Monthly Archives - December 2016

Roof system x-ray

ROOF SYSTEM X-RAY

Roof System x-ray (sort of read on) A roof system x-ray or better known as an infrared of your roof system, performed with a drone, can be both cost-effective and eye-opening.  The featured picture is an infrared of the below building.  Drone Infrared Imaging flew about 80' off the ground to capture the below image.  The pvc roof system has seen its better days.  The roof is now dull and dingy.  The black stained areas usually have to do with the lack of drainage on the system.  A roof that has poor drainage does not mean those areas are leaking.  In this example, it is revealed that it is opposite. roof system x-ray What would a roof consultant say? A roof consultant would probably recommend a complete tear off for this roof system.  Good plan if the owner of the building could afford it.  The infrared drone is just reading the moisture of the layer of insulation directly under the roof system.  It can't read the other layer which is under the initial roof system and over the deck.  The only way to know the moisture content in that layer would be to investigate leaks by doing a series of core samples. Infrared Scan helps to provide economical roof system option The roofing contractor removed the top layer of roofing.  The infrared helped make this decision.  The moisture did not penetrate the initial layer of insulation over the deck so they could leave that roof in place.  This made it very affordable and something that the owner was willing to do.  The requirements for roof insulation are very high.  Roof insulation is now the highest component of the roof system.  A recovery board was installed instead of all the different layers of insulation which saved money.  There was a labor saving by not tearing off the bottom roof.  As a result, a building owner was happy!
Drone Infrared Imaging

ROOF CONSULTANT

When should I hire a Roof Consultant? Never, if you want to make the mistake that so many others in your shoes have made.  Understanding your roof system and have a professional make some decisions regarding that roof can go a long way in saving you money in the end.  Also a lot of building owners, property managers, condominiums, apartments need the security of hiring a roof consultant. What would a Roof Consultant do for me? He should make a clear and concise assessment of your roof.  He should know every component of the roof system from the deck to the top layer of roofing.  There should be an explanation of  how he got to the decision of picking the roof system he chose.  Pictures are a must for explaining each item involved in the roof system.  We at Drone Infrared Imaging, use a drone with a HD Camera to allow us to capture pictures and video to put in our presentation. Specifications are  probably the most important piece to the puzzle because it keeps everyone on the same page.  How many times have we been in a position of making a decision based on three or four different types of roofing systems.  This leaves us guessing which roof system will be best for our situation and it leaves the door wide open for massive price differences.  If all contractors are bidding from the same specification then the price differences should be small.  Roofing contractors tend to give better pricing if they know they are bidding the same system and are bidding against other who are doing the same. The last piece is to decide on a roofing contractor to confirm their pricing and set up the project.  The consultant can also be involve with the entire roof project to make sure things are getting done correctly.  Aerial photography can be taken periodically to inform all involved where we are at in the progress of the roof project.  Video Overview of a Roof Project What about Roof Consultant pricing? There are many price points which can be used.  The consultant can just assess the roof system currently install to see if repair can be done which would be a low-cost item.  Or they can be involved in the whole roof replacement process from start to finish relieving the burden of others having to take large amounts of time and energy out of our busy schedules.  All price points will be available after an assessment of the project is done depending on how small or large the project is.