Roof MaintenanceKeeping it covered

Roof Maintenance

Keeping it covered

By Rick Dodge

Roofmaintenance is one of the most overlooked issues of a building project, yet it's thesimplest maintenance to perform. Like most other major purchases, such as a car or yourhome, in order to increase the life of the product, periodic maintenance is required.

When was the last time you inspected the roof of your self-storage facility? Whether itis a built-up system (tar and gravel) or a metal roof, inspections are very important toincreasing the life of the roof. These inspections are just as important as changing theoil in your car, or visiting the dentist or medical doctor for physicals.

The fact is most property owners or managers do not maintain their roofs properly,causing the rapid decrease in life cycle of the roof. It then just wears out before itstime. Some of the simple areas of a roof to inspect are as follows:

Built-Up Roofs

Thru-Fastener Metal Roofs (Screw-Down Panels)

Standing-Seam Metal Roofs

Regardless ofwhat type of roof your facility has, the most common and overlooked area for problems arethe gutters and downspouts. Customer debris, soda cans and leaves are the biggest cause ofwater-drainage restrictions. Downspout exits become blocked and the water backs up mostoften into the building at the eaves.

For roofs that have seen time pass them by, there is a solution: retrofit roofing.Retrofit roofing (re-roof over the existing roof) can be a salvation to replacementroofing as well as enhancing your facility for appearance and value. These systems aregenerally lightweight and add very little dead load to your existing structure. Thesetypes of roofs also add positive drainage, which can decrease further deterioration to oldroofs and erosion to your building. Some other advantages include the following:

Retrofitroofing most commonly utilizes standing-seam metal roof panels, which install by the useof clips, eliminating the need for exposed fasteners. These types of roofs are nowstandard for most self-storage facilities, which will increase your facility value byupgrading to more recent standards.

Retrofit roofing is affordable and can be phased into a project over time withoutcreating undue pressure on the wallet. Since most self-storage projects have multiplebuildings, retrofitting one or two at a time can help defray costs. This also allows youto prioritize your roof problems and resolve the most serious ones first.

Basic re-roof costs start at approximately $2.25 per square foot. This would providefor a new slope of at least 1/4:12 with light-gauge framing members attached to yourexisting building, galvalume standing-seam roof panel system, and pre-painted flashingssuch as gutters, downspouts and gable trim. Other considerations must be made forparapets, roof steps and roof penetrations such as HVAC units, firewalls and vent pipes.Insulation can also be added for buildings with climate-control units or those to beconverted to climate control. Product warranties are generally for 20 years andinstallation warranties vary depending on vendor.

Don't wait for your roof to be a problem. Inspect it periodically and develop a programfor maintenance. This will increase your project life expectancy and provide the highrewards you expected.

Rick Dodge is vice president of sales and operations for Rib-Roof Inc., aRossville, Tenn.-based manufacturer of metal-roofing systems, retrofit-roofing systems andlight-gauge building systems for the self-storage industry. The company's services includedesign, engineering and nationwide installation. For more information, call (800)876-9062; www.ribroof.com.