Make a Roof Last With Maintenance

If you think you can put a new low-slope roof on a building and then it’s out of sight, out of mind, think again. A roof should not be ignored; in fact, it needs to be maintained regularly in order to protect your investment.

Proper maintenance can potentially add years to a roof’s life, uncover minor problems before they become major issues, and save an owner money in the long run. Here are more reasons it’s important to have a maintenance program and how property owners can manage it and keep track of their service:

Most building owners make the wise decision to require a comprehensive manufacturer-backed NDL guarantee to ensure their new roof is protected against leaks. Depending on the system and guarantee, it could provide up to 35 years of coverage to a newly installed roof. Roof maintenance programs pay for themselves in the long run. It’s comparable to spending $20 on regular oil changes for your car or waiting to get a bill for a $2,000 engine replacement. Small fixes will cost a fraction over neglecting the roof and shelling out thousands of dollars to pay for significant repairs.

In addition, a leak doesn’t just affect the roof. Water damage can affect the building’s interior tile, walls, flooring, furnishings, fixtures, office equipment, inventory, and electrical systems. Hidden costs include lost revenue and income, lawsuits, slip and fall accidents, mold problems, and employee productivity issues. All of these consequential damages add up and can easily wreck an annual maintenance budget.

To protect a building’s roofing system, here is a list of steps that a building owner should perform:

Maintain records. Keep on file the guarantee, inspection reports, repair and maintenance bills, and original construction specs and invoices.

Conduct routine inspections at least once per year. (although, spring and fall are optimal). Inspect after severe weather. Don’t wait for a leak to appear; go out after a hailstorm, heavy rain, and high wind and check for yourself.

Repair correctly. In order to protect the warranty, make sure repairs are performed by an authorized contractor and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for repair and installation.

Always remove debris from the roof. Leaves, branches, rocks, and trash can cause a safety hazard and harm the roofing system.

Keep metal in good condition. Examine all the flashings for rust, damage, or deterioration, as these are common points for water entry.

Make sure masonry is in good condition. Examine walls for cracks, loose stones, or deteriorated sealant.

Maintain rooftop equipment. Check out air conditioners, vents, duct work, skylights, satellite dishes, and antennas. Eliminate spills of coolant, oils, or grease and repair if necessary.

Minimize rooftop traffic. Long-term traffic can wear out a roof and cause damage. Maintain a rooftop log so you know who has been on the roof from other trades.

Ways to Increase Your Impact on the Community

As a contractor, you are a member of the community. You live and work in the area and have a unique opportunity to form relationships and make a difference in your neighborhood. Here are some ways to boost your visibility, position yourself as being socially responsible, and commit yourself to helping to build the local community:

Partner with Habitat for Humanity to build and renovate affordable homes for families in need. Contractors who participate receive access to special logos for marketing their affiliation with the organization.

Become a Certified Green Roofer™, a designation that recognizes environmental leaders. This program enhances your positioning as an environmentally responsible contractor. All you need to do is commit to recycling shingles and to the sustainability of your roofing business, and become certified to sell and distribute Green Roofs.

Participate in programs to bring local communities and contractors together to help families in need. Where local citizens can nominate a family in need to win a new roof. Your company can then delegate the winner of the prized free roof and continue to run nominations once a month.


All of these programs will not only help your business and increase your credibility in the community, but will make you feel good about stepping up and making a difference.

Tips for Hiring the Right Roofing Contractor

The biggest obstacle homeowners face when looking to fix or replace their roof is choosing the right person to do the job. After a damaging storm, they need to quickly get back to normal and get the necessary roofing repairs completed. But that doesn’t mean they should just choose the first contractor who knocks on their door.

Finding a contractor who is trustworthy, honest, and professional may sound difficult – but that’s where you come in. Contractors should share these 10 important tips with homeowners to show them that your company is reputable and can be trusted to protect their home and their wallet:

Get local referrals. There is less chance of potential issues or scams when you choose a contractor from your community. They are more familiar with local rules and code regulations and have a relationship with area crews and suppliers.

Look for manufacturer designations. Manufacturer designations are considered a badge of honor because the contractor must pass certain minimum requirements to be factory-certified (although, some manufacturers have more stringent requirements than others). Some contractors blow in (no pun intended) right after a storm looking for work, so it’s important to look them up on the BBB website or equivalent and make sure they have a good score.

Stay away from contractors who do not exist on BBB.org. or equivalent. Trudel and Sons Contractors are required to maintain satisfactory ratings  in order to retain their certification.

Get an extensive warranty. Not all contractors can offer manufacturer warranties that include coverage of the contractor’s workmanship. If a contractor installs the roof incorrectly, it may take months or years for the damage to show up and insurance won’t pay for it. If the contractor won’t fix it (or worse, has gone out of business), your only recourse is to pay for their mistake yourself.

Be concerned about safety. A contractor without a training or safety program may not be the best person for your job.

Check for proper licensing and insurance. The contractor should have insurance for all employees and subcontractors and be able to provide a copy of their insurance certificate for validation. Not having adequate insurance could potentially lead to litigation between a contractor and homeowner if a roofing employee sustains an injury at the home. Most states and provinces require licensing for contractors, but that does not stop unlicensed contractors from attempting to do the roofing work. In states or provinces where licenses are required, make sure your contractor provides you with a copy of their license and confirm their status online.

Pay your deductible. Any contractor who claims that they can handle the repair without having the homeowner pay their insurance deductible is committing insurance fraud and endangering the homeowner. The insurance deductible is the responsibility of the insured, and the contractor should reflect that in the quote without inflating the estimate to cover all or part of the deductible.

Handle your own claim. A contractor who says they are “a claim specialist” or can “handle your insurance claim” may be breaking the law. In most states or provinces, it is illegal for contractors to act on behalf of the homeowner when negotiating an insurance claim. Any contractor who opens the door to potential legal action is not acting in your best interest.

Don’t give in to pressure. Watch out for a contractor who pressures you to sign a contract before the insurance company has estimated the damage. Some contractors say they can work with whatever your insurance company settles upon, but the homeowner needs to ensure it’s not just any amount, but the right amount. The contractor should thoroughly examine the home and check that their insurance adjuster didn’t miss any damages.

Know your material choices. A contractor who does not offer you different shingle options is not looking out for your best interest. The style and color of the shingles you install can affect the resale value of your home.

Always remember - Knowledge Is Power!

A History on TPO: The Commercial Roofing Go-To

TPO is at times considered the new roofing system on the block, even though the material has been around for decades and has proven its worth in the industry. Here is a little background on how TPO came about, the history of its testing and development, and where it stands today:

Back in the 1970s, flexible sheet, for a variety of uses, was either EPDM or flexible PVC. EPDM was not weldable and flexible PVC contained liquid plasticizers. Those plasticizers led to hazing of automotive windshields and embrittlement of the PVC as they evaporated. Thermoplastic polyolefins (TPO) were developed to be inherently flexible, plasticizer and halogen free, and to heat-weld. TPO membranes were first used for geomembrane applications such as pond liners. They also began to appear in the automobile industry to protect exterior surfaces and to be used as wire covers.

The first known TPO roofing membrane was installed in 1986 in Michigan. The TPO was produced by Montell specifically for the roofing market. Montell merged with two other companies in 2000 to become Basell. That company merged in 2007 with Lyondell to become Lyondell-Basell, which still supplies the majority of TPO to the roofing industry. In the late 1980s, Versico, a division of Goodyear Tire and Rubber, started to promote VersiWeld®, a reinforced TPO roofing membrane. They were followed by JPS Elastomerics in the early 1990s which launched Hi Tuff EP. JPS eventually became Stevens Roofing Systems. In the early 1990s, concerns began to surface about the use of halogenated fire retardants in TPO and their effect on UV resistance. This caused manufacturers to alter their formulations, using magnesium hydroxide as the fire retardant. This remains the case today. In the mid-1990s, Carlisle Syntec Systems acquired Versico and began marketing a TPO roofing membrane named SureWeld.

Beginning in the late 1990s, TPO began to gain significant market share. The specification covers physical properties, dimensions, and durability properties. The latter includes ozone resistance, heat aging, and weather resistance. Oven aging was tested at 240°F and went for 28 days. The ultraviolet light resistance is tested using a xenon arc apparatus and the exposure was doubled in 2006 to 10,080 kJ/m2. In 2011, the ASTM standard was revised again to address the heat aging protocol. This was raised to 240°F exposure for 224 days or 32 weeks, from 28 days.

From 1998 to now, TPO membrane sales have grown annually at a double-digit rate, far outpacing any other single-ply, mod bit, BUR, or metal product and its popularity as a commercial roofing material has spread worldwide.

Advice for New Roofers

Roofing is a competitive field, so it’s important to differentiate yourself from the competition in order to stand out and get those jobs. Here are some of the most common tips that were gathered for new roofers in the industry:

Choose who you work for carefully and partner with great companies. We are often tempted to say “Yes” to keep the crews busy or to keep cash flow coming in, but sometimes “No” is the best answer you can give. But always be respectful – you don’t want to burn bridges.

Use technology. Technology is an easy way to differentiate your company during the sales and installation process. Many companies have developed apps to make the selection process for homeowners much easier.

Listen, listen, listen. In order to grow and learn you need to listen and take in any advice you receive. You may get advice from colleagues, your boss, the project manager, a homeowner, etc. Take it all in and use their comments to be better at your job.

Keep a positive attitude and use your time effectively. What is the key to sales longevity? Optimism! Sell value, not price. That’s easy to say, but much harder to do. Determine the answers to these questions: How does your company identify its unique value? What separates you from the competition? Does your entire team have the same answer? Can your competition say they have the same thing? (Be honest.) Most important: what is your unique value worth to your customer?

Don’t grow beyond your means. A complete forward-focused business plan can help ensure a company grows at the correct pace. Network and use the wisdom of those around you. Join business-networking groups. Start a local roofing contractor association if one does not exist in your market. Remember: “a high tide raises all boats.” Take an accounting class. Unfortunately, many roofing contractors know how to install a roof but don’t know how to determine job cost. Being too high can lose you jobs while being too low can lose you money.

Be honest. Unfortunately, roofing is an industry where a few deceptive people ruin it for the rest. Be honest and upfront every time. The honest roofers will increase their good reputation and secure more jobs. Make sure everyone is safe. Roofing is one of the most dangerous jobs in the country.

Constantly improving the safety culture of your company is critical to company longevity, good crew morale, and the overall success of your enterprise. If you are just getting into roofing or need a way to stand out and grow your business, consider these hard-earned pieces of advice. By learning from others, you can avoid some of those errors yourself. Do you have any advice to add to the list? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

Etiquette Tips for Putting Your Best Business Self Forward

If you are a small business owner or employee, part of your responsibility is to get in front of a homeowner and sell a job and the other part is actually doing the work. Larger companies may have separate sales people, but frequently the contractor is selling his own work. If you’re a contractor who’s more comfortable on the roof than inside a home, here are some tips to make sure you put your best foot forward when trying to sell a residential roofing job:

Dress for success. We all love a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, but when meeting a potential customer, put on a polo shirt or, even better, a company uniform and a pair of khakis. It makes a good, professional impression and whether we like it or not, first impressions count. Also take a moment to shine your shoes. You would be surprised by how rarely these simple steps are embraced in our profession.

Tend to your truck. Keep it neat by washing it, wrapping your logo on it, and putting away tools neatly. This also gives a good impression to a homeowner (and their neighbors) when they see the truck in their driveway. Does your truck wrap match your company uniform?

Be punctual. It’s better to be early and sit outside in your truck gathering your materials than be late or come running in at the last minute. Remember that the customer is waiting for you to arrive. It is always a good idea to arrive early and wait in the truck for 2 or 3 minutes. It lets them know you are there and respectful of their time.

Show you’re legit. Since you are now punctual, when you ring the doorbell, step back and have on a lanyard with your license or logo, photo, and name tag so a homeowner can see it clearly from the door’s peephole. Tip: Have your crews wear the same clip for easy identification.

Freshen up. You may have just inhaled an onion-infused burger or have been sweating it out on the roof, but the homeowner doesn’t need to smell that. Have mints on hand and wash up if you’re just coming off a job. A touch of cologne in the truck is never a bad idea either.

Respect the floor. Ask homeowners if they mind you walking in with your boots on or come with disposable booties that go over your shoes. 

Clean up after yourself. If you have to go in the attic or track a mess in the house, bring in a small portable cordless vac to clean up after yourself. A homeowner will appreciate your respect of their home.

Be courteous. Even if you are dealing with an unpleasant homeowner, don’t get drawn into conflict. Be pleasant and appreciative of the opportunity even if you want to run the other way. “Who’s the toughest customer?” Practice with your team how to handle difficult situations.

Put your phone away. The call or text can wait. Make the homeowner feel that they are important and deserve your attention. A good policy would be to turn your phone on silent (vibration off too) and leave it in your pocket unless you are accessing apps to help make the sale.

Don’t forget to say thanks. Shake hands firmly and thank the homeowner for the opportunity to serve them. And don’t be afraid to go the extra mile – send a thank you post card. A simple handwritten note adds a touch of class and can make a huge difference.

These small gestures go a long way and can help you make a good impression to sell that next job.