The roofing industry has changed quite a lot over the years. These days, homeowners are rarely opting for the standard, 3-tab shingles that were so popular a few decades ago. Instead, they are going with architectural shingles, and in some cases, with even more eco-friendly options like green roofing or slate. Whether you're shopping around for a new roof or are thinking of having repairs made to your current roof, it pays to be educated. Learn the basics on this blog, where we discuss roofing in the modern world. We explore various roofing materials, roofing techniques, and how to find the right roofer.
If you are in the business of running and owning investment properties, you may own a few commercial businesses. The great thing about owning commercial properties is that if you get tenants to sign long term leases, there usually isn't much work for you to do as a landlord. However, if you live in a part of the country that gets hit with some pretty aggressive winters, then you may want to up your landlord game and winterize your building. Winterizing won't just keep your tenants happy, but it will also keep your building protected. So, how can you get to work?
Start with the roof
You wouldn't head out into a snowstorm without a hat, would you? If you look at your commercial property (or any property for that matter), you will see that the roof is your building's hat in that it takes the brunt of harsh weather.
Before winter, hire a commercial roofing contractor to come out to your property and take a look at your roof. Is it in good condition? Are there any small holes or patches? Is there anything that would indicate that you have a leak? By getting anything that needs to be fixed ahead of time, you can prevent any sort of water damage caused by heavy snow or even windstorms. Although a commercial roofing contractor will charge you a fee to do a quick inspection, it will be worth it to catch anything wrong with it upfront.
Check Your Parking Lot
If you have an exposed parking lot that your tenants park in, then it is your responsibility to ensure that it gets shoveled and salted every year. Although paving and salting are both great at keeping people and cars from sliding all over the place, they can be really harsh on asphalt. Before winter starts, have someone come out to your parking lot and take a look at your asphalt. Does it have holes in it? If so, it will be really hard to get it shoveled this winter and could cause damage to your tenants' cars. Make sure that your parking lot is in good condition and is safe enough for the first big snowfall of the season.
Check the Heating System
You are not going to have happy tenants if you have a really cold winter and a heating system that doesn't work very well. On average, every commercial heating system should be maintained every year. If you are behind on maintenance and just can't remember the last time you had a service done, then make this the year that you do so.