ARE TEMPORARY REPAIRS A GOOD SOLUTION TO FLAT ROOF LEAKS?
As we discussed here, flat roof leaks can be much bigger problems than most building owners are willing to admit. Many times, building owners just want to ignore the problem because it’s a small leak, rather than fix it. That’s not a good strategy, but what is a good strategy? It’s common for building owners to resort to utilizing temporary repairs to fix the leak. In some situations this is the right choice, but usually it’s not a great option either.
When Temporary Repairs Are Right
There are a few situations in which temporary repairs can be a good solution to your flat roof leaks, and there are also times where temporary repairs are not a good option. There are undoubtedly more besides the ones we’ll cover, but this is a good starting point.
You’re selling the building soon.
If you’re selling the building very soon and don’t think that a new roof will be a worthwhile investment, you should obviously stick with temporary, basic repairs. A good roof is only a worthwhile investment if the value you receive is greater than the cost. Would you spend $500k on a roof that only increases the selling price of the building by $300k? No. With that being said, a good roof with a warranty can be a worthwhile investment even when selling a building.
You already have roofing plans in place.
If you spring a leak in April and are installing a new roof in August, you don’t have to move up the roofing plans four months, you can simply make some temporary repairs to hold you over. These aren’t long-term solutions, so they’re perfect in this scenario.
When Temporary Repairs Are Wrong
There is a pattern in the two paragraphs above you may have noticed: neither case is a long-term solution. Temporary repairs are just that – temporary. you shouldn’t use them as a way to solve roofing problems permanently, because they aren’t permanent, they eventually fail, and the cost just adds up.
Temporary repairs are a bad option any time you need a long-term solution. If you want to truly fix your roof, temporary repairs shouldn’t even be considered.
Conclusion
Temporary repairs only fit a few situations, other than these specific scenarios, they aren’t a good option. It’s best to find a quality contractor than can fully take care of your roof when it’s leaking, not just constantly patch issues on the roof.
