Here’s an all-too-common scenario: leaking roofs are the first indication of a problem, and by the time the cause is discovered, warranties have lapsed, and the only option is an expensive, total roof replacement. Letting roofs “run to failure” is costly, disruptive, and can be avoided by taking a proactive “asset management” approach.
Being truly proactive is about continually monitoring your roofs and building envelopes, consistently conducting inspections/diagnostics/ maintenance, and then doing restoration projects before replacement is the only option. And that’s where significant cost savings lie – especially when it comes to your roofs. Roof replacements cost significantly more than roof restoration. And roof replacement projects have greater disruptions, longer project cycle times, and higher labor and material costs, not to mention negative environmental impact and landfill waste.
The following graphic illustrates the difference between the traditional approach versus what we call the “ManagedAssets” approach:
By investing in proactive maintenance, on a scheduled basis, you can avoid the cycle of unplanned leaks and repairs. Whether you have one or many facilities to manage, keeping abreast of maintenance issues alone can be daunting. That’s why AEA awarded vendor Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance and affiliated construction services company Weatherproofing Technologies, Inc. (WTI) offer a unique single-source program to manage your roofing assets for you, long-term. Ultimately, you’ll save money by addressing urgent issues before they necessitate costly replacements. Proper inspections, maintenance, and restoration can, over time, significantly lower your dollars spent per square foot per year. Say you have 20 buildings totaling one million square feet of roofing. If 40% of that inventory is restorable, that'd be 400,000 square feet. At an approximate savings of $15 per square foot with restoration over replacements, you're looking at a savings of $6 million.
The patented three-part program provides expert inventory assessment, prioritized construction, and scheduled maintenance so you know what you have, spend your money wisely, and keep your roofs and building envelopes operational for as long as possible. Here’s how it works.
Maximum Performance: Plan for it
Step 1: Know what you have.
Experts from WTI inspect structural components and underlying conditions, then program their findings into OLI, our comprehensive On-Line Information tool. This may include CAD drawings, specifications, budget plans, recommendations, and more – everything you need for an accurate picture of your roofing inventory that you can use to create plans.
- Number of roofs; retrofits
- Types of roofs and manufacturers, flashing and insulation
- Number and types of penetrations
- Age of roofs
- Conditions of roofs, priority needs
- Warranties and specifications by roof level
- Diagnostics and findings
Step 2. Prioritize what you have.
By ranking your roofs and other building envelope components by their condition and degree of deterioration, you can prioritize necessary projects and decide where and when to allocate resources. Depending upon your needs and budget, your plan may combine maintenance, repairs, restoration, and replacement, eliminating leak repairs as well as costly unplanned system replacements.
- Maintain the good
- Restore the marginal
- Replace only when failed
- Build a 10-20 Year Plan
3. Protect what you have.
With turnkey, single-source post-construction services for your entire building envelope, Tremco enables you to keep your building envelope watertight for a fixed term and at a fixed price by performing these services on a defined schedule. We’ll do this through:
- Performance Warranties – review existing and eligibility of renewals
- Proactive Preventive Maintenance
“Planning for it” and being proactive about maintenance can be a game changer for your facility management expenditures. To learn more, please contact Jake Hill at jhill@tremcoinc.com or Jeremy Yoder at jyoder@tremcoinc.com or call the Des Moines office at 515.208.4241. You may also visit yourroofexperts.com.
As a manufacturer of roofing materials since 1928, Tremco Roofing and Building Maintenance offers a breadth and depth of roofing systems for every environment, and the technical know-how to solve our customers’ biggest problems. And because our affiliated construction services company WTI offers turnkey maintenance, repair, roof management, and general contracting services for the entire building envelope, we have the unique ability to provide a total solution to maximize building performance and our customers’ return on investment. Tremco Roofing and WTI are part of Tremco Construction Products Group. Tremco Roofing/WTI solutions are available through the AEA Cooperative Contract for speed, quality, and compliance. Reference bid # AEPA IFB 021-D.
