Scheduling a Roof Replacement


Don’t wait to schedule a roof replacement. Demand is high, timing is important and residents appreciate advanced notice.

Increasing Demand

Aerial view of a big construction site at a mall with skytrain and appartment buildings in the vicinity. Taken in Burnaby, Vancouver City, British Columbia, Canada.@0.5x

  • New construction in the lower mainland is strong and our crews are being kept busy building new roofs.
  • Buildings constructed in the 90’s are scheduling their roof replaced now (if they haven’t already).
  • Demand increases in the Fall due to a pre-winter panic that plagues indecisive stratas.

Summer Month are Ideal

Working Outside
In this neck of the woods, we make every sunny day count. The best time to get a replacement done is when days are long and relatively dry.

  • More hours of sunlight means more productive hours.
  • Avoiding rain days reduces schedule changes.
  • Suppliers are stocked and ready with supplies and materials.

Less Complaints

Condo CorpResident
Giving residents as much notice as possible reduces stress and complaints.

  • Residents can avoid planning activities that would be inconvenient, like having guests stay, planning a staycation, home renovations, etc.
  • Residents may plan to be away during that time.

Right and Wrong: Two Roofs in a Parallel Universe


Two Roofs, Different Outcomes

Some movies use time travel to show how one decision leads to a different outcome in a parallel universe.
Books tell tales of characters choosing one of two possible routes and describe both outcomes. Hey even in school we could read “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. The technique is classic and we’re using it here to show how one choice – act fast or wait – can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. We’re here to talk about roofs – two roofs that were in the same situation that had very different outcomes.

Roof One

roof needs to be redone
In this case, the strata had their roof replaced seven years prior by a low-bid roofer. The material used for the roof was inexpensive and the work was done incorrectly.

roof leak
This client called us to investigate a leak in one of the units. We discovered the drywall was damp and investigated further. It didn’t take long to see what was happening.

saturated roof fibreboard
Due to incorrect vent and ducting installation, the fiberboard became saturated with water. We provided a quote to install breather vents to dry the roof without having to replace it.

The strata chose not to treat it as an emergency and it took a number of weeks for them to review the quote and make a decision. In that time the roof rotted and became unsalvageable. The difference between getting repairs done immediately and waiting four weeks will cost that strata almost $300k. And just think about that: that strata had just paid for a new roof seven years prior. This is going to hit them where it hurts.

Roof Two

water was found under the roof membrane
During a leak investigation we discovered water in the roof deck in 20 places. This was due to previous vent installations that were done incorrectly by a low-bid roofer.

water on roof vacuumed
We vacuumed the water and repaired the defected vents that were causing the water ingress.

breather vents
In this situation we were able to save the roof by installing breather vents. These vents are pulling moisture up out of the roof, drying it out, so the entire roof doesn’t have to be replaced.

It’s pretty obvious who made the right choice.  As a property manager, these choices can seem out of your control when a strata insists on putting off something that really is an emergency.

It’s also worth noting another lesson we can take from this story. In both cases, a low bid was chosen and the work done caused damage. Roof Two still had to pay around $40k for those breather vents. It’s not as expensive as having to get a roof replacement but if you add that to the original bill they paid the low-bidding roofer who incorrectly installed their roof vents, you’ll see the lowest bid is not the lowest cost.

Please share this story with your stratas and encourage them to embrace emergency decision making.