Commercial Roofing Problems – The 8 most common

As an industrial roofing contractor we see thousands of commercial roofs every year in dire need of repair, and the sad fact is many of these could have been prevented from falling into such a state had the owners known what to look out for. Here are the top eight commercial roofing problems we come across all the time, and what to do about them.

1. Leakage

Many of the problems we’re about to list will cause leakages in your roof, but you may not immediately think of it as the source of many other problems.

Damp areas and discolouring on ceilings and walls are an early sign of water seeping into your property, so make sure you contact a roofing professional as soon as you see these signs, even if you haven’t yet noticed a roofing problem.

2. Neglected Maintenance

It may sound simple, but many people neglect the basic task of inspecting their roofs on a routine basis. Not only can you identify and remedy problems before they escalate, you don’t even need to be an expert to do it.

Any old plonker can pick out loose tiles, pooling water, or slipped base flashing. Keep up a regular routine of vigilance and you’ll save yourself thousands in repair bills.

3. Overflowing Gutters

Guttering full to the brim with silt, bird’s nests, and tennis balls lobbed up by local kids can’t function as well as intended. Damp, wood rot, and damaged brickwork can often be traced back to a blocked gutter, which is easily preventable by having your gutters cleaned regularly. Browse our previous article on gutter cleaning to help you spot signs of trouble.

4. Asbestos

Whether you’ve already uncovered asbestos or you’re worried some might be lying undetected, it is important you contact an asbestos industrial roofing specialist immediately. Don’t ever try to remove or inspect any suspected sites yourself, as this poses a danger to both you and your employees. We offer an asbestos roof survey using PASMA trained specialists which you can find more information about here.

5. Extreme Weather

Unless you’re a weather god there’s not much you can do to stop wind, rain and snow hitting your roof. What you can do is make sure it is fully prepared, especially if winter is approaching.

Regular roof inspections are vital to ensure leaks are plugged before the rain hits, and any loose roofing materials are firmly fixed in place before the wind picks up.

6. Pests

Your roof is home to a variety of living things, but aside from bugs and particularly adventurous mice your main enemies are birds. They have the delightful habit of picking off bits of your roof and adding their own suggested materials, in the form of sticks, stones, and their droppings.

We can recommend plenty of bird prevention devices, so don’t be tempted to climb up there to fend them off yourself with a baseball bat.

7. Standing Water

Water will always find somewhere to stand still on your property, and whilst you hope your roof and guttering will do its job to disperse rain, if you find pooled water it’s likely that there’s a fault somewhere.

It might be a simple build-up of debris or blocked drain, or it could be something more serious such as sagging or a design fault. If you notice puddles up on your roof, investigate them immediately.

8. A Botched Job

Whether this is down to an initial design flaw or a more recent botched repair, these errors need to be rectified before it turns into a more serious issue. We’ve seen plenty of half-baked repairs done by cowboys using the wrong materials and processes, and sometimes we’ve had to replace the whole roof to fix it.

Don’t leave this to chance. Call a trusted expert and save yourself the time and money.

Ensuring you have a regularly maintained roof is the only way to prevent problems escalating. So many businesses lose money due to expensive repairs and lost productivity which could have easily been avoided with a simple inspection. Don’t leave things to chance, call NWIR today on 0800 046 1500 and get the job done right.