The Russo Report: Selling Owners on Roof Maintenance – Part II

KC Roof Care, in Kansas City, Mo. uses a proven model when selling building owners on its roof maintenance programs. The key components of the company’s maintenance package consist of the following:

• Visual roof inspections – KC Roof Care includes a 50-point inspection.
• Photographic and written documentation of the roof conditions.
• Quotes for recommended work.
• Repairs for deficient conditions.
• Routine maintenance - As needed.

“Nobody thinks twice about paying for an oil change or air conditioning check,” KC founder Richard Tooley explains to property owners “We realize keeping our cars and homes maintained is cheaper than getting them repaired. It is equally important to maintain your roof. A wise building owner will implement a roof maintenance program.”
Tooley urges owners to let his company indentify roof problems before they cause severe damage to their buildings. This can protect a building owner’s investment in the property and increase the service life of the roof by as much as 50 percent.*

One of the goals of Tooley’s roof maintenance program is to reduce the property owner’s out-of-pocket expenses that are not covered by a roof warranty. In fact, roof maintenance is also essential to validate most system manufacturers’ roof warranties in the first place.

If the property owner plans to hold onto a building, a maintenance program can increase the property value of the structure. At the least, it allows for a planned and organized approach to management of the roof. This also allows for responsible, timely preparation of long-term capital expenditures when they are needed down the road.

Tooley publishes RoofCare research on his website and also shares the following facts with property owners in-person:

• More than 80 percent of all roofs are replaced prematurely.
• The average building owner will spend more than $127,500 on roofing over the life of the building.
• The average cost of a new commercial roof is more than $42,500 (10,000 sq. ft. average)
• Repairs, maintenance and/or roof restoration costs thousands of dollars less than roof replacement.
• Roof maintenance programs are tax deductible.
• Roof maintenance programs typically cost about 1 to 3 percent per year of the estimated total replacement costs (maintenance cost depends on coverage).
• A roof maintenance program can save up to 50 percent over the life of a 30-year roof compared to replacing it every 15-20 years.
• Most manufacturers’ warranties require planned roof maintenance for their warranties to remain valid.
• “A roof can leak for days, weeks, or even months before it is noticed inside the building,” says Tooley, “…causing severe damage.”

The goal of most roofing contractors is to provide long-term roof system performance for their customers. Roofing professionals like Tooley agree that this requires proper design; quality materials; quality application; and, proper roof maintenance.

*RoofCare 2009 survey