Commercial Roofing
A buyer under contract on a warehouse in Edinburg, TX has a few weeks to decide what the building is worth, and the roof is the line item most likely to move the number. The seller says it was recoated a few years ago. The listing says nothing about wet insulation. A due diligence roof survey answers the buyer's real question: what will this roof cost over the next several years, and what can be learned about it before closing?
I run the survey as a leak call with a deadline, tracing from the visible condition backward to the facts the buyer can use, and I write what the inspection confirmed and what it could not.
Five things: what roof systems are on the building and how many sections there are, whether any section has confirmed wet insulation, which details are failing, what repairs are needed now and what the next major roof expense is likely to be and when. Everything else is detail. I put those five answers on the first page of the report, with cost ranges, and support them with photographs, readings and a plan in the pages that follow.
If the seller has records, I review them against what the roof shows. If not, the roof itself is the record.
I also flag items that are not roof defects but affect the roof: rooftop equipment near the end of its service life, leases that restrict roof access, third-party installations such as antennas whose penetrations were never documented. A buyer who learns of these before closing can allocate the cost or ask for corrections as part of the deal.
I start with the paperwork the seller can provide: drawings, warranties, repair invoices and leak logs. Then I walk the whole roof, check perimeter and flashings, drains, seams and equipment, and run an infrared moisture survey when conditions allow. Large or hard-to-reach roofs benefit from a drone inspection to see the full surface. Suspect areas are confirmed with a probe or a small test cut, closed the same day. The sequence fits into a day on most buildings.
Weather affects the schedule. A survey done after rain shows leaks more clearly but limits what can be walked, and one done on a dry day allows full access but may hide active entries. I choose the day with the seller's schedule in mind and say in the report what the conditions allowed.
A history of leaks tells me where to look and how the roof has been treated. Repairs that cluster at one detail point to a recurring failure, and patches in several different materials suggest repairs made without a plan. I match each past leak to its roof location and check whether the repair is holding. A roof with a clean history can still hide wet insulation, and a roof with many repairs can be dry beneath, so the survey tests both assumptions.
Interior stains, ceiling tile replacements and new paint near walls are clues I ask about on the walk through.
Insurance history is worth asking about. A building that has had storm claims shows what the owner and insurer considered damaged, and a gap between the claim and the repair on the roof is a finding. I match the claim records to the roof photographs when they are provided, since that comparison can show whether storm work was completed or left unfinished.
A test cut shows the layers, the insulation and the deck. A single sheet over dry insulation with good seams may have years left, and several layers with a worn top coat and wet board below may not. The Valley's heat-safety season, May through October by the Weather Service's definition, ages membranes and sealants every year, so I weigh the age and the surface condition against it. I give a remaining-life range with its reasons, the way a roof condition report does, because the buyer needs a range to price against.
Drainage can change the value of a building as quickly as the membrane. Ponds, undersized drains and blocked scuppers all leave marks, and the Valley prepares for flooding all year. I check each outlet and note what a heavy rain would do to the roof, so a buyer knows if drainage upgrades belong in the price.
The report separates immediate repairs, near-term work and the eventual restoration or replacement. For each, it states the quantity, the assumptions and an allowance for wet insulation with a named trigger. The 2018 International Building Code and Energy Conservation Code are among the City of Edinburg's adopted codes, so I note when a future replacement may need upgrades. A buyer can use the ranges to negotiate price, request a seller credit or plan a reserve, and a lender can read the same ranges without a site visit. For a longer horizon, they feed roof capital planning.
Where the findings support it, I recommend a credit range for the seller. The range is based on the immediate repairs and a share of the near-term work, and the report shows the arithmetic. A buyer who asks for a credit with the numbers attached has a stronger conversation than one who asks for a general reduction.
Tenants continue to operate, and I arrange access through the seller or property manager so the survey does not disturb them. Where an area cannot be reached or a reading is not possible, the report says so and suggests a follow-up. Buyers with properties across the Valley, in McAllen or Weslaco as well as Edinburg, often want a standard format for each acquisition, and the report is built so the same sections appear every time. Where the building has a warranty, the terms are noted for warranty management after closing.
After closing, the survey becomes the starting point for the owner's roof record. The plan, photographs and readings are already in place, and the first maintenance visit adds to them. A buyer who commissions the survey early gets a head start on the roof program instead of a late surprise.
As early as the contract allows. A survey fits in a day on most buildings, with the report following in a few days, but scheduling access and weather can take longer, and the findings may prompt a second look.
Yes. It is written so a lender can read it without visiting the site, with locations, photographs, readings and cost ranges. The buyer decides who receives it.
I use non-destructive methods such as moisture imaging and visual inspection, and the report states what could not be confirmed. A buyer can then adjust the price or ask for access to confirm before closing.
Moisture. A roof with dry insulation and sound details can have rough surface wear and still be a modest cost. Confirmed wet insulation changes the budget and the negotiation, because it adds removal cost.
It is the roof portion of one, with more detail on the roof than a general assessment usually provides. The two can be combined into one deliverable for the lender.