# A buildings forgotten asset



## joelc (May 28, 2014)

*A Buildings Forgotten Asset is the one Rarely Noticed*
It is usually never inspected and forgotten about until it begins to fail. Typically, there is never any maintenance or care of this building asset until it is in the mature stage of its life cycle. Once this asset is at the mature stage maintenance becomes a reactive approach. What is the asset? It is the roof that works every day for years and decades to keep the weather out of the building. Keeping the rain, sun, and occasionally the snow at bay, year after year and almost always forgotten about until the drip, drip, drip of water finally makes its way into the building and then; this asset gets the attention it deserves.

_Recent rains and poor quality of work by a local Roofing Contractor has reminded me to share knowledge about this subject with others. But first a couple of sentences about my qualification on the subject._

http://youtu.be/avCgihD4YGg

I was in the Roofing and Waterproofing Industry for roughly 25 years. In the 90′s I co-founded a roofing and waterproofing business that focused on mega-resort construction in Vegas. Some of the notable projects are the New York-New York, Bellagio, Venetian, and Mandalay Bay among others. Since I was involved in many hundreds of millions of dollars in design, installation, repair and replacement of roofing assets it can be said that I do have some level of credibility in the field. But I digress from the roofing asset issue.

Here are the keys to maximizing the longevity and reducing the life cycle cost of the most forgotten building asset – The Roof:


Perform routine maintenance
Keep the drains clean
Keep water from A/C condensate lines and swamp coolers from draining on the roof
Clean the grease traps for those with restaurants
Control access to the roof and make sure any repairman on the roof do not damage it.
Check out a routine maintenance plan offered by a local respected Roofing Contractor and do not wait any longer than the fifth year of a roofs life cycle. They will make recommendations to keep the little things from getting worse and shortening the life of the existing roof. Replacement costs are extraordinarily expensive so lengthening the life span of the existing roof system is almost always a great return on investment.

*Extend the Life Span*
If the 8 year life span of a roof can be extended to 12 years with minimal cost and expense the math almost always works in your favor. Extending the life expectancy, with maintenance, by 50% is a great return on investment. Maximize the life of the existing roof, reduce the cost of the asset over its life span, and please don’t forget about the roof.
Be kind to your roofing asset and it will return the favor.
Watch AJB YouTube Channel and see what to look for on a roof for potential leaks: 




AJB General Contractor
ajbuilders.com


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## emeraldstate (Apr 10, 2014)

Even though you are talking large commercial flat roofing projects, all this translates well into residential roofing and smaller commercial projects. I advise my customers to do 2 things when they put on a new roof. First thing is to let them know they should treat the roof as a depreciating asset and they should create an investment account to accumulate money for the next time the roof gets replaced (even if they move, they can carry the account with them). Second thing I advise them is to sign up for a bi-annual roof inspection.

Nice article.

Todd
www.emeraldstate.com


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## eliteroofing (Apr 15, 2014)

A roof is probably the single biggest expense a homeowner is going to spend money on for maintenance. Keeping the roof functional and in good shape only makes sense. Most homeowners NEVER think about their roof or keeping it in good working order. I try to educate my customers but it is definitely an uphill battle.

Jesse
Elite Roofing


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