Of course, JJ Quality Builders Palm Beach states commercial roofing is roofing done on commercial buildings while residential roofing is roofing done on residential homes, and I’m assuming you don’t see the reason for this article. Well, hold on for a sec, I will explain why you need to know the difference between commercial roofing and residential roofing.
It is usually scarce to find homeowners that know what is going on in their roofs, especially when roofing is not in their line of profession. It is also more difficult to find homeowners that know the difference between commercial roofing and residential roofing, other than that the former is used in commercial buildings while the later is used in residential buildings.
Do you know that your ignorance about these two roofing systems might make you employ a commercial roofer for your house and vice versa? This will, of course, lead to a waste of time, money, and emotional stress. Therefore, in this article, the major difference between commercial roofing and residential roofing will be explained to you. Read through it and get the knowledge that will help you differentiate between the two roofing systems. Let’s get started.
Three differences between commercial roofing and residential roofing.
- Mode of design: the mode of design is one of the significant differences between commercial roofing and residential roofing. It’s simple to understand this. Commercial buildings are usually large and wide as it houses more people, more goods, more rooms, and spaces, etc. This, in turn, makes the roof of commercial buildings to be larger than that of the residential buildings. Although the materials for building both of them are the same – of course, they should be the same, both of them are roofs, the materials used for roofing commercial buildings are more extensive than the ones used in roofing residential buildings. In addition to the more materials used in roofing a commercial building, the presence of many smokestacks, external piping, airflows also makes commercial roofing different from residential roofing.
Furthermore, most commercial buildings are built without much styling as it will cost more money to make the roof of a large building to be stylish. On that note, most commercial buildings have flat roofs with a low slope. Also, due to its length, commercial roofs are divided into layers and spaces. These layers and spaces are then installed in sections for easy installation.
- Installation cost: the cost of installing a residential roof is nothing when compared with the cost of installing a commercial roof. The difference in the price of installing the two roofs is the primary reason why homeowners are advised to know the difference between the two roofs. Imagine that you want to install a roof on your house, and your roofer gives you the estimate for roofing a commercial building. If you don’t know anything about roofing, you might take your roofer’s word and pay for the materials and installation. Imagine the waste of money, time, and psychological stress you will pass through when you find out your roofer’s mistake. Therefore, you are advised to take note that the cost of installing a commercial roof is higher than the price for installing residential roofs. To be sure that your roofer knows what he/she is doing, you are advised to compare the roofing estimate of more than one roofer.
- Maintenance: due to the size of commercial roofing, it’s maintenance is more cumbersome than that for residential roofing. Although both roofs have the same life span because they are built with the same materials, the commercial roof tends to need more attention to keep it in good shape. One primary reason why the commercial roof needs more maintenance is that it carries more weight and heavier implements than the residential roof. Also, commercial roofs are usually built as flat roofs, and flat roofs need much maintenance. This is because the low slope of the flat roof doesn’t allow rainwater to drain quickly. Therefore, the drainage in the roof of a commercial building needs to be cleared as often as possible to avoid blockage. Also, because of this, the shingles in the roofs of commercial buildings tend to break or curl quickly. In addition to this, the cost of repairing commercial roofs is generally higher than the price for maintaining residential roofs.
In conclusion, although a roofer can have the expertise to build both commercial and residential roofs, it is advised that you go for a residential roofer for your house roof installation and a commercial roofer for a commercial building. The knowledge above will help a homeowner to be able to differentiate between a residential roofer and a commercial roofer.