Roofing & Commercial Real Estate, Part II
If you have been reading the Industrial Commercial Insight blog, then you may be familiar with part one of this series on Roofing & Commercial Real Estate, which outlined the varying general aspects of roofing as it relates to commercial real estate investment and property management. In that article, we discussed how roofing neglect and a slow reaction to roofing issues can decrease a property's overall value, increase property-related expenses, and decrease tenancy (via the owner's violation of the terms of a lease). We also discussed ways to prepare for and address commercial roofing needs.
Every commercial property is different, and in this case, every commercial property's roofing status is also inevitably different. We are located in the Pittsburgh, PA, region, which means commercial real estate property owners and managers in our area need to consider snow and ice, and how these will ultimately affect the roofing of their properties. Consider the following:
Many commercial properties, such as warehouses, have flat or nearly-flat roofs, which means snow can accumulate and sit on top of the roof for days or even weeks before fully melted.
Saturated snow - heavy snow or snow that has been compressed by either more snow, ice, sleet, rain, or melt - can weigh as much as 20 pounds per cubic foot.
An accumulation of approximately two feet of snow can add a weight of nearly 20 tons to your roof, which can negatively affect the roof's structure, depending of course on the total area of the roof, the weight the roof was designed to support, and the age and condition of the roof.
Melting snow and ice will not only enhance structural issues, as mentioned above, but it will also enhance roof leakage issues.
These are just a few commercial property roofing concerns that may arise during the winter as a result of a snow storm or simply a long-term snow accumulation in adverse conditions that do not promote rapid melting.
This article was posted in August for the reason that, at this very time, those who strive to protect their commercial real estate investments or the commercial real estate investments of their clients should be planning months in advance - at least two seasons ahead. Simply put, roofing issues that are found through a roofing inspection performed just three months in advance of snowy weather are infinitely more easily addressed than leaks or a partial roof collapse occurring during or after a two-day snow storm. Contact Industrial Commercial Real Estate to discuss how we can provide roofing property management and other real estate investment protection services.
