Roof Services

The very first requirement to develop the proper care and maintenance of an existing roof is to conduct a thorough inspection. Our personnel have been inspecting roofs long before CIRSCO was incorporated and we have developed an inspection protocol that is the most thorough in the marketplace. Our inspection steps and methods have served as the guidelines and specifications for private building owners, school boards and municipalities and have been used by local governments to “bid out” the necessary remedies. In some cases, our reports have helped municipal architects to re-design their details for future roof installations.

A thorough review of the system composition, the components of the roof system, drainage, exposure, environment, traffic, roof top equipment and overall condition is necessary. All conditions need to be documented in a report along with roof plans and photo albums in order to develop an assessment. Then, the type of remedies for any defects that are found, future inspection schedules, estimated life remaining and anticipated maintenance schedule and cost to perform the maintenance are key factors to develop the budget necessary to keep the roof system performing.

The assessment should also include the estimated years of life remaining along with an anticipated budget for replacement when that becomes necessary. The inspection reports and assessment by CIRSCO have become recognized for their thoroughness and accuracy and have become the basis for roof asset planning by our customers.

Maintenance is directly related to the specific characteristics of the roof system type. These include the type of materials used, how the system was detailed at the penetrations and perimeter, the components of that particular system that commonly require attention, those materials with typically shorter life spans, the workmanship of the original installation, etc. There is no dispute that proper maintenance can increase the life of a roof by 20% – 30% without regard to warranties.

At present, this is one of the most dynamic areas of our activity as building owners are concerned that the roof’s life might be over but aren’t prepared for a complete replacement. Restoration involves products that are compatible with the existing system and can re-invigorate the existing materials, bond very well to the existing system and extend the life of the roof for an additional, warranted 5, 7 or 10 years. Not all roofs can receive a restoration treatment and conditions such as wet insulation and deteriorated flashing areas may need to be addressed but the economics of the appropriate system can make it a viable consideration for older roofs. Additionally, restoration treatments can usually be classified as maintenance and be treated differently than amortizing a new roof system.

In many instances coatings are a viable option for most roof system types but their performance is dependent upon existing conditions just as with other roof materials. It is not enough to simply look at a deteriorated roof and declare that coating is an option any more than it is to simply select a coating that is merely white.

Over the past several years as building owners tried to minimize the costs of maintaining roof systems that they simply can’t afford to replace many coating products found their way into the commercial roofing marketplace. The quality of the coatings has been found to range widely from simple paint-like materials to high quality coatings that when installed properly under the proper conditions and over viable roof systems can be warranted for extended periods of time.

CIRSCO is continuously presented with coating products by various manufacturers and we feel very strongly about those systems that have a track record of in-place applications that are still performing.

Many industrial customers are including Daylighting in their energy efficiency plans and are allowing natural light into a building’s interior. The reduction of costs for electric lighting usually have a quick pay back.

CIRSCO is very active in the installation of the roof curbs that are necessary and proper “tie-in” of the new flashing materials for these curbs as well as the skylights themselves.

We see this as a real opportunity with our customers as the new roof top equipment needs to be installed properly and the new equipment adds to the necessity of a proper maintenance program.