You may have been told that your leaky and troublesome commercial roof can’t be saved and you now need to spend the money for a tear off and roof replacement. Unfortunately, many facility managers receive bad advice and needlessly replace their roofs prematurely, throwing away years of useful life.
Rather than tearing off your existing roof and replacing it with a new commercial roof system, it may be possible to leave the roof in place. After commercial roof repairs where needed, the roof is resurfaced to extend its life and improve its appearance. As a leading commercial roofing company in Ohio, we offer a number of solutions to recover aging roofs.
Roof restoration can save around 50% of the cost of a tear off and replacement. Along with significant cost savings, restoration can also come with reduced downtime for your business and sustainability benefits. Before making a big decision about commercial roof repair or replacement, make sure you have all of the facts.
The Benefits of Recovering Your Commercial Roof
New commercial roof installation is expensive and best avoided if your existing roof can be restored. Here’s why it pays to investigate whether roof recovery is an option for your roof:
— Cost savings. Depending on the materials, a new roof may cost $18 to $22 or more per square foot. Because it comes with less labor and materials, recovering your roof can cost just $6 to $9 per square foot.
— Tax benefits. Commercial roof installation is considered a capital expense but roof recovery is considered a maintenance expense. This means you will likely pay less taxes with maintenance thanks to business tax deductions.
— Extended life. Your commercial roof may last for around 20 years with maintenance. Restoration of your roof can add another 10 to 15 years to defer costly replacement.
— Sustainable. Restoration is the sustainable choice that helps keep roofing materials out of landfills. It can also increase your building’s energy efficiency to qualify for LEED and Energy Star credits.
— Reduces shutdown. No business wants to face costly shutdowns to replace the roof, especially since roof replacement can take many days or weeks. Roof recovery is a far faster process that reduces the impact on your business.
Is Your Roof a Candidate for Restoration?
Roof restoration is virtually always preferable to roof replacement when it’s possible. Of course, sometimes a roof is simply too far gone to recover. This is why it’s always best to have your roof inspected once a year and plan for restoration before the damage gets too bad. A thorough inspection will determine whether your roof is a good candidate for restoration. As a general rule, your roof needs to be in fairly good condition overall with no decay or moisture problems. If your roof has had leaks, it can still be recovered but the leaks will need to be addressed and any damaged flashing will also need to be fixed.
Not sure if your roof qualifies for roof restoration? Contact our commercial roofing contractors to schedule an assessment of your roof.