Whats Your Buildings Roof? Are You Losing Money?

Having vast amount of knowledge in the roofing industry and just starting in RE investing I find it amazing how many commercial buildings have sub-par roofing systems.

I do an assessment for other companies and I show them simple things like energy savings through r-value, life cycle, ect.... I just find it amazing talking to other investors about their roofing problems....

Is it that the average RE investor doesn't want a lot into the property in a way to hedge against the fact that some day they might sell? Or just cheap?

I know people who claim to want to hold on to the building for a life time and they are putting down crappy rubber that they will have to replace in 15 years?

Some of my friends are o smart when it comes to the RE game but overall building mgmt is very poor....

What are your guy’s approaches’s to roofs?

Let sleeping dogs lie...if it ain't broke, don't fix it...

Chris

IMHO.
Every vendor who sells roofing materials, windows, heating systems, floor coverings, siding, appliances, etc., etc. wants the buyer to believe that their product will increase the productivity, life, value, curb appeal, etc., etc. of your properties.
The choices have to be made on an individual basis considering not only the structure but the investment plan of the individual investor.
Jim

just curious... thanks for the info

Yeah, I used to have an investor who ran an old-line boiler company. He always decided whether to buy in on each building based on what the boiler looked like or whether I was willing to spring for a top-of-the-line replacement if it wasn't A-1. But property management is a series of compromises. There is never enough capital or time to do everything you would like to do so you have to allocate resources to the most profitable repairs first. The specialist in a given trade might disagree with those decisions but my guess is that the pay-back on a high-tech roof vrs something technically less important (perhaps a redecorating) makes the patch and pray repair a better deal in the short run.

That said I routinely strip and re-roof my renovation projects unless the roof is in excellent shape. But I use those "crappy" 15 year torch-down roofs, installed by my crew. 15 years from now if the building is cash flowing and I don't have anything better to do with the cash I'll reconsider. On the other hand my cost to remove and replace is about $2.00 to 2.50 per square foot. Bet your fancy plastic roof is three to four times that. Yeah, 20 years from now, or 30 or whatever, I'll be in better shape but 20 years is a long time and neither I nor you know what market conditions or new roofing technology will do in the meantime.