With winter almost behind us, it’s time to look to what’s ahead: spring storms. As wind blows out the cool temperatures and ushers in warmer ones storm systems will be ahead of, during, and after those winds of change. To prepare for spring storms a few simple steps could stand between a leaky roof and a non-leaky roof. And as always, Upson Company is available to help with all your commercial roof repairs and roof leaks in Boise and the surrounding Treasure Valley.
Upson Company expects a very busy year as production is already gearing up to remedy the plethora of problems caused from the winter weather we’ve recently just vacated. If you were one of the unlucky ones who didn’t escape winter unscathed there is a solution. Upson Company is now scheduling commercial roof repairs and is still correcting roof leaks in Boise and the surrounding Treasure Valley area, but availability is running thin. Getting on the schedule early will ensure your issues will be addressed before winter comes back around, even if work isn’t scheduled to begin right away. Arranging for a later production date will also give you time to finalize budgets and gather funds.
This year marks the 42nd year for Upson Company as the premier roofing contractor in the Treasure Valley. Upson Company did not start off as it is now. Upson Company came from humble family roots founded on the sweat and hard work of one man, his brother, and his father, but it began as a one-man operation.
It’s the time of year where transition is beginning, a transfer from what it was to what it will be. A great many are glad to have winter on its way out and are welcoming spring. Here in the Treasure Valley weather transitions are always brought forth by wind. Wind on a sunny day; wind with a storm, wind that chills, wind that dries and gusts. It comes from every direction and buffets everything in its path.
One final descent into cold temperatures; one final flurry of snow; one final breath of arctic winds and winter is retreating. We can only hope that the remnants of the coldest season are not too severe and what we get is only a gentle reminder of what we’ve left behind. As winter leaves and we are ushered into a new season taking the time to do an assessment of roof conditions after this particular severe winter is a cautious way to prepare for spring and the weather it brings.
Working on roofs is a dangerous job and requires careful planning and safety precautions. With inherent risks working so far off the ground and sometimes without much of a wall to corral workers on the roof the risk of falling is the first thing that comes to most minds. To prevent falls, safety lines are erected around the perimeter of the roof. Workers also have fall gear, which consists of harness, lanyard and safety line, which is secured to the roof to prevent a fall to the ground.
It’s that time of year again when Mother Nature Seems just a little more bi-polar than usual. One day it’s 57 degrees, and the next it’s 27 degrees. With the last bits of snow melting and then refreezing so often lately, it’s no wonder that commercial roofing companies are seeing such a huge uptick in requests related to roof leaks in Boise, Idaho.
It’s true, when routine maintenance is performed on anything it will last longer, be it cars with routine oil changes and mileage marker services, or play toys – boats, four wheelers, RVs and campers, snowmobiles, etc, or the tools you use to get jobs done – rototillers, lawn mowers, weed eaters, blowers, shop vacs. Can you imagine what would happen if these things didn’t get proper care? Items can also benefit from a thorough cleaning – coffee pots, ovens, BBQs, computers, monitors, TVs, refrigerators – they work better if they’re clean, vents are unobstructed and dust-free, and there isn’t anything that’s an immediate threat to their performance.
Maintenance is key for a leak-free roof. Too many facility managers/ property managers fall to the old adage: “out of sight, out of mind” or “don’t fix it unless it’s broke” especially when it comes to roofs. But those who don’t succumb to this line of thinking typically have leak-free roofs and consequently keep what’s below the roof protected. If you are one of those who are consistently using emergency funds for commercial roof repairs, it’s time to break that habit this year.
Improperly maintained roofs eventually become damaged – just how damaged depends on how long an issue went without being addressed and which determines just how expensive the fix will be.
For flat roofs, weathering and standing water (ponding) will most likely be the culprit and will manifest in leaks. When Upson Company technicians perform bi-annual inspections on flat roofs the damage they look for is ponding, holes, voids, punctures, walkway deterioration, blisters and seam integrity. They also check drains, scuppers, gutters and downspouts for proper drainage. Flashings and coping cap are checked for fungus as it can push the flashings and coping cap away from the surface it is protecting. They check that plates and screws and that flashing and coping cap are still secured to the roof.