Plan before the first gallon goes down

By The Coffee Shops®.

Preparation, manufacturer guidance and a project-specific game plan can help contractors approach roof restoration jobs with fewer surprises.

Successful roof restoration starts well before a crew applies the first coat. In a recent episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Karen Edwards continues the restoration conversation with Joe Sorrentino of Joe Sorrentino LLC and Andrew Fickener of Sherwin-Williams, focusing on the preparation and collaboration needed to successfully move a project from proposal to installation. 

For Andrew, the first day on the roof should be about executing a plan, not figuring one out. Power, water, material staging and delivery logistics should already be addressed during design and estimating. “The first day that a contractor gets on the job is not the day where you figure out where your power source is, and where your water source is, and where you're gonna safely stage all of your materials,” he says.

Joe takes that preparation one step further by encouraging contractors to plan for disruptions. “Preparation really prevents poor performance,” he says. “You know, what if? You know, you have to have a backup plan.” That planning also needs to account for the individual characteristics of the roof. Penetrations, firewalls, lightning protection, solar panels and other conditions can affect the project-specific approach. Joe emphasizes aligning that scope with manufacturer guidelines and maintaining communication throughout the process.

Contractors can also give field teams resources that keep requirements accessible. Andrew points to Uniflex specifications, abbreviated “snapshot” specifications and an online roof calculator as tools that can help teams verify requirements and determine the amount of material needed for a particular specification.

Ultimately, strong restoration work begins with everyone understanding the plan before installation starts. As Joe says, “Aligning with the manufacturer and having that understanding and collaborating and communicating with the right sources at the right time is critical.”

Listen to the full podcast or Watch the recording to learn more about preparing for a successful roof restoration.