Deferring maintenance on your commercial property’s flat roof is an immediate cost-saver that generally has hidden expenses later on. Several conditions may favor putting off flat roof maintenance, but you have to be very careful and selective.
Moving On
Planning to sell a commercial property in the next year? Implement a flat roof maintenance program now from a qualified roofer, like PSI Roofing, only to retain the property’s value for the sale. You recoup almost none of your costs for the low-slope or flat roof maintenance before you vacate the property.
Even if the sale is postponed, costs for any deferred low-slope or flat roof maintenance work can be negotiated with the new owners. They may be willing to absorb some of your costs.
Formula
The National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) has a formula for calculating the value of deferring maintenance. You need five numbers:
- The cost to restore the roof to suitable, safe condition, estimated by your commercial roofer (call this A)
- The number of years your roofing contractor realistically estimates the restoration will add to the roof (call this B)
- The cost to replace the entire roof (C)
- The combined cost of maintenance over the roof’s life (D)
- The design life of the roof (E)
If A divided by B is less than, or equal to, (C+D) divided by E, you will save money by paying for restoration and maintenance now, rather than deferring maintenance.
Cosmetics
Any roofing issues that are purely cosmetic, such as mismatched repairs (in color or material), can usually be deferred. Unless your building’s roof is a prominent part of your corporate presence, few visitors to the roof will care if a patch is made in an unlike membrane, or if the HVAC curb was never painted to match the ballast.
Even the most experienced facilities managers struggle with flat roof maintenance questions. Contact us at PSI Roofing and allow us to offer insights to help with your decision-making.
