Roof consultants typically work with both the building owner and the roofing contractor, giving them a unique perspective when it comes to examining roof maintenance. Roofing Contractor spoke with four consultants who work with building owners across the country and asked them to share their clients’ key concerns and their goals in setting up roof asset management programs.

Contractors and architects in search of sustainable and energy-efficient roofing products increasingly face a broad range of new choices. But a recent study suggests that a frontrunner in the race to be green may be one of the most tried and true products in the marketplace.

The initial cost of a roof system is typically 10 percent of the total building cost. However, over the life span the building the roof could account for nearly 60 percent of the building’s total maintenance costs.

Retrofitting flat roofs with sloped metal roofs is a concept that is tailor-made for these declining economic times. Interestingly, of the 40 billion square feet of roofing annually installed in the United States, only a fraction of that amount entails retrofitting roofs with sloped metal systems.