Minnesota and Wisconsin storms can be unforgiving. From thunder and lightning, to high winds, to heavy rains and hail of all sizes, to tornado conditions, you want to be confident that your commercial roof can stand up to the punishment.
Scheduling a professional roof inspection after any storm is a good way to make sure your roof continues to hold up after a severe weather event.
Sure, you can choose to survey the damage yourself and decide what repairs you need. But hiring a professional roofing technician will save you time and money down the road. With their knowledge and experience, roofing technicians can spot problems easily, and recommend the right solutions.
What goes into a Professional Roof Inspection?
During a professional roof inspection, a roofing technician will come out to your location and survey the roof for signs of damage. They'll let you know if your roof needs any emergency repairs.
A visual inspection will reveal problems like:
- Ponding water due to clogged roof drains or scuppers
- Cracks/holes in the membrane from hail or damaging winds
- Areas of loose membrane from high wind events
- Damage to any areas of flashing
The technician will also be on the lookout for damage that isn’t so obvious. They’ll check your penetrations, downspouts, the roof’s edge, parapet walls, and more.
After the inspection, they’ll provide recommendations for either repair or re-roofing, depending on the condition of your roof.
If you still think that you can inspect your own commercial flat roof, here are the top five benefits of letting a professional handle it for you.
5 Benefits of Having a Professional Roof Inspection After a Storm
1. It will save you money down the road.
Unless the storm seriously damages your flat roof, the recommended repairs should be minor. You may need to repair any holes or tears in your roof’s waterproof membrane, replace flashing, or repair seams that are coming apart.
Compare that to the enormous cost required to make serious repairs, caused by such problems as roof leaks.
It’s easy for small leaks to go unnoticed by non-professionals. Imagine: destroyed drywall, molded insulation, and a fried electrical system, all thanks to a missed or ignored roof leak.
With a professional inspection (and routine roof maintenance), you can rest easy knowing that you won’t have any unpleasant surprises lying in wait for you down the line.
2. Professionals take the guesswork out of roof damage.
As we said before, you can certainly survey your own flat roof after a storm. You can do your research, make a list of damages, and call a roofing company to make the repairs you think you need.
But, commercial flat roofing isn’t something you can afford to get wrong. It’s a huge investment from the outset, so there’s a lot of money (and time) at stake. To risk that investment because you want to try and do the work of a professional probably isn’t the best idea.
Take the guesswork out of the inspection process and call the professionals. They’ll be able to tell you exactly what repairs you need.
And, if anything was missed, or any problems arise after the repairs, you can usually call them out again and have them fix the issue free of charge.
3. Handle emergency roof repairs before they become health hazards.
Money aside, if emergency repairs aren’t made within an appropriate time frame, they can easily get out of hand.
For example, the most common concerns after a severe storm are usually leaks.
Left unattended, a small roof leak can soak through the frame of your building, as if into a sponge. This would weaken the integrity of the structure, putting everyone in the building at risk.
Furthermore, if water soaks into the drywall and insulation, it will eventually begin to mold.
Mold can cause a myriad of health problems for you and your employees, including wheezing, sore throat, headaches, memory loss, allergic reactions, and asthma.
With a professional roof inspection, emergency repairs can be made right away. (And, liability for employee health issues will be nothing but a bad dream.)
4. Roof inspections make filing an insurance claim easy.
Some of the damages done by severe storms won’t be immediately noticeable. If you inspect your roof yourself, you’ll likely miss them. By the time you see the effects of these damages, weeks or months may have passed.
Of course, the longer it takes for you to notice damages, the more difficult it will be to convince your insurance company to reimburse you.
But, if you hire a professional roofing company to inspect your roof immediately after the storm, filing an insurance claim will be a piece of cake. You can request a detailed report of the damage from the inspector, including an estimated cost of repair, and attach it to your claim.
A professional damage report will make your insurance company more amenable to covering the cost of any repairs.
5. An inspection will extend the life of your commercial roof.
At the end of the day, you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your investment. While most flat roofs are under warranty, replacing your entire roof on account of ignored damage is a hassle that no one wants to deal with. (Not to mention the financial loss and work interruption that your business would likely suffer during the replacement process.)
It’s also important to remember that if your roof needs replacement because of neglect, your warranty may not cover the cost.
A professional roof inspection will help make sure your roof doesn’t need to be replaced until its life expectancy is up.
Do the smart thing: Schedule an inspection with Roof Tech
At Roof Tech, we’re on top of your business! Our skilled technicians will conduct a thorough inspection of your commercial roof and provide recommendations for repair or a complete re-roofing, based on the condition of your roof and your individual needs and budget.
If your commercial roof has weathered a significant storm, contact Roof Tech today to request a professional roof inspection. We look forward to keeping your building and business safe.
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