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In the regions of Traverse City, Charlevoix, Petoskey and Cadillac, snowfall is plentiful and temperatures are frigid–causing a pileup of snow and ice on many flat roof surfaces.

If you’re looking up and seeing white, there are a few things to keep in mind when considering whether or not to call a professional to properly remove snow to avoid costly damage. With the ongoing staff shortages, many clients are counting on Springfield this winter to safely and properly remove snow pileup to avoid additional stress on reduced staff.

Risks to Snow Pile Up

When there are only a couple of inches of snow accumulation, it’s best to leave it since improper snow removal can result in damage to the roofing membranes. But, when the snow is accumulating to several feet, it’s important to consider the potential risks, such as:

• Blocked access to building systems and features, including HVAC equipment and plumbing vents.
• Risk of snow and ice falling off onto people or property, resulting in injuries or costly damage.
• Heavy amounts of snow melting and posing a risk to the drainage system. As ice expands when it freezes, it may damage the external drainage system.
• Too much weight on your building’s structure. Average snow may weigh 15 pounds per cubic foot and drifted compacted snow may weigh 30 pounds or more.
• Damage to old roof membranes thanks to the freeze and thaw cycle, resulting in water working it’s way into cracks and vulnerabilities in old roof membranes that may be near the end of their useful lives.

Warning Signs of Structural Stress

While there are many undesirable risks to your building’s flat roof caused by too much snow, most people are understandably most worried about maintaining the integrity of the property and the risk of roof collapse. Here are the warning signs:

• Ceiling problems: A ceiling that appears to sag, or sprinkler lines and sprinkler heads that look lower than normal.
• Unusual noises: Creaking, popping and cracking can be a sign of a stressed roof.
• Roof member problems: Any portion of a roof or roof truss which sags is a cause for concern.
• Drainage problems: Unusual collections of water on the flat roof may be a sign this area has sunken.
• Door and window problems: If a door or window can no longer be opened or closed it may be a sign the roof or walls have shifted under the weight of snow.
• Wall problems: Drywall, masonry and other wall materials may crack under pressure from an overloaded roof.

Safe, Professional Snow Removal

If you’re worried about the impact of snow on your roof this winter, give us a call to schedule an appointment and let our experienced snow removal teams protect your property.

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If the cost to cool your building this summer has been through the roof (literally), the color of your roof could be to blame. As heatwaves continue to break record temperatures in northern Michigan, cooling systems are working overtime to keep up.

While there has been a long-standing debate of the benefits between black and white commercial roofs, black roofs are known to absorb the sun’s heat energy—causing the roof surface to become extremely hot.

In fact, white thermoplastic membranes that we install at Springfield are 50-80 degrees cooler than black rubberized roofing membranes. A black roof exposed to full sun can increase in temperature by as much as 90 degrees Fahrenheit, leaving the air conditioning working overtime to compensate.

White Commercial Roofs vs. Black Commercial Roofs

While the upfront cost of the cheapest roof possible may be appealing, the long-term benefits that will be sacrificed make it a costly bargain.

By reflecting up to 88% of the sun’s energy, Duro-Last’s white membranes can greatly reduce energy consumption and costs – making it an ideal energy efficient cool roofing solution. With a total solar emittance of up to 95%, the ENERGY STAR® qualified Duro-Last membrane also releases energy and heat efficiently.
This reflectivity of white roofs compared with black roofs is particularly helpful for reducing peak energy demand, or the sharp peak in electrical demand can be observed in almost every building during the busiest hours of the day.
A Duro-Last roofing system is a strong, reinforced thermoplastic single-ply membrane that is perfect for commercial and industrial buildings with flat or low-sloped roofs. Choosing this option can have a substantial effect on your bottom line and extend the lifecycle of your roofing system.

Myths Debunked: Why White Roofs Come Up on Top

We know what you’re thinking, we see more snow than sun in northern Michigan, so wouldn’t a black roof provide a winter heating benefit? The short answer is no but allow us to explain why.

• Hot air rises. Thus, any heat that is transferred to the interior of a building structure from the outside will remain at the top of the structure, providing minimal heat savings.
• There are fewer hours of sunlight to truly impact energy costs.
• The energy required to air condition a building in the summer is usually considerably greater than the energy to heat it in the winter, making the potential for summer energy cost savings much greater with a highly reflective white roof than winter savings with a heat absorbing black roof.

As a building owner, there are many factors that go into the final decision for your next roofing system. Make sure the color of your commercial roof is one of them!

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Press Release:

Springfield Inc. is partnering with Incredible Mo’s to host a hiring event for the whole family. Time slots to interview for a field technician position will be available to RSVP through our Facebook post. While dad or mom is interviewing with Nick Jacqmain from Springfield, the rest of the family will have pizza and a beverage of their choice available to them. Springfield will also provide one $15 Incredible Mo’s gift card per child for use at the arcade.

“We are very excited to welcome northern Michigan families to our hiring event and hope to get an opportunity to welcome some local construction professionals to our family-oriented team. We would also like to thank Chris and his team at Incredible Mo’s for helping us put this event together.”

-Nick Jacqmain, CEO of Springfield Inc.

Springfield, a commercial contractor located in Kingsley, is an expert installer of commercial roofs in Michigan and an innovator in mechanical insulation, safety and building envelope efficiency. Springfield installs long-lasting solutions tailored for the northern Michigan climate. Springfield clients, facility managers, and owners appreciate how we improve their operations, providing a competitive edge.

 

Incredible Mo’s, located at 1355 Silver Lake Crossings Boulevard in Grawn, is a 35,000 sq. ft. entertainment center which features 16 bowling lanes, escape rooms, laser tag, casual dining & a full arcade.

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Springfield was recently featured in Roofing Contractor Magazine as a model of success for commercial roofing in Michigan. Roofing Contractor Magazine is the Official Publication of the Inernational Roofing Expo^®.

In the article “Contractor Profile: Springfield. Key Partnerships and Treating Customers’ Problems as Their Own are Secrets to Success for This Michigan Commercial Roofer” Roofing Contractor Magazine took the time to understand and highlight some of the keys to our success over the years.

The article provides some concrete examples of

Partnership with our clients,

“We create partnerships by taking a proactive approach with their buildings and putting their best interests first,” Jacqmain said. “We call it ‘sitting on the same side of the table as them’ and treating their problems like they are our own, and then solving them.”

and vendors.

Duro-Last also inspects the company’s roofs once they’re installed. Jacqmain said every roof Springfield installs is inspected twice by its technicians before Duro-Last takes a look. This earned its crews an average 99 out of 100 inspection score, placing it in the top 3% in the country.

The value in having the right people,

“That servant leadership has helped us attract and retain great people,” Jacqmain said. “One of our employees that has been here for 20 years was involved with replacing a roof that he installed 20 years ago. That speaks to the trust that we have built with the client and the culture that we have built to retain employees.”

as part of a plan for surviving the tough times.

“Focusing on service, roof repairs and maintenance, is critical,” he said. “When new construction and reroofs slow down during a recession, having a strong service department can pull you through.”

Read the full article online at Roofing Contractor Magazine, including a video interview Nick Jacqmain gave to the publication’s Chris Gray.

If you need commercial roofing in Michigan, (expert repair or replacement) give us a call today!

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