Nothing can impact more owners in more different ways than a bad roof. Maintaining and eventually replacing your roof can have a critical impact on your happiness and success as a board member. Typically a roof can last 15-20 years. Slate roofs can last 100. It’s unlikely that you will be on the HOA Board during that period of high anxiety. But if you are, we can help you through the maze of experts that include a roofing contractor, manufacturer, architect, engineer, consultant as well as your manager and attorney. Everybody plays a part in what is usually the single largest capital replacement item in your history.

If you are lucky enough to not be on the Board during that time, the decisions you make during your current term will have a mighty big impact on those neighbors that are serving. The primary question might be “Did you provide adequate reserves for the project?” That’s something you can impact right now. Check with your manager and review the specific part of the reserve fund designated for the roof. How does it look based on the reserve analyst’s projections? If it seems under-funded, then make the small adjustment needed now rather than ignoring it and allowing a larger deficit that may cause a special assessment when it’s time to re-roof.

The second thing you can do is review the roof maintenance agreement. What? You don’t have one? No surprise. It’s one of those items of preventive maintenance that you don’t embrace until you find out first hand how much it could have saved you.  So many roofs fail prematurely simply because nobody did an annual inspection to repair small damage. Roofs are the best example of how a small bit of repair worth a few hundred dollars can grow into a $10,000 major repair or a $200,000 re-roof.  Your roof is exposed to the harshest climate. The sun is baking on it. The winter brings wind driven moisture. If you’re in New England, ice dams appear to create even more damage. If the elements are pounding on a well-sealed roof, there is always the challenge of how long will it hold up. But when the wind-driven rain finds a hole or a loose shingle, the real problems begin to happen, and they happen fast. You don’t want to be trying to do a roof repair in the wrong season. That’s why an annual inspection in the spring is the first essential part of a preventive maintenance plan. It’s not costly. Ignoring the problem is far more expensive. It’s not an “if”, but a “when”.

If you are on a board that is facing a re-roofing project, don’t hesitate to call in some helpers. An ad hoc roofing committee can be extremely valuable in achieving the two most important goals. 

#1 Evaluate the options available in materials and construction professionals. 

#2 Communicate what is going on to the rest of the community so that everybody knows what’s happening and how this huge amount of money is being spent.

 The committee will gather all the information from the experts and present it to the board. The board will then vote on what materials and what vendors will be used. Make it a group decision process. That way everybody has a stake in the outcome.

Two things to remember as you turn the page. Now is the time to be sure you have a preventive maintenance program in place for your roof that coincides with your reserve fund. Secondly, if you are doing a roof replacement, use all the manpower available to help you gather good information on which to base your decision. You need the advice of experts.

Roofing is often the largest single expense of a condo or HOA.  In New England it’s an event that occurs about every 20-25 years.  In California it sometimes seems that it happens every 24-25 months.  Florida roofing projects seem to follow the patterns of the hurricanes.  In every corner of the country the choices are critical.  The expense is enormous. The inconvenience is measurable. The consequences of a bad choice mean lawsuits, uncontrollable leaks, a community fighting amongst themselves and another sometimes larger expense to correct the errors.

Board members of America unite! Do not simply go for the low bid on your next roofing project.  Go through the process or hire a consultant to help you through the process.  The size of the expense can run from $50,000 to $5,000,000.  You can’t afford to make a mistake. If the roof is to be replaced with a different material than is currently in place, get the advise of an architect and/or an engineer.  When roofs collapse or blow away there’s tremendous collateral damage.  When roofs leak, the problem has an effect on multiple homeowners who have their personal property damaged. Insurance claims are filed. Rates go up.  Do not be suckered into a low-bid contractor.  

Each year we try and explain the basics of going out for bid on a new roof.  

#1. Create a committee.  

#2 Establish your expectations. 

#3 Select your material choices.  

#4 Evaluate manufacturer warranties & guarantees.  

#5 Consult with an architect or engineer to determine potential problems.  

#6 Get a proper professional job specification written. 

#7 Have your choice of contractors bid on the same spec. 

#8 Make sure you thoroughly check references.  Get references of all jobs performed in the last year. 

#9 See if your attorney can run a court check on the contractor to see if any lawsuits have been filed, are pending, or if any judgments have been levied.   Then get a list of jobs performed 5-6 years ago.  Don’t be put off.  If the contractor doesn’t keep good records, go somewhere else.  The current jobs will tell you about their punctuality, cleanliness, and customer service.  The 5-6 year old jobs will tell you a bit more about their quality.  Ask if they have any claims made in the past 5-6 years on their warranties or guarantees.  There should be some.  Nobody is perfect.  How did they handle these problems?  

Of course the contractor should have proper insurance for his crew, vehicles, and general liability. Is the contractor willing to post a performance bond?  Rely heavily on your manager and in-depth investigation by the committee.  Assign everybody just a little bit of homework.  Make sure it is done properly.  If not, reassign it.  

Bids on large projects often vary by tens of thousands of dollars.  There should be an explanation that you should be able to understand.  Ask the right questions.  Did one contractor estimate 200 hours of labor while the other estimated 250?  If the job runs to 300 hours, who pays?  If it’s the contractor you have to ask yourself if they will just absorb all that extra cost.  What did each bidder budget for insurance.  Are the materials costs similar?  It is your opportunity to ask the right questions and your obligation to understand the answers.  Does one contractor pay the roofers $12/hr while the other pays $18/hr and provides uniforms?  Proper scheduling can have a big impact on the overall cost.  What happens on rain days?

I think someday we might put out an entire handbook on selecting a new roof.  For now, rely on your manager, professional engineer or architect, roofing consultant and your own common sense.  But do your homework and don’t go for the low bid.  You are bound to lose big in the long run.