Roofing: Recover or Replace?
Part 1: Pay Attention to Long-Term Costs When Deciding Whether to Repair or Recover the Roof
Part 2: Moisture Surveys and Roofing Warranties
Part 3: Benefits of a Roof Recovery
Part 4: What Roofing Consultants Can Do For You
What Roofing Consultants Can Do For You
By Lacey Muszynski, Assistant Editor - April 2009
Roofing consultants can help facility executives come to an educated decision regarding what to do with a problematic roof. “Contractors have expertise in removing the materials, architects are knowledgeable in code review, and a roof consultant fills the gap between the two,” says Pat Downey, president, Merik Inc.
Roofing consultants can help with many things on a recover or replacement project. Most importantly, they can determine what type of moisture survey would be best for a particular roof, says Karen Warseck, president, Building Diagnostics Associates. John Willers, president, Rooftop Systems Engineers, agrees. “Let the consultant that’s doing the work pick the method of moisture survey.”
Consultants can also help determine the initial cause of failure of the roof, says Warseck. The existing roof may not have been a good fit for the building in the first place, so covering over it may not solve problems in the long run.
Another factor in a recover project is determining what type of roof to recover with. That becomes critical in terms of weight, says Warseck. “I’ve seen projects where the roof collapsed because they used the wrong type of roofing and overloaded the structural system.”
If a recover is the facility’s best option, roofing consultants can put together a set of bid documents. That ensures the facility executive is comparing apples to apples when it comes time to pick a contractor.
And independent roofing consultants will have the facility’s best interests in mind because that’s their job. They can help facility executives make an educated decision. “If you’re making a decision on a long-term investment with potential incentives,” says Thomas Hutchinson, principal, Hutchinson Design Group, “hiring a roofing consultant is one way to ensure you reap the most benefits.”
