
A Guide to Roofing Options in Fayetteville, NC
June 30, 2024
Not every roofing company is right for every job! Many roofers only handle residential roofs, and there’s a simple reason for that. Properly building a commercial roof takes extra time, tools, and talent. You need experienced commercial roofing contractors in Fayetteville to ensure your business gets a roof that will last for decades while supporting your operations.
What are the differences between residential and commercial roofing? Why is it necessary to hire specialists for your business roof? Let’s take a look.
The first and most obvious difference between commercial and residential roofs is their size. A commercial roof is typically much larger than a standard home, requiring far more materials as well as more manpower. Many smaller roofers simply lack the resources to handle large corporate roofs.
While there are exceptions, the vast majority of residential roofs have steep slopes with A-frame style designs. These encourage water and other materials to quickly slide off. However, commercial roofs can have a lot of different configurations. Flat roofs are extremely common, or they may even have bespoke roof designs to fit the look of their building.
Properly designing a flat roof that is still capable of removing any water is difficult. If the builder fails at this, pools of water will form whenever it rains and quickly begin damaging the roof. A good commercial roofing contractor knows how to prevent this!
Most residential homes use roofs built of standard asphalt shingles, but these are rare for commercial roofs. A commercial roof is much more likely to use robust materials for its construction such as concrete, slate, or metal sheeting. These materials stand up against damage better, and typically last much longer than regular shingles.
However, these materials can be very heavy – especially slate and other stonework. The structures beneath the roof must be built to hold up that weight, which is another consideration that residential roofers don’t have to worry about.
Weatherproofing on standard homes is usually pretty minimal, with the shingles themselves serving as the main line of defense against wind and water. For commercial roofs, that’s not good enough. Business roofing often incorporates sheeting or roll-on epoxies for extra weatherproofing, particularly on flat roofs.
These are more exotic materials that many residential roofers don’t have access to.
Of course, all these features come at a price. Commercial roofing is significantly more expensive than residential roofing. This may make it tempting to ‘go cheap’ on your roof work, but resist! A well-built commercial roof should be able to last 20-30 years, or even more if you choose a material like slate. It’s an investment that will pay off if you choose quality commercial roofing contractors.
Advanced Roofing Solutions has extensive experience building, repairing, and replacing commercial roofs across the greater Fayetteville area. We’re a go-to source for construction contractors, as well as building owners who want the best roofing possible.
Please contact us to consult on your roofing needs.