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Commercial Roofing Inspection: What Happens?

26.05.23 | Zach Saleh

A business roof inspection begins within. 

Starting from within the structure, a skilled roofing contractor will inspect the roof. To determine where the water’s path ends is the motivation. Where the flow of water stops is a good indicator of the location of the leak.

For instance, if the bathroom has water stains, a good place to guess where the water enters the building is just over the bathroom on your roof.

A penetration close to that location is another sign. An excellent bet is that the leak begins close to this location, for instance, if an HVAC unit is right above the bathroom on the roof.

Walking the roof is part of a business roof inspection.

A qualified roofer will inspect the roof and look for any unique circumstances, such as:

  • Major ponding areas
  • A substrate with holes or rust points
  • Cracks & Blisters
  • Seams pulling apart
  • Flashing details
  • Drain points 

A roofer will begin at the edge of the roof and work their way inward to the drain points. One explanation is that you make sure not to overlook a portion of the roof. 

Several core samples are collected during a commercial roof examination.

A core sample is what? A core sample is taken by removing a tiny section of the roof to learn more about it.

  • How many levels of roofing are there?
  • What substance makes up the substrate?
  • The amount of moisture or saturation
  • What is the roof’s age?

A core sample will reveal the type of decking present (wood, steel, concrete, etc.) if there is a drop ceiling or other obstruction that prevents you from seeing the roof deck from the inside.

The quantity of core samples taken during a commercial roof inspection will change depending on the size, slope, and emphasized sections of the internal inspection of the roof.

Every 10,000 square feet of your roof, on average, will require 1-2 core samples to be taken by a roofing contractor. Following the inspection, the area will be repaired by a roofing contractor.

An evaluation of a commercial roof includes a report.

A thorough report will be sent to the building owner following the visual examination and core sample collection.

The report will outline leak-prone regions, saturated portions of the roof, images of these locations, and suggestions for the future.

Whether to repair, restore, or replace your roof is one of these suggestions. Here are some instances in which each of these might be suggested:

Repair is necessary because, according to your inspection, just a small portion of your roof is wet and only a few places allow water to penetrate the structure. The most economical course of action is to fix these sections if the rest of your roof is in good shape.

Restore: Based on your inspection, less than 25% of your roof is saturated, but it still has less than two to three years left in its lifespan. At the conclusion of that third year, a complete tear-off will probably be required if restoration is not done. An entire tear-off is thought to cost three to four times as much as a restoration.

Replace your roof if your inspection reveals that more than 25% of it is soaked. Instead of repairing a sizable piece of your roof with further repairs expected in the near future, it would be more cost-effective to replace the complete roof. This is comparable to replacing a pricey auto component—like a $1200 transmission—on a 20-year-old vehicle that will probably require other repairs very soon.

How long does it take to examine a commercial roof?

How long will a roofing contractor be on my property? is a question you might have. It takes 30 minutes to 1 hour to do a roof inspection for a typical 20,000-square-foot commercial structure.

The length of a roof inspection might vary based on:

  • How many roof penetrations are there? Each one needs to be carefully investigated.
  • How many portions of the roof are there? (Each area is examined differently.)
  • What number of distinct types of roofing are there?

You relax after the roof inspection is over while you await the report.

How soon will I get the results of my commercial roof inspection?

The building owner typically receives a roof inspection report in 3-5 days.

What will the inspection report contain?

The following will be included in inspection reports:

  • the flaws in your current roof system with pictures and detailed explanations, and what options you have for fixing your roof.
  • an estimate for the requested work

It’s time to compare the quotations you’ve obtained from various roofing contractors so you can decide which option is ideal for your company.

What should you do after getting a roof inspection?

It’s time to analyze the roofing inspections and quotes you’ve received.

What business provided the best recommendations?

Which company identified the most flaws (that were genuinely flaws)?

Which business can solve my problem for the smallest possible price?

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