supposed to, which is a long time.