7 Tools To Help You Better Manage Your Roofing System In 2013

Preventative Maintenance – Star Program
We live in a world looking for short-term, quick fix solutions. We often compromise the end-goal by taking the road of least resistance. When it comes to our roofs, we frequently have the misconception that if our roofs are not leaking, we don’t need to bother with them. This out-of sight, out-of-mind perspective is one of the root causes for premature roofing failures and increased roofing budgets. The simple fact is that buildings do not get better with age. We’ve all learned that in order to get the maximum service life and utilization out of our hard assets, we need to perform regular and routine maintenance on them. We have learned these lessons in our personal lives with our homes, cars, appliances, lawn mowers, etc. These items last longer and perform better with routine maintenance and care. We have also learned the economic benefits of spending money to make money. Think of the comparison between the $19.95 oil changes in your car versus the $1,995.000 upper engine block replacement because we neglected routine oil changes. The fact is that it is always cheaper to repair and maintain almost anything in a building than it is to replace it. Get started on a cost effective preventative maintenance plan by visiting MyRAMCON.com and see the details.

Tenant Improvement Program
Whenever buildings are leased, owners and managers must deal with a whole range of issues. Tenant improvements can be one of the most difficult. It’s surprising how many roof leaks occur as a result of tenant improvements. This is because roof penetrations that are installed during tenant improvements are often done improperly. Quite often, problems don’t develop until much later. Sometimes the tenant has moved out before the problem is discovered...trust us, RAMCON fully understands this situation. To help avoid headaches, we’ve developed a program that can help. We call this simply our Tenant Improvement Program. There are several advantages in establishing this type of program. The most obvious is that you are assured that the roof will be sealed properly. When RAMCON is involved, “the buck stops here”. You don’t have to worry about going back to the tenant to recover the cost of repairing the problem later; it’s done right the first time. For more information, places to direct your tenants or letter templates to send to your clients informing them of the requirement of using your roofer for any roof work, visit ramconroofing.com/tenant-improvement-program.htm

Set Up Your Client Portal
Take control of your roofing investment and streamline your roof management. With your free portal, you can see every invoice, photograph, work order and much more from any computer, tablet or smartphone. Report leaks directly into the RAMCON system and track them until completion with live time updates. When storms wreak havoc, all the information you need is right at your fingertips and RAMCON can respond immediately. Visit MyRAMCON.com to set up your portal or contact us anytime.

Protect Roof Around Your Mechanical Units
1,293. That’s the number of punctures or damage areas to your roofing systems we repaired in 2012 as a direct result of damage from HVAC work at, and/or near, the access panel of the HVAC unit. Install walkway pads around the service side of the HVAC units and we can help you eliminate 95% of these problems! Also, RAMCON can provide free stickers to apply to your mechanical units that warn your venders that they will be back charged for damage resulting from their actions (a little reminder never hurt anyone!) To learn more about surface protection and to get the free stickers, visit ramconroofing/membrane-protection.htm.

Use Your Manufacturer’s Warranty
You paid good money for your Warranty from the manufacturer…be sure to use it and protect it. When you have a roof leak and your roof is under warranty, there is a good chance that the manufacturer is liable and not you! Therefore, contact the manufacturer after you call RAMCON and tell them you have a roof leak and they’ll send us the required paperwork so they can eat the cost…not you. To assist, we have a dedicated page that shows you the ‘ins and outs’ of contacting practically ever manufacturer in existence. Visit ramconroofing.com/reportleaktomanufacturer.htm.

Accurate Budgeting Projections
‘Educated Guess’ and ‘Shot in the Dark’ are probably familiar terms to describe many owners and managers gut feeling when finally arriving at the bottom line figure for your roofing budget. It’s perfectly understandable, given the fact the roof is constantly evolving and roof budgeting is not an exact science. Good news is, we can help. We have dedicated teams who do nothing but comprehensive evaluations (free for our clients!) that will help you arrive at ‘exact’ numbers using historical documentation and live time condition updates. We’ll get you closer than you’ve ever been and show you ways to minimize the costs. Some pay thousands for a ‘educated guess’. We’ll get you even closer for free.

Take Advantage Of Our Thermal Imaging Capabilities
$1,716.00. $2,100.00. $2,450.00. Those are three prices we received in June 2012 to do a thermal infrared survey to identify moisture points in a roofing systems. Here’s the truth: we really didn’t need the service. We have our own Thermal IR Survey team with the latest infrared technology and we can help you out for absolutely free. From targeting nagging leaks, to identifying saturated insulation points and much more, RAMCON brings the complete package to your roof top. Just another added benefit of being a RAMCON client. Visit ramconroofing.com/thermal-roof-surveys.htm to learn more.

Asset Management Programs Make Roofs Last

No one ever wants to think about replacing a roof before the end of its expected life. But that may be exactly what happens when you don’t think enough about the roof.

Instead of managing the roof as an asset, too often people ignore the roof until a leak develops. This sort of neglect is far from benign: It can shorten the life of the roof, disrupt business operations and increase costs. The cornerstone of effective roof asset management is getting timely information about the roof, then acting on it to prevent small problems from becoming big ones. And the key to achieving those goals is a commitment to regular maintenance.

Best Bang For Your Buck
Regular maintenance is a key ingredient in the long-term performance of any roof. In many cases, the difference between a roof that meets or exceeds its rated service life and one that fails prematurely is simply maintenance. But the benefits of good roof maintenance don’t end there. A comprehensive roof maintenance program will minimize the need for emergency repairs, reduce damage to the building structure and finishes, and help maintain a safe and healthy working environment for building occupants. It’s been estimated that for every $1 spent on a comprehensive roof maintenance program, $3 - $5 is saved through reduced emergency repairs, interior damage, energy conservation and extended roof life.

Unfortunately, few organizations take a proactive approach to roof maintenance. Instead, leaks and roof failures determine maintenance performed on a roof. As a result, the focus of roof maintenance is replacement, not repair.

We all agree that good maintenance is the key to long service lives for roofs. This makes inspections vital, as regularly conducted roof inspections are critical to determining what maintenance needs to be performed.

So this year, make an effort to pro-actively manage your roofing system. If you call RAMCON, we’ll inspect the roof free and help develop a proactive management program that will show a proven ROI. You’ll know what you have, what it will take to maintain it and estimated lifetime savings.

Stretching Roof Life

One of the most difficult problems facing facility executives is getting the most out of their facility’s roofs. Why all the trouble with roofs? Part of it is due to the environment in which roofs must function. They are exposed to wind, rain, snow, hail, sunshine and birds and other animals. They must withstand temperature swings from well below freezing to over 180 degrees. They serve as a platform for building mechanical systems that can vibrate, inducing stress failures in roofing components, and they must survive foot traffic from maintenance personnel and building occupants.

With the strain that roofs are routinely exposed to, combined with the expense of roof replacement, it is logical to think that roofs would be a focus of attention for facility executives. In some facilities they are, and those executives have found that by following a comprehensive program for managing roof assets, they can lower life-cycle costs for roofs while reducing the frequency of leaks and emergency repairs.

But not all roofs are managed. Less than half of building owners ever file a claim against their roof’s warranty even though most roofs experience some problems during the warranty period. And many of those who do file a claim have it voided because they have not been doing the tasks necessary to maintain the warranty.

The difference between these two groups is how they view the roof. The group of facility executives that are successful in lowering roof costs view the roof as an asset to be managed. The others view the roof as a maintenance expense, focusing on replacing rather than managing.

Roof asset management is a process that begins with a thorough understanding of the installed roofing system. This is best derived from a comprehensive roof inspection. Evaluation of the inspection report along with data from subsequent inspections is used to develop a schedule and budget for major roof repairs and replacements.

The Benefits
One of the most significant benefits of managing roofs as an asset is that doing so will extend the life of the roof. While it will take money to perform the tasks required, asset management programs will result in roofs that typically last 25% to 50% longer. In some cases, they can even double the service life of a roof. The cost of setting up and operating the roof asset management program is typically recovered if the roof life is extended by only one year. Extended service lives beyond that first year will greatly reduce the life-cycle cost of the facility’s roof inventory.

Roof asset management also reduces roof maintenance costs. One of the reasons why maintenance costs for roofs are so high is that they often are performed on an emergency basis. When a leak or other problem with the roof occurs, it typically happens when the weather is less than ideal. Roof maintenance personnel are called in, sometimes on an emergency basis, and temporary repairs are made. Later, when conditions allow, they return and make the permanent repairs. Not only have there been two service calls, but damage to the roof, and possibly the building’s interior, has taken place.

A roof asset management program will not eliminate all emergency repairs, but it will reduce their frequency. And by identifying problems and taking action to correct them before they develop into leaks, the program will reduce damage to the roof and the building.

Another benefit of the program is better allocation of funds for roof repair and replacement. Many roofs are replaced before it is necessary to do so. Recurring leaks, surface deterioration, storm and wind damage combine to make facility executives think that it is necessary to replace a roof when routine maintenance and repair will extend the life of the roof. By implementing an asset management program, facility executives will have the information to determine if relatively minor repairs will correct the problem or if the roof is approaching the end of its life and requires replacement.

Realistic Budgets
Roof asset management programs allow managers to budget for roof replacement on a basis of need, not crisis. Replacement funds are usually used on the roof that is believed to be in the worst condition at the moment, but by establishing the condition of all roofs in all facilities, executives can set priorities based on real — not perceived — needs.

A major complaint from facility executives is that roof warranties are complicated and sometimes misleading. While it is true that it is difficult to process warranty claims with some installers, many denials of warranty claims are a result of the owner failing to conduct inspections and perform routine maintenance tasks required by the warranty.

Staying on Top
Treating roofs as assets will provide financial and performance returns for those willing to make the investment. But roof asset management is not a collect-and-forget system. It is a process. To be effective, keep up with the collecting, assessing and updating of data. The time and effort are well worth it.

Roof Management Decisions

Rare is the organization in which roofing funds flow like water. Most maintenance and engineering managers face the quandary of too many roof problems for the money available. The problem might well be a lack of money, but it could it also be the lack of a coherent roof management plan.

Most managers in commercial and institutional facilities agree, in theory, that regular inspections are an essential part of a roof asset management program. They also would recognize and agree with the basic roof management tenet that regular inspections and routine maintenance reduce ownership costs, reduce leak frequency and severity, extend roof life, and reduce management inefficiencies.

But, in practice, by the time many organizations think about starting a roof management plan, they need a roof replacement program. The opportunities to maintain and repair have been supplanted by the obligation to fund and implement roof replacements.

If organizations can extend the life of each roof under management one year, they break even on the roof management plan costs. If they can extend each roof by two or three years, the plan can reduce roof expenditures by a multiple of its costs.

So why don’t all organizations have a viable roof inspection and maintenance plan? Is it inertia or a fear of the unknown? It’s hard to fathom. What is that even a minimal plan is better than no plan. The best advice for managers is to get started now.

Action Steps to Take
It’s time to call RAMCON to get up on the roofs and perform a condition assessment. No roof can be managed appropriately without first knowing the roof’s history and then understanding its current condition. Managers can best obtain current roof condition by scheduling this roof assessment.

How often an organization needs to perform various tasks associated with a roof PM program depends on the roof’s age and condition, environmental influences, rooftop traffic, occupancy sensitivity, size and roof accessibility.

The information gathered during an inspection does no good if it sits on a shelf accumulating dust. Managers need to study the information, as it will help identify opportunities to make repairs, conduct maintenance or anticipate re-roofing. Formulating a plan will help managers communicate better with upper management, the roofing contractor and maintenance staff.

Perhaps the most important goal of all is to avoid having a roof replaced before its design life is reached or having to perform emergency repairs at the least opportune time. To avoid letting a good roof sit neglected and doomed to early failure, managers can begin the effort with a well-devised roof inspection and maintenance plan.