Month: October 2018

What to Know About Energy-Efficient Roofing

Posted on by Kathleen Maxwell

Does using “40 percent less energy for cooling” sound interesting? If so, you may want to consider energy-efficient roofing—a roofing industry technology that helps reduce energy consumption.

How Does Energy-Efficient Roofing Work?

There are a few different types of energy-efficient roofs, and they each work in different ways. For example, some commercial energy-efficient roofs are made with materials that reflect sunlight back into the atmosphere and protect the roof from UV rays. Other commercial energy-efficient roofs are green roofs covered with vegetation that absorbs sunlight and keeps it from reaching the roof itself.

What Are the Benefits of Energy-Efficient Roofing?

Saving money on cooling costs isn’t the only benefit you can get from energy-efficient roofing. Energy-efficient roofs are also more likely to last longer. Why? Rather than absorbing damaging sunlight and UV rays, energy-efficient roofs reflect them, reducing indoor cooling costs and preventing damage to the roof.

How Much Will You Save?

Energy-efficient roofs generally provide more savings in hotter climates. According to Energy.gov, “Cool roofs achieve the greatest cooling savings in hot climates, but they can increase energy costs in colder climates due to reduced beneficial wintertime heat gains.” If you want to know whether your facility is a good candidate for a cool roof, try this cool roof calculator or this roof savings calculator.

Should You Install an Energy-Efficient Roof?

Installing a brand-new roof sounds stressful—even painful, right? If you’re interested in achieving the benefits of an energy-efficient roof without going through the headache of tearing out your current roof and installing a new one, we have good news: Getting an energy-efficient roof might be less complicated than you think. You don’t have to install a completely new roof for it to be considered energy-efficient.

According to PowerScout, “A cool roof coating, comprised of pigments that reflect sunlight, can transform a standard roof into an energy-efficient roofing system.” If you’re looking for energy-efficient roofing materials, PowerScout recommends you “look for materials with a high solar reflectance and thermal emittance. Solar reflectance determines the amount of solar energy that a material reflects into the environment, while thermal emittance describes how readily a material releases absorbed solar heat.” Choosing a material that reflects as much sunlight as possible and releases as much heat as possible will allow you to maximize the benefits of energy-efficient roofing.

If you’re interested in installing a brand-new, energy-efficient roof or transforming your current roof to an energy-efficient one, we’d love to hear from you. Click here to learn how we can help you gain the benefits of energy-efficient roofing.

3 Ways Our Nashville Team Maintains a Commitment to Safety

Posted on by Kathleen Maxwell

Roofing projects are known for being hazardous to the crew and those in and around the building. According to OSHA, 34 percent of construction-site fatalities from 2003-2013 were the result of falls from roofs.

There has been a lot of incredible work done to create policies and procedures for protecting roof workers over the past few decades. However, many of the injuries that occur in roofing are due to complacency.

This reality is what our Maxwell Roofing team works diligently to avoid. We recognize that no one walks on a job site at the beginning of the day wanting to injure themselves. Injuries happen when we fail to recognize new potential dangers or rely a little too much on our skills and experience to keep us safe.

3 Ways Maxwell Roofing’s Nashville Team Maintains a Commitment to Safety

Throughout the lifecycle and maintenance of your roof, those who work on the roof can face many different threats, such as skylights and units close to the roof’s edge. Here are three ways we proactively work to keep safety top-of-mind for everyone involved with one of our commercial roofing projects:

1. We Conduct Job Hazard Analysis on a Regular Basis

Before any roofing project begins, we conduct a Job Hazard Analysis (JHA) to survey the project and essentially answer the question, “What are the things that could go wrong?”

This is not required by law; however, more building owners are starting to request it and many contractors submit a JHA as a matter of course. Additionally, we strive to re-visit and re-submit the JHA on a weekly basis to ensure that supervisors are continuously evaluating the conditions on and around the roof.

2. We Equip Workers with High-Grade Safety Devices for Fall Protection & Injury Prevention

Thankfully, the days of lunch atop a skyscraper with minimal safety equipment are behind us. Today, there are a host of retrofit options that make roofs a safer working environment. Through rooftop safety mechanisms like Roof Davits and Roof Hatch Guard Rails, our team has the skill to control these hazards and maintain a safe environment on your roof.

3. In-depth Documentation & Training

Beyond physical protection measures, we recognize that it’s also important and necessary to have robust policies in place for roof safety. Our team has developed policies that dictate how all installations, routine maintenance checks, and repairs should be conducted to create the safest environment possible. We also train each employee on how to respond in real-world situations that commonly lead to injury.

Roofing contractors are faced with dozens of hazards every time they step foot on a job site—from inclement weather to hazardous substances. This is something that everyone in our organization, from the top to the bottom, is mindful of each day. If you’re looking for a commercial roofing partner in Middle Tennessee, Northern Alabama, and their surrounding areas, we invite you to learn more about our services or view some of our recent projects today.

How to Proactively Prepare for a Commercial Roofing Emergency

Posted on by Kathleen Maxwell

Emergency repairs are inevitable over the course of a roof’s life. Exposed to the elements for decades on end, your roof is under attack throughout its entire lifecycle.

Unfortunately, most businesses don’t think about a roofing emergency until they experience one. Between getting the issue fixed immediately, dealing with insurance or warranties, and figuring out how you’re going to pay for the repairs, the process can eventually become a lot more stressful.

And, while you may not be able to prevent every commercial roofing emergency, there are ways you can make the process of dealing with them with much less burden or worry.

How to Proactively Prepare for a Commercial Roofing Emergency

Here are three ways we work with our clients to help them proactively prepare for emergencies that are outside of their control:

1. Develop an Emergency Response Plan

The first step to address roof issues as they arise is to have an action plan before an emergency occurs. All emergency plans should work in conjunction with the building’s regular maintenance plan and include a project schedule, initial inspection procedure, a prioritized list of repairs, and a process for recording the emergency work.

2. Be Financially Prepared with Capital Budget & Warranties

For many businesses, a roofing emergency can potentially seem more damaging to their bank accounts than the roofs themselves. Maxwell Roofing’s team works alongside our clients to consider capital budget strategies to proactively prepare for potential emergencies. We also educate them on the important things to consider when evaluating a commercial roof warranty. By taking these two ideas into consideration, the financial burden of an emergency roof repair won’t be an issue.

3. Address Potential Emergencies through Weatherproofing & Preventative Maintenance

The best defense against potential emergencies is a good offense. There are a few different ways we work to help our clients address potential emergencies before they become significant issues. Each commercial roof is weatherproofed based on specific factors and the unique structure, geography, and materials involved. Additionally, our Roof Monitor system keeps tabs on the conditions of the roof in the midst of damaging weather. Our Maxcare® program is designed to quickly address unexpected emergencies and also prevent small issues before they become big ones.

Is Your Roof Adequately Protected from an Emergency?

No one wants to think about the worst-case scenarios. However, proactively preparing can help you quickly resolve whatever emergency might occur without any stress or headaches. Taking time to implement these three ideas will ensure you’ll be in better shape if a roofing emergency arises.

If you’re interested in learning exactly how we can help your business proactively prepare for a commercial roofing emergency, click here to contact us today. Our team of professionals is ready to assist.

Fall 2018 Professional Skills Workshop Feature

Posted on by Kathleen Maxwell

Every other month, Maxwell Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc.’s Service team management, led by our Superintendents, Michael Cox and Barry Lilley, conducts Professional Skills Workshop (PSW) training events. The purpose of these dedicated training days is to further develop specific skills necessary to perform repairs on a wide variety of roofing systems and sheet metal assemblies. Barry Lilley explains, “The Professional Skills Workshops are effective for numerous reasons. One is that it helps new employees learn the ways in which we do things at Maxwell Roofing. Working in the commercial roofing industry for the past 20-plus years, I’ve learned that every roofing company does things differently. We’re proud of our standards of work at Maxwell Roofing, and it’s important that our employees are fully equipped to maintain those quality standards.”

maxwell roofing employees at workshop

In addition to skills development, Maxwell’s leaders focus on a point of safety emphasis that’s relative to the team’s job duties with the goal of ensuring a complete and comprehensive understanding that will help workers daily on the job. Our Service Technicians are subject to a wide array of potential risks through the course of their daily tasks, and it is everyone’s responsibility to make sure that we are prepared to identify and mitigate such threats.

A Look at Our Fall 2018 Professional Skills Workshop

During our Fall 2018 PSW held in September, the topics discussed and practiced were metal roof repairs, field fabrication and installation of sheet metal components, and general ladder safety. Participants present were the entire Service team, including Vice President of Services, David Maxwell, our Account Managers, Estimators, Project Manager, Inspector, and all Service field personnel. “I’ve worked in the commercial roofing business for almost 20 years, but I’ve never stopped learning. With constant changes in materials and methods in the roofing industry, our Professional Skills Workshops help us all to stay informed and up-to-speed on the latest skills, methods, and safety procedures. During this recent PSW, I gained a lot of new knowledge about metal roofing and how to properly make cuts,” affirms Gary Brockway, a lead service technician at Maxwell Roofing.

These PSW days also serve as a great opportunity for Maxwell employees to get together and bond as a team, cementing their mutual respect and support for the contributions of the whole group. “The primary takeaways from PSW days are just as much about positive team-building moments as they are about skills development. We learn so much from each other when we are working toward common goals,” says David Maxwell.

If you’re looking for a commercial roofing partner who values training and continuing education and skills, we invite you to learn more about our services or read how we’ve partnered with businesses like yours.

Client Spotlight: SVN | Avat Realty, LLC

Posted on by Kathleen Maxwell

Taking Collaboration in Commercial Real Estate to a Whole New Level

The Client

Founded in 1987, the SVN® brand was created out of a desire to improve the commercial real estate industry for all stakeholders through cooperation and organized competition. SVN is now a globally-recognized commercial real estate brand united by a shared vision of creating value with clients, colleagues, and its communities. SVN | Avat Realty, LLC, is a full-service commercial real estate brokerage firm of around 1,500 employees, providing commercial real estate services to large corporations, middle market businesses, and individual entrepreneurial investors. Serving the Greater Alabama area, SVA | Avat Realty offers advisory services for the sales, leasing, and management of commercial properties locally, regionally, and nationally. “When you choose SVN | Avat Realty, you mobilize the entire SVN organization of experts and all our trusted relationships to act on your behalf,” says Debbie Collins, Associate Advisor for SVN | Avat Realty.

Among the many things that make SVN | Avat Realty unique is that it works with national REITs, individual investors, and corporations on the purchase and sales of retail, office, and multi-family properties across the U.S. Property management for retail is also available in the North Alabama area through SVN | Avat Realty’s Huntsville office. Additionally, SVN | Avat Realty stands apart from competitors with its core company covenants, which personifies its values and culture and differentiates it from the competition.

The Opportunity

How did SVN | Avat Realty discover Maxwell Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc.? Collins says, “We discovered Maxwell while they were on the job for a neighbor retail property. Two years later, Maxwell’s Huntsville team provides us with service repairs and diagnosis of EPDM roofing.” Choosing to work with Maxwell Roofing over another roofing company is a simple choice for SVN | Avat Realty. Collins explains, “Maxwell lets us know when they are on the way, when they are on site, and what the issue is before repair is done. All this is done in a timely fashion, and the invoice is accompanied by photos of the repair area and description of work performed.”

The Solution

SVN | Avat Realty believes the Maxwell Roofing Huntsville team is the best roofing partner for them because they are confident in Maxwell’s ability to diagnose and repair roofing issues. Collins also affirms that the Maxwell Roofing Huntsville team has improved SVN | Avat Realty’s facilities by saying, “Our tenants are happy that Maxwell Roofing shows up promptly and that the technicians are always courteous and professional.” For other Huntsville-area business considering Maxwell Roofing & Sheet Metal, Inc.’s services, Collins encourages, “I would tell another business that they can’t go wrong by choosing Maxwell Roofing’s Huntsville team for their roofing projects.”