A complete replacement might not always be the best action for building owners grappling with aging or problematic metal roofs. As Charlie Smith, National Recover Manager for McElroy Metal, points out, recovering existing metal roofs can provide significant benefits while minimizing disruption to occupants.
Smith highlights a common knowledge gap: "Most building owners and many contractors aren't familiar with roof recover as an option. The benefits of recover in most cases outweigh the benefits of remove and replace." This is particularly true for buildings with exposed fastener roof panels, such as R-panels. These three-foot-wide sheets are integral to the building's structure, secured with fasteners that penetrate through the panel.
"What most people don't understand is that the R-panel is holding the building square. It's part of the structure, and you can't just take an R-panel off and put on a free-floating, standing seam, or you're liable to have a real significant problem there," Smith emphasizes. This insight underscores the structural importance of these panels in maintaining the integrity of the building.
One of the primary advantages of roof recover is the minimal disruption it causes to building occupants. Smith notes, "If you want to minimize the interruption to the occupant, then recover is the way to go. It's very disruptive to tear off a roof on a metal building, with stuff falling and insulation coming into the building."
A frequent concern surrounding roof recover is the additional weight that new materials may impose on the structure. However, Smith clarifies that there are established guidelines: "The code allows us to add 3 pounds per square foot onto an existing building as long as it was built correctly and doesn't have a bunch of rotten purlins."
He stresses the need for a thorough inspection: "Somebody needs to look at the structure just to ensure there's not any issues there." The recover systems employed are designed to stay within this weight limitation, ensuring safety and compliance.
Beyond merely providing a new roof surface, recover projects can enhance the structural integrity of a building. "That's gotten to be a really big part of my focus," Smith explains, "educating people on how we can put a new roof on their building and make their structure stronger at the same time.
This process involves installing symmetrical standing seam panels and creating a ventilated airspace between the old and new roofs, which offers additional benefits for building owners.
For owners of metal buildings facing the challenges of aging or problematic roofs, recover presents a viable alternative to complete replacement. With proper assessment and installation, this approach can deliver a new roof while preserving structural integrity, minimizing disruption, and potentially enhancing the overall strength of the building.