Mistakes during roof construction can and are made by everyone, from the designer and installers to the customer himself. It would seem, what do the clients have to do with it?! They paid money for the material and chose, perhaps, the best that is on the market. However, this is not the main thing, and their role does not end there. The mistakes listed below, despite the banality of some of them, are quite common, and most of them can be attributed not only to the installation of the roof but to the construction of the entire building as a whole.
MISTAKE No. 1 LACK OF QUALITY DOCUMENTATION.
Many specialists have had to deal with situations where a customer, instead of designing drawings, brought a magazine clipping or a photograph of a neighbor’s house that he liked. This happens when the client does not resort to the services of architects and designers. As a result, many elements and components are carried out “on-site” and not according to the project, which causes disagreements between the customer and installers, and also significantly increases the time of work.
While saving on high-quality professional documentation, clients lose money on time wasted by builders during the installation process and on materials that may have to be reinstalled. Unfortunately, it is still possible to encounter a situation where the final project sees the light of day after the main construction work has been completed. The same mistake leads to the fact that until the very end of construction, the developer cannot know exactly how much it will cost him, because Without documentation and agreed technical solutions, any estimate drawn up will be approximate, and during construction, there will be constant additional purchases of material and clarification of estimates.
Recommendation to clients: in the absence of an architect leading the project on an ongoing basis, it is recommended to use the services of a designer from an installation company or a company that sells the material. These specialists can work out all the necessary components and solutions before starting work so that there are no delays or misunderstandings during construction.
MISTAKE No. 2. POOR CHOICE OF MATERIAL.
The wrong choice of the main roofing material can not only cause problems during its installation, not match the building aesthetically but also, most importantly, cause big problems during the further operation of the roof. For example, the choice of tiles and slates for roofs with a slight slope is rarely justified, since they require serious modifications to the roof structure to ensure its tightness. At the same time, the use of these same materials on roofs with a sufficient slope is not only appropriate but also preferable from an aesthetic point of view.
Recommendation to clients: the selection of the main material for the roof should be conscious. Whether it is piece material or sheet, bitumen or seam roofing – the choice should be dictated not only by aesthetic goals but also by the performance characteristics of the material and its suitability for a specific project. It is better to study the market on your own or with the help of professionals, and not rely only on the opinions of others.
MISTAKE No. 3. QUALITY AND DEPTH OF EQUIPMENT.
The customer’s natural desire to save money is understandable. In many cases, this can be achieved without compromising the construction result. But often, during the purchase, the client either replaces individual items with cheaper analogues or refuses elements, the absence of which could negatively affect the service of the roof. Savings on the quality of materials may not appear immediately, but after several years, since each of them has its own service life. The absence of certain materials can sometimes be made up after some time, but this is rather an exception to the rule.
An example is the installation of snow retention. Without including a snow retention system in the initial estimate for a seam roof, it can always be installed later (the design and installation method allow this), for example, when it is known exactly on which slopes the snow collects and where its avalanche is possible. At the same time, it will not be possible to do the same for a roof under slate – the method of installing the material involves installing snow-retaining supports during the installation of slate tiles.
Recommendation to clients: fully coordinate the entire package with material sellers and installers. Follow the recommendations of specialists. It must be remembered that the configuration of each roof is individual and there are no clear templates by which you can select it.
MISTAKE No. 4. CHOOSING AN INSTALLATION Crew.
Even the best materials will not fit onto the roof on their own. And here the developer, who spent a lot of money on the purchase of materials, begins to save on, perhaps, the most important thing – the quality of the workforce. As you know, any product can be spoiled. Roofing construction is not an exception to the rule, but one of the most obvious examples. Cheap labor is contracted out; the teams do not even have at least one trained specialist. The result is ruined material or hidden defects, which after a while will make themselves felt with considerable material losses, and, possibly, the bulkheads of the entire roof.
Recommendation to clients: check the reliability of the companies and teams that are contracted. Request licenses and certificates of completion of specialized courses from foremen and their assistants, and sign contracts indicating the warranty period for the roof.
MISTAKE No. 5. SEPARATION OF ROOFING WORK.
To save on work, developers invite professional roofers only to the final stage of roof installation work – laying the roof covering, considering it the most important thing. At the same time, the installation of the roofing “pie” (insulation, hydro- and vapor barrier) and the rafter system is entrusted to cheap labor. As a result, it is unclear whose fault it is if any roofing problems arise.
Recommendation to clients: all roofing work (sometimes except the installation of rafters) should be carried out by one specialized company.
MISTAKE No. 6. INTERFERENCE OF CLIENTS IN THE PROGRESS OF CONSTRUCTION WORK.
It may vary. Making small changes during the installation of the roof, making comments on the quality and culture of work – the customer has every right to all of this. But often the situation can reach the point of absurdity – the developer begins to make serious changes during construction, teaching installers how to make this or that unit. If the work is not performed by guest workers, but by a specialized company, then you need to trust it. After all, we don’t interfere in the work of a dentist or surgeon, we don’t teach them how to put fillings and sutures.
Recommendation to clients: try not to interfere with the work of professionals. As a last resort, you can hire a professional who will perform the function of technical supervision.
MISTAKE No. 7. SEQUENCE OF WORK.
Often, teams from different companies can work at one site, each of which performs its tasks. Inconsistency in the sequence of work can lead to problems. As an example, consider the finishing of smoke and ventilation shafts. It’s good if this work is also carried out by roofers, but if you need to cover the pipes with tiles or plaster and paint them, this is the task of other specialists. If you carry out this work after installing the roofing material, then the areas of the roof around the pipes will be stained with finishing materials and may not restore their original appearance. The situation is similar to hanging drainpipes on the facade of a building.
Recommendation to clients: it is necessary to think through the sequence of work to avoid additional costs.
MISTAKE No. 8. ALLOWING NON-SPECIALISTS ON THE ROOF.
However, even with the help of high-quality installers, the developer can make the following fairly common mistakes. He brings in specialists from other fields onto the roof, most often installers of ventilation systems and antennas. These specialists can do their job well, but at the same time they often damage the roofing, and, as a result, the customer has problems and financial costs, since these cases will not be covered under warranty. The same can be said about the future use of the roof. For its regular maintenance, cleaning, and checking its condition, it is necessary to resort to the services of professionals.
Recommendation to clients: all work related to roofing must be carried out either by roofers, either in their direct presence or with their approval and confirmation of the guarantee after the work.
MISTAKE No. 9. MISSION OF DEADLINES.
Any good construction project must be properly planned. The work schedule and timely delivery of materials will help avoid labor downtime and, as a result, no additional costs for the client. Many companies already work this way, but there are also opposite cases. Sometimes developers, without planning anything regarding the delivery time of the required materials, place an order immediately before the start of installation work. One of the most common cases is when the customer goes on vacation, and the team is idle at the site because the material has not been ordered in advance. In the end, first of all, the customer loses – the cost of downtime for workers and an increase in the time required to complete the work.
Recommendation to clients: plan the schedule for the production of work and the supply of materials. It should also be taken into account that depending on seasonality, delivery times may vary.
MISTAKE No. 10. MISCALCULATION.
Any serious construction is an expensive process. It is not uncommon to encounter situations when a developer, having invested considerable funds in the initial stage of construction, in the foundation, communications, and walls, approaches the installation of the roof with a shortage of finances. This is where savings begin on everything, often at the expense of quality. There are several options for solving this problem – either freeze construction for a while, but ultimately implement the project as it was originally planned, or replace it with more economical materials. This is where the main mistakes arise, which we point out in point No. 5.
Recommendation to clients: it is necessary to approach construction well-prepared financially and have a reserve of funds for unforeseen expenses.
All these recommendations are simple and seem to be in the air. However, they appeared here only because all these errors occur with greater or lesser frequency in the practice of almost all specialized companies. Helping the client avoid these mistakes is the task of trade and construction companies. This will greatly facilitate their work, as well as mutual satisfaction with cooperation and the result.
