Every commercial building requires regular maintenance to ensure a safe work environment and high productivity levels. One of the most vital components of your commercial building you need to pay attention to is the roof, especially since it plays a significant role in ensuring the structural integrity of your building. Without proper roof maintenance, your building is susceptible to rain, wind, hail, and other weather elements.
When it comes to selecting a commercial roofing contractor in Framingham, MA, it’s crucial to find the right one that offers excellent roofing services, quality workmanship, and great customer service—which is where NorthEast Home & Energy comes in. NorthEast Home & Energy offers quality roofing services, including leak detection, emergency roof repair, roof replacement, and new roof installation.
In this guide, you’ll understand everything you need to know about commercial roofing and how our commercial roofing contractor services can help ensure the structural integrity of your Framingham, MA commercial building.
Commercial roofing is the installation of commercial roofs for businesses, warehouses, and other commercial buildings. Commercial roofs offer protection against elements such as rain, wind, and snow for the contents and occupants of the business. An excellent roof is crucial to the smooth running of a business’s operations since even minor leaks could lead to expensive repairs and the disruption of the day-to-day business operations.
For most companies (90%), the main pain points when it comes to roofing are emergency maintenance and unplanned downtime. Northeast Home & Energy can help Framingham, MA, businesses address these pain points by offering regular commercial roof repairs, maintenance, and roofing replacement services.
There are basically three types of roofs used for commercial buildings. They include:
- Flat Roofs: Flat roofs are often sloped very slightly—typically a half-inch pitch, to allow for water runoff. Most commercial buildings benefit from flat roofs because they are affordable to install and can be easily accessed and maintained on larger structures.
- Low-Slope Roofs: These usually slope three inches per foot. They are quite popular in commercial buildings, given that they combine affordability and ease of installation/ maintenance with efficient drainage.
Steep-Slope Roofs: While steep-slope roofs are often used in commercial buildings, they are less popular because they are relatively expensive and tend to be impractical for larger commercial buildings. They, however, accumulate less debris and are excellent for drainage.
There are different types of commercial roofs, with each suited for different buildings. The common commercial roofs that you can use in your building include the following:
- Built-Up Roofing: This commercial roofing type has been in use for several years. It consists of multiple layers of bitumen/asphalt and roofing felt topped with gravel. Built-Up roofing works best in flat and low-slope roofs.
- Modified Bitumen: This type of commercial roof is essentially a membrane of asphalt combined with rubber polymers or plastic and reinforced with fiberglass for increased flexibility. It can be used in flat and low-scope commercial roofs.
- Metal Roofing: Metal roofing is created using different materials, including aluminum, copper, zinc, and steel. They work on all three types of commercial roofs.
- Shingle Roofing: These are often used in steep slope commercial roofs. Shingles are made using different materials, including ceramic, slate, wood, plastic, and composite materials, such as asphalt shingles.
- Single Ply Roofing: These use PVC, TPO, and EPDM. They are flexible and robust and can resist cracking, peeling, and other forms of weathering.
- Liquid-Applied Roofs: These comprise several chemicals sprayed onto the roof in liquid form, which eventually congeal to form a seamless, self-flashing, waterproof membrane.
For business property owners, choosing the right commercial roof is an important decision. This is because the type of commercial roof you choose will determine the overall safety of your building, as well as it’s longevity and energy efficiency.
Some factors to consider before choosing a roof include the quality of your existing roof, the type of business you operate, your building’s location and condition, the climate of the area, and your budget for the roofing job. The roofing experts at Northeast Home & Energy can help you choose the right commercial roof that meets your needs and budget.
A commercial roof construction includes more than just a visible top waterproofing layer. It also includes several other critical components, including:
- The Structural Roof Deck: This is the weight-bearing layer of your commercial roof that supports the roofing materials built above it.
- Roof Insulation: The purpose of roof insulation is to keep heated or cooled air inside the building without allowing external air temperature to get through.
- Vapor Barrier: A vapor barrier is installed when the interior needs to be air-conditioned. It is common in commercial kitchens.
- Roof Cover Board: The National Roofing Contractor Association (NCRA) recommends that all commercial flat roofs use roof cover boards.
Roof Membrane: The final layer on a commercial roof is the weatherproof roofing material, the exposed roof surface that seals the internal structure from external elements. The most popular roof membranes are TPO and EPDM single-ply membranes.
While one roof may seem similar to every other, commercial roofs are quite different from residential ones. Some ways these two roofing types are different include:
- Roof Type: Commercial roofs often have flatter surfaces to accommodate systems, such as plumbing and HVAC, installed at the top of the roof. Residential buildings don’t require a flat roof surface unless a homeowner prefers constructing a rooftop.
- Weather Conditions: Commercial roofs are fitted with materials to protect the building against harsh weather conditions. On the other hand, residential roofing doesn’t require maximum weather-protective features.
- Installation: Since commercial buildings are more expensive, it takes longer to install commercial roofs. Conversely, installing a residential roof may take a slightly shorter duration.
Maintenance: Roofing contractors must inspect and maintain commercial roofs every six months. On the other hand, homeowners need to hire roofing contractors to inspect and maintain residential roofs twice a year.
There’s nothing worse than your operations being halted because of a repair or maintenance issue. But, unfortunately, you can end up losing a lot of money during the period when your operations are halted.
As an experienced and trusted roofing company serving several clients, Northeast Home & Energy understands that every second counts and strives to resolve residential and commercial roof repair, maintenance, and replacement issues as soon as possible. This way, you can get your business back up and running in no time. So get in touch with our expert commercial roofing contractors in Framingham today for a free estimate.