MONEY SAVED UP-FRONT CAN OFTEN MEAN MONEY SPENT LATER
Just about all humans have something in our makeup that keeps us from being totally rational when making purchases, especially purchases that are closer to investments. A purchase of a new set of tires for your car shouldn’t be viewed as an expense, but as an investment in the car, to make it last longer and drive more safely. However, most car owners want to get in and out of the tire shop as quickly as possible and spend as little money as possible. The problem with this is that they aren’t getting good tires, and will have to buy more very soon.
In the same way, many building owners and facility managers attempt to save money on every purchase they make for their building, not realizing that they are often setting themselves up for more expenses down the road. This is a very common commercial roofing pitfall: spending less now to “save money”, when you’ll really have to spend more money later. Buying cheap tires and roofs may save you money today, but it will almost certainly lead to more expenses down the road.
Cheap Items Aren’t Always Money-Savers
Thinking that just because you are spending less money on your roofing purchases today is a wise choice simply because it’s less money now is almost always flawed thinking. Cheap roofing systems have a low price tag for a reason: they’re cheap. That’s why we associate cheap prices with cheap quality: it’s usually true. A cheap roofing system will almost always lead to more repairs, less energy efficiency, and a shorter life. The shorter life means you have to replace the roof sooner than the system that cost a little bit more, and may end up spending more money in total.
Some roofing systems can be more expensive than others, many times they can be significantly more expensive, and yet, these systems are worth the investment. How? Well, the more expensive roofing systems often provide better protection from the elements, better insulation to save you energy, and a longer service life to keep you from replacing the roof too soon.
Conclusion
Don’t purchase the most inexpensive roofing option for your building simply because it is the most inexpensive option. That is a great way to put a roof on your building that will end up being replaced in 7 years and costing you more than the more expensive original option would have cost.