Before You Put a Roof Replacement in Next Year’s Budget, Do This

If you’re working on next year’s capital budget and you know a roof replacement is coming, there’s one thing I’d encourage you not to do…

Don’t just take the number from the last roof you replaced, add a little to it, and put it in the budget.

I’ve been in roofing for a long time, and I’ve seen how quickly that can create problems for property managers.

While the building may look similar, the square footage is close, and you may have replaced another roof in the same community just a few years ago, that doesn’t mean the project is going to cost the same.

Before you assign a number to a roof replacement, there are a few things I’d want to know that will prevent you from having to go back to ownership or an HOA board later explaining why the project is going to cost more than expected.

Start With What You Actually Know About the Roof

#1 is to make sure you actually understand the current condition of the roof.

Not how old someone thinks it is, when you believe it was last replaced or whether it’s leaking today. I’d want someone to actually look at it.

• How is the roof performing? 
• Are there areas that are deteriorating faster than others?
• Are we seeing evidence of moisture? 
• Have there been repeated repairs in the same places? 
• What’s happening around penetrations, flashing, drainage areas, and other common trouble spots?

A roof that’s 15 years old and has been well maintained can be in a very different position than another 15-year-old roof that’s had years of recurring problems. That’s why age alone doesn’t tell me enough. Before we talk replacement numbers, I want to understand what we’re actually dealing with.

Get a Realistic Idea of How Much Life Is Left

This is where an honest roofing contractor can save you a lot of money. Sometimes we’ll look at a roof someone expects to replace next year and tell them, you don’t need to replace this yet because it may just need some repairs or a little maintenance. If I believe you can responsibly get several more years out of that roof, I’m going to tell you that.

On the other hand, if we’re seeing problems that indicate waiting another two or three years could turn into a much more expensive situation, you need to know that too.

I think this is especially important when you’re managing multiple properties. You can’t replace everything at once, and you shouldn’t have to. The goal should be figuring out which roofs actually need your capital dollars first.

Understand What the Replacement Will Really Involve

Once we know replacement is coming, I want to get beyond a rough price-per-square-foot number.

• What roofing system makes sense for this particular property? 
• What materials will likely be needed? 
• How complicated is the roof? 
• How accessible is the property? 
• Are there multiple buildings? 
• Is this an occupied community where we’ll need additional coordination?

All of those things affect the scope. This is also where property managers can get into trouble comparing a budget number from one property to another. Two roofs can have roughly the same square footage and still be very different projects.

The more we understand about the actual scope now, the more useful the budget number becomes.

Talk About What We Can’t See Yet

This is a conversation I wish happened more often in our industry, because there are things we simply cannot know with 100% certainty until an existing roof comes off.

There may be damaged decking underneath. We may discover moisture or deterioration that wasn’t visible during an inspection. Previous work may have been done incorrectly.

I would much rather tell you about those possibilities before you finalize your budget than surprise you with them once the project has started.

That doesn’t mean we assume the worst and inflate the number. It means we’re transparent about the risks we can reasonably identify and give you an idea of what could change.

If there’s something I don’t know yet, I’ll tell you I don’t know. I think that’s far more useful than giving you a number that sounds great today but isn’t realistic once the work begins.

Look at Where Material and Labor Costs Are Headed

If you’re budgeting today for a project that won’t happen for another six or nine months, today’s price isn’t necessarily going to be next year’s price.

Material pricing and labor costs change. Manufacturers adjust pricing. Supply issues happen.

No roofing contractor can predict exactly what every material will cost a year from now, but someone who works in the industry every day should be able to help you understand what we’re seeing and build a reasonable amount of flexibility into your planning.

Again, I’d rather give you a realistic range than pretend I can promise you an exact number months in advance.

If You Have Multiple Roofs, Prioritize Them Now

This is one of the biggest shortcuts I can give property managers. Don’t wait until each roof becomes a problem and then deal with them one at a time. Get a bigger picture of your portfolio.

If you’ve got ten buildings, let’s figure out which two really need attention next year, which three might need attention in the following few years, and which ones are in good enough condition that you don’t need to worry about them right now.

That gives you something much more valuable than ten individual estimates, because it gives you a real plan.

From what I’ve seen over the years, having that plan makes budgeting conversations with ownership and HOA boards a whole lot easier.

Your Budget Number Should Give You Clarity, Not False Confidence

I understand why property managers want a firm number, but I’d rather give you an honest range based on what we know today than a precise number that isn’t based in reality.

That’s something we care deeply about at Academy Roofing.

The roofing industry doesn’t always have the best reputation when it comes to transparency. I’ve seen contractors tell people what they want to hear to get a project signed, only for the real costs or problems to show up later.

That’s never how I’ve wanted to do business.

My job isn’t to convince you that you need a roof. My job is to help you understand what you’ve got, what you’re likely going to need, what it could cost, and what your options are.

Then you can make the decision that’s best for your property.

Before You Finalize Next Year’s Budget, Let’s Look at the Roof

If you’ve got a roof replacement sitting somewhere in next year’s capital plan, now is the time to start looking at it, not when you’re ready to schedule the work.

We work with property managers, HOA boards, townhome communities, and commercial property owners throughout North Atlanta and the Greater Atlanta area.

We’re happy to take a look, tell you what we’re seeing, and help you get a realistic picture of what should—or shouldn’t—be in your upcoming roofing budget.

Even if the answer is, “You’ve got a few more years.” That’s an answer worth knowing, too.