As the leaves begin to change color and everyone’s minds turn toward Halloween, Thanksgiving and the changing leaves of Fall, the experts at Legacy Roofing Services advise now is the time for facility managers and commercial building owners to make sure their roofing is in tip-top shape before winter arrives.

Preventative maintenance is the key to keeping a roof healthy and budgets under control with the best approach being to stop problems before they occur. A complete assessment should be done in both fall and spring to minimize repair costs and keep small problems from becoming major issues.

A common mistake is to assume that because a roof is new it doesn’t need to be maintained the first few years. The best way to prolong the life of a roof is to put a preventative maintenance plan in place right away, especially because most manufacturers give incentives for properly maintaining the roof, with many extending the life of the warranty for up to 10 years.

Another mistake that is made quite often is trying to maintain a roof using general maintenance staff. Roofing specialists have been trained to spot intricate problems before they occur. Punctures or holes, for example, may be too small for a non-roofing professional to notice and will not get patched to prevent water from entering.

When problems are caught before irreversible damage sets in, the cost factor significantly decreases in the long-term. Oftentimes a large problem is beyond the budget constraints of the facility manager, which makes it even more critical to identify any issues as fast as possible. It is also important to remember that structural damage caused by unaddressed issues on the roof, depending on the weather, age of the roof and current condition, may further compound an already existing problem.

Finally, it is important to recognize that, unfortunately, not all roofs are in a good enough condition for preventative maintenance. Some roofs may be in a condition that precludes preventative work and may need replacement. If budgets do not permit replacement, there may be specific repairs that will stabilize the roof and extend its life until budgets permit the necessary replacement.

Legacy Roofing Services is one of the largest commercial roofing service providers in the United States, managing more than 6 million square feet of roofing every year. The company provides a wide array of installation, repair and maintenance services using the latest technologies, including infrared scanning, a fleet of UAS drones and a proprietary online project management portal. Legacy Roofing has been ranked as a “Top 100 Roofing Contractor” by Roofing Contractor magazine for the past seven years and has been certified, licensed and recognized by every major roofing system manufacturer. The company was founded in 2012 and primarily operates in the Midwestern United States. More information is available at LegacyRoofing.com and on social media (Twitter: @LegacyRfg; IG: @LegacyRoofSvc; Facebook: @LegacyRoofingServices).