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How Building Envelope Maintenance Saves Money
Whatever roof system your operation is under, whatever exterior and interior wall conditions your co-workers are working within, whatever window and door envelope penetrations are providing light and access, and whatever foundation is supporting your facility, the building envelope that you have been charged with maintaining deserves (and its owners and inhabitants will greatly appreciate) a little TLC. And TLC is exactly what a Building Envelope Maintenance Program will deliver.
In C.E. Hagentoft’s An Introduction to Building Physics, the state and operation of the building envelope—walls, roofs and foundation—are analyzed as well as the physical process components: heat, moisture and air transfer.
When it comes to building envelope maintenance, the first and most important component is roof maintenance. This process includes checking:
- Flashings
- Roof penetrations
- Areas around roof-top HVAC units
- Roof-top traffic-surface walk pads
- Roof drains and exterior leader-heads
When it comes to the rest of the building envelope, Standard’s Building Envelope Maintenance Program visually inspects:
- Exterior and interior walls
- Door and window penetrations
- Ceiling conditions
- Elements of the foundation condition that are readily accessible
To the trained eye, even just a visual inspection of these building envelope conditions can often reveal minor issues that can be easily addressed and that will often pay long-term dividends.
So what do you have to lose? Possibly heat, moisture and air transfer compromises to the building envelopes that you have been charged with overseeing. And avoiding these compromises has the potential to head off major interruptions to your organization’s operations and what in many cases might be considered even minor situations that if left unchecked, can lead to much more serious building health issues. To schedule an assessment of your building envelope including your roof system, contact Pete Taylor.