A commercial roof maintenance plan is a booked schedule of roof visits, where a roofer clears the drains, checks every seam and penetration, makes small repairs and sends you a photo report. For most Calgary flat roofs under 20 years old, it’s worth it, because the blocked drains and open seams a visit takes care of are where most winter leaks start.
We run three plans for commercial, condo and multi-family buildings. Here’s what they cost and what a visit actually does. We’ll also tell you when to skip the plan and budget for a new roof instead.
What does a commercial roof maintenance plan cost in Calgary?
Our plans run $0.18 to $0.36 a square foot, depending on the plan and the roof. Every plan starts with a free roof assessment, and the price and scope are agreed in writing before any work starts.
| Plan | Built for | Rate | Visits | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preferred | Roofs up to 15 years old | $0.18 to $0.27 a sq ft | One a year, spring or fall | Photo report, expedited service response |
| Premier | Roofs 5 to 20 years old | $0.29 to $0.36 a sq ft | Two a year, spring and fall | Minor repairs included, priority on leak calls, budget notes and a reserve fund section |
| Portfolio | Owners with several roofs | Priced on the portfolio | Three a year, up to four | Everything in Premier, a repair allowance, a priority inspection after a storm |
Your signed agreement sets the timing, the tasks, any allowance caps and the leak-call terms. Compare plans on that document, since a brochure leaves a lot out.
What happens on a maintenance visit?
A visit is a walk of the whole roof against a checklist, plus the small jobs that stop leaks before they start. On a Preferred visit, we:
- Inspect the membrane, flashings, drains and every penetration.
- Clear debris from the drains and the roof surface.
- Touch up sealant at penetrations and pipe boots.
- Photograph what we find and send you the report.
Premier adds the perimeter edge and clears every drain, gutter and downspout. It also includes minor repairs like caulking, small patches and reseating fasteners. Trevor, our Commercial Operations Manager, agrees the exact scope with you before the first visit.
What does skipping roof maintenance cost?
Skipping it costs nothing until the first leak, and then it usually costs more than the plan would have. These are our standard commercial rates:
| What happens | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Leak detection inspection | $500 to $750 |
| Minor leak repair | $600 to $2,800 |
| Flashing or membrane repair | $500 to $2,000 |
| Emergency callout to find and control a leak | $1,500 to $5,000 or more |
| Repairs after wind or rain gets under a weak spot | $3,000 to $15,000 |
| Drying out water damage inside | $3.00 to $7.50 a sq ft |
| Full roof replacement | $10 to $20 a sq ft |
Put those on the same scale as the plan. On a 10,000 square foot roof, one emergency leak callout works out to $0.15 to $0.50 a square foot, before the permanent repair or anything inside. Evening and weekend callouts are often 50% higher. Preferred on the same roof runs $0.18 to $0.27 a square foot.
No plan makes a roof leak-proof. The point is to find the open seam or the blocked drain while it’s a small repair you can book on a weekday. Left alone, it tends to become a callout in the middle of a February night.
Why do Calgary flat roofs need maintenance more than most?
Calgary’s weather works on a flat roof all winter. The City of Calgary reports a 30-year average of 128 freeze-thaw cycles a year, and a chinook can melt the snow in an afternoon and let it freeze again overnight.
All that melt water heads for the drains and scuppers. If a drain is blocked, the water sits, freezes, expands and opens the nearest seam a little further. A flat roof also faces straight up into every hailstorm, and we’ve documented more than 1,200 hail claims since 2014.
That’s why Mark Dawson, our owner, tells property managers to get the roof checked before the snow. A drain cleared in October is much less likely to back up in a February chinook.
Which maintenance plan fits your building?
Roof age decides most of it. Preferred is built for roofs up to 15 years old that mostly need watching. Premier suits roofs 5 to 20 years old, where small repairs start to show up and two visits a year catch them early.
Condo boards and property managers building a reserve fund usually want Premier, because its report comes with budget notes and a reserve fund section. Portfolio is for owners and management companies with several buildings who want one roofer, one schedule and a priority inspection after a storm. If that’s you, our condo roofing page covers how we work with boards.
When is a maintenance plan not worth it?
A plan isn’t worth it on a roof that’s already failing. If the membrane has problems across most of the roof, or the same leak keeps coming back after repairs, you’ll spend less replacing it than maintaining it.
Get that answer from an inspection before you sign anything. One roof we looked at had leaked for two years, and the owner was ready to replace it. A repair fixed it. Other roofs really are done, and our report says so plainly. If yours is, here’s what a commercial flat roof costs in Calgary.
What should a roof maintenance plan put in writing?
Ask any roofer to write these down before you sign:
- How many visits a year, and in which seasons.
- What gets cleared and checked on each visit.
- Which small repairs are included, and the allowance cap.
- What the photo report shows.
- How fast they answer a leak call between visits.
- What the plan doesn’t cover.
Ours leaves out repairs beyond any allowance, testing, internal plumbing, engineering, anchor certification, snow and ice removal, and mechanical or electrical work. Each of those needs your separate sign-off, so nothing lands on the bill without a yes from you.
Common questions
How often should a commercial flat roof be inspected in Calgary?
At least once a year, and twice for an older roof. Spring and fall are the usual times, with the fall visit done before the snow. Get it checked after a big hailstorm or windstorm too.
Do maintenance plan clients get priority on leak calls?
Yes. Preferred includes expedited service response, Premier adds priority scheduling for leak calls between visits, and Portfolio adds priority routing and an inspection after a storm.
What does the free roof assessment include?
We walk the whole roof and send you a photo report with a priority action list of what to address, plan for or monitor. It tells you whether a plan, a repair or a new roof makes the most sense.
Do you maintain flat roofs on houses?
Our maintenance plans are built for commercial, condo and multi-family roofs. For a flat roof on a house, start with flat roof repair and we’ll tell you what it needs.
We maintain flat roofs on business, condo and multi-family buildings across Calgary. See the three commercial roof maintenance plans on our inspection page, or call 403-608-9933 to book a free roof assessment.
