Maintenance and Repairs

June 17, 2024 Published by British Columbia Chapter - By Kimberly Wallace

Roof Maintenance: Is It Worth The Cost?

From CCI BC Strata Connection Magazine, Volume 02, Spring/Summer 2024

What is roof maintenance and is it worth the expense? In short, absolutely. Installation of a new roof system is a costly expenditure for any property. Safety measures, transporting materials to roof level, the installation, and associated costs are no small feat therefore extending the life of the roof and limiting the frequency of replacements can help councils protect their investment. 

There's a misconception that roofs are static and enduring structures, often leading to the belief that once installed, they don’t need additional attention, following the 'out of sight, out of mind' mentality. However, roofs are dynamic systems that adapt to shifts in the foundation and facilitate proper ventilation throughout the building. They consist of various components such as seams, parapets, and penetrations working in concert to safeguard the assets beneath their shield. Efficient water drainage from the roof is crucial in preventing water from infiltrating the building units and causing interior damage. When all elements of the roof function as intended, the contents of the building can remain dry. As the roof ages, regular inspections enable timely corrective actions to minor damaged components and provide assurance that potential larger damages are identified before they can compromise the integrity of the entire roof system. Neglecting inspections and routine maintenance can result in significant unexpected expenditures. Even minor issues like missing sealant can escalate into leaks, condensation problems, or structural damages if not maintained.

Age is one known adversary of a roof system, once a roof is installed the manufacturer will have an approximate expected serviceable life. Many manufacturers’ guidelines stipulate that routine maintenance is required to meet these expected life spans. As a roof system ages, it's natural to anticipate more leaks or damages. However, by consistently maintaining the roof system, some of these issues can be identified and fixed early on to extend the life span, in some cases, beyond the outlined estimate. 

Life expectancies of a roof can be impacted by another adversary, the weather. Rain, snow, wind, cold, and heat can all contribute to expedited deterioration of a roof systems. For example, with moisture comes moss and vegetation growth and with snow comes icicles and freezing drains. The unpredictability of the weather can mean that your roof might have a particularly challenging year due to sudden rise or drop in temperate, excessive precipitation or long dry stretches. As such, checking the roof regularly to assess and address weather related defects provides the opportunity to protect the roof from excessive wear or localized issues.

Regular roof inspections enable you to identify weather-related damages before they escalate into leaks or more severe issues. These damages can include shingle detachment from high winds, missing vent caps, detached metal components, or other failing systems. Addressing these issues promptly is often far less expensive than remediation costs for damages below roof level. The most problematic leaks are often the ones that go unnoticed, seeping behind walls or into attic spaces, rather than the ones visibly dripping into units. A minor problem like a missing vent cap might not cause significant damage if a leak is noticed by a resident the following day and is promptly fixed. A concealed leak, whether minor or significant, might seep behind a wall or into inaccessible areas, going unnoticed until staining becomes visible in a reachable spot or until the damage at the roof intensifies, enabling water penetration to escalate.

Think of a car. Without regular maintenance, the car will break down and you would have little clue of the cause. You would need to pay to get the vehicle towed and possibly miss work until the vehicle can be fixed or require alternative means of transport. You are paying for the solution to the root of the problem, seeing a mechanic, as well as the emergency costs. When you finally get around to seeing a mechanic, they’d inform you that regular oil changes, brake checks, fluid level inspections, and engine tune ups are recommended to help prevent breakdowns and is essential to maximize the cars life expectancy. If you choose to follow their recommendations, you will hopefully see a reduction in breakdowns. Similarly, when regular maintenance is followed for a roof, you will hopefully see a reduction in leaks because necessary repairs are regularly addressed. 

Not all parts on a car last as long as the car itself, while the car might have a life expectancy of 15-years, the tires will go long before then, as will the battery, brake pads, timing belt, and filters. Allowing each element to fail and cause a breakdown before repairs would result in unnecessary emergency expenditures. 

Similarly, not all parts of a roof system last as long as the roof itself. While a roof might have a 20-year life expectancy, the sealants, fasteners, and penetrations can fail long before then. Planning inevitable maintenance and repairs to be completed on an annual basis can help eliminate uncertainty and allow for cost distribution over the years rather than a sudden and unexpected slew of leaks due to multi-location system failure. 

Roof repairs and maintenance allows us to take large projects such as renewing all the caulking throughout a roof system and break it into bite size pieces. One year you would replace (20) lineal feet of caulking where most critical with the anticipation of doing the same each year until you’ve eventually addressed all deteriorated areas. The cost distribution that this approach allows can help reduce the burden associated with the expenditures because you aren’t paying for a large lumpsum all at once.

Furthermore, you have peace of mind knowing that your roof is regularly taken care of, and deficiencies are identified quickly as your roof ages. 

Leaks on average cost far more to mitigate and repair than maintenance work and that is because you are waiting for the system to fail before completing repairs. Embracing a proactive mindset is crucial for effective maintenance strategies. Scheduling annual inspections during regular work hours allows for thorough assessment, timely intervention, and avoiding rushed repairs during inconvenient times. The ultimate goal of roof maintenance is to prolong the roof's lifespan and minimize leaks, safeguarding your investment. Even with budget limitations, prioritizing critical repairs instead of neglecting the roof entirely proves more cost-effective. Neglecting roof issues due to an "out of sight, out of mind" mentality can have disastrous consequences. Therefore, staying informed about the roof's condition and being proactive is paramount, potentially differentiating between premature roof system failure and a roof system that exceeds its expected lifespan.

Kimberly Wallace,
Vice President,
Design Roofing & Sheet Metal Ltd.

Your premier provider of roof repairs and maintenance.