Your commercial building requires regular roof inspections and specialized care to prevent costly repairs and keep it safe for your employees and customers. It’s vital to reach out to the right roofing experts for inspections. Residential roofers’ experience and expertise are vastly different than those of commercial roofers. Here’s why commercial roof inspections are unique, and you need a local company with commercial roofing experience to perform them.
Commercial Roofs Are Structurally Different Than Residential Roofs
Residential roofs are pitched, and there’s far less roofing to cover, making residential roof inspections fairly easy compared to commercial ones. Commercial roofs, on the other hand, are generally flat or low slope. This change in structure requires commercial roofers to look more carefully at membranes, scuppers, and drains. They know about pooling water and other common issues that commercial roofs experience. A strictly residential roofer may not know how to conduct a comprehensive commercial roof inspection to catch potential issues.
Commercial Roofs Have More Equipment and Systems to Evaluate
A commercial roof inspection is far more complex than a residential one. A residential roof generally has some vents and a chimney. Residential roofers will look at these areas to ensure there’s no damage in the surrounding area. A commercial property has a lot more equipment on its roof, such as heavy HVAC systems and complicated venting and pipe systems. Commercial roofers need to look at these areas more closely to guarantee there’s no damage, no matter how minimal.
Commercial Roofs Need Inspecting More Often Than Residential Ones
A residential roof typically requires an annual inspection to guarantee that everything’s in good shape. Commercial roofs typically demand two inspections a year. If you’re working with a roofer with no prior commercial experience, the schedule they create may not meet your unique needs. It might potentially allow small issues to develop into larger ones.
The Makeup of Commercial Roofs Is Fundamentally Different
Residential roofs use specific materials to protect the property. For example, residential roofs might consist of metal, asphalt, or ceramic. But commercial roofs employ vastly different materials, such as EPDM, PVC, and TPO. You need a roofer who knows how to assess their state and quality correctly to inspect a commercial roof.
You can’t just reach out to any roofer to do a commercial roof inspection. Commercial roofs are structured differently and utilize different materials, so roofing experts need to know how to inspect them properly. Reach out to us at Don Kennedy Roofing, Inc. in Nashville, TN for commercial roofing inspection, repair, and installation.