Fakenham Roofers carries out commercial roofing work on warehouses, offices, retail units, farm buildings and schools in and around East Dereham.
Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
A new or repaired commercial roof is only the start. What happens in the months and years after the work is what determines whether you get the full life out of the system or find yourself back to square one ahead of schedule. Simple, low-cost maintenance carried out consistently prevents the majority of premature commercial roof failures.
This page covers what commercial roofing work involves, how the main systems perform over time, and what a sensible aftercare routine looks like for business owners and premises managers in East Dereham.
The aftercare a roof needs depends on which system it has, so it is worth being clear about what is up there.
The three main systems used on commercial buildings are:
Knowing which system your building has - and roughly how old it is - tells you what to watch for and when to act.
Blocked drainage is the most common cause of premature commercial roof failure. It is also the easiest problem to prevent. Flat and low-pitch roofs do not shed water by gravity the way a pitched roof does - they rely on outlets, gutters and downpipes to remove standing water quickly after rain.
When those outlets block - with leaves, moss, nesting material, or debris blown in by wind - water ponds on the roof surface. Prolonged ponding accelerates the breakdown of felt and membrane, forces water into seams and upstands, and over time can impose significant additional load on the roof structure.
For most commercial buildings, clearing roof drainage outlets twice a year is the minimum - before winter and again in spring after any leaf fall. A building near trees, or with a particularly exposed position, may need more frequent checks.
Flashings are the strips of lead, aluminium or pre-formed material that seal the junction between the roof covering and the walls, parapets, chimneys, or any upstand. They are the most common point of failure on both flat and pitched commercial roofs.
A flashing that has lifted, cracked, or lost its pointing is an open invitation for water to track down behind the roof covering. By the time the leak shows inside the building, the water has often been travelling for weeks and has saturated insulation or damaged the deck.
Including a visual check of accessible flashings in your annual site inspection costs nothing and catches problems early. Look for lifted edges, open joints, cracks in any mortar pointing, and flashings that have pulled away from the wall surface.
Moss and other vegetation growth on a commercial flat roof is more than a cosmetic issue. Roots work into the membrane or felt surface, accelerating breakdown. Moss holds moisture against the roof covering long after rain has dried, which contributes to surface degradation over time.
On profiled metal sheet, moss growth in the corrugations can trap moisture against the steel and accelerate corrosion at the fasteners.
Moss can be treated with a biocide and then removed mechanically once dead, but this should be done carefully. Pressure washing a felt or membrane roof can force water into seams or damage the surface. If there is significant vegetation growth, getting a roofer to deal with it is safer than attempting it from a ladder.
Rooflights are a common weak point on commercial buildings. The seals around the frame degrade over time, and the upstand where the rooflight meets the roof covering needs periodic inspection. A weeping joint around a rooflight is easily missed until the water has tracked into the roof build-up.
Polycarbonate and acrylic rooflight panels also become brittle with age. A panel that has yellowed and become fragile is a safety hazard as well as a weathering risk. On any commercial building with rooflights, checking panel condition as part of your annual maintenance round is sensible.
Having a roofer carry out a proper inspection once a year - or once every two years on a relatively new roof - is not an extravagance on a commercial building. A professional inspection should cover:
A written inspection record also helps when a building changes hands or when a dispute arises about the source of damage.
Built-up felt roofing, when well maintained, typically performs for 15-20 years. Single-ply EPDM membrane systems are generally expected to last 20-25 years or more when kept in good order. Profiled metal sheet on a commercial building can last 30-40 years if the fasteners and ridge caps are attended to periodically and any surface corrosion treated early.
In all cases, maintenance is what makes the difference between reaching those figures and falling well short of them. A roof that is never inspected and never has its outlets cleared can fail a decade early.
A simple written record of what has been done to the roof - and when - is worth keeping. Note the date of any inspection, what was found, what was repaired, and by whom. This takes very little time and provides useful context if a problem develops later. It is also useful information for any buyer if the property is ever sold.
Include photos taken from safe ground level or from an access point, dated, so you have a visual baseline. Changes in the roof surface over time are much easier to track when you have something to compare against.
If you manage or own a commercial building in or near East Dereham and you are not sure of the current roof condition, a proper inspection is the sensible first step. Call Fakenham Roofers to arrange an assessment and get a clear picture of what maintenance - if any - your roof needs now.
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Call any time. Calls are answered day and night and passed straight to our roofers.
