August 2020

Cost Planning
ROOFING MYTH BUSTING: RELATIVE
COST INCREASE VS. COST TOTALITY
When procuring roofing materials, Pauline Manley, Marketing Director at Klober, says
taking a price-led approach per unit cost can create a false economy for a building
project long-term. Below, she explains how the cost totality of a project is defined by
more than the upfront cost...
While keeping to budget will always be a
primary objective during the building
process, it is important to realise that
value-engineering of products to make initial
savings will not necessarily provide greater value
in the long run. A poor roofing installation with
subpar products is unlikely to last a substantial
amount of time. Just a quick search online will
bring up far too many reports of cases where
newly installed roofs, or ones that are just a few
years old, are falling apart, leaky and dangerous.
If a roof does degrade prematurely, a roofing
contractor will generally be contractually
responsible to make repairs in the first
year, so it is important to get it
right first time.
Cost per unit Vs. cost
totality
The old saying ‘you get
what you pay for’ does
hold a grain of truth.
While cheaper products
can do the job, it is
important to be aware that the
difference between underlays is not
just fiscal, but can also be vast in terms of
performance. Roofing felt underlay made from
fibreglass, for instance, is considered to be one of
the cheapest underlay options. While it will
provide the required barrier for a roofing
installation, over time this material can become
brittle and rot into the guttering where it has been
exposed to sunlight.
More expensive alternatives, such as breathable
and non-breathable membranes, provide the
essential barrier needed to
protect the property from
possible ventilation
problems and
unexpected water
ingress. A breathable
membrane, especially
one that is both vapour
and air permeable, will
generally be more expensive
than a non-breathable membrane.
This is because breathable options have less
vapour resistance than non-breathable options,
so that water vapour can exit freely without
the need for separate ventilation
above the roofing insulation.
Innovation
To put product innovation
investment into
perspective, when using
the example of a typical
150sqm roof, this would
require an average of three
rolls of underlay. The average cost
saving achievable for three rolls of budget
underlay will only recoup a few hundred pounds
at the most, in lots of cases, however, the saving
will be dramatically less than this. In the grand
scheme of the whole building project, the value of
spending a fraction more to achieve better results
at a cost-level of this scale makes sense. The
time-saving benefits of using premium products,
designed with ease-of-installation as well as
exceptional performance in mind, also adds
further value for the installer by reducing the time
spent on site.
Not all underlay is made to
suit all applications, and
for low pitch roofing
getting the correct
underlay is so important,
otherwise the roof will
fail. Contractors need to be
careful that membranes
chosen can cater for the pitch,
and choose products developed by
manufacturers, such as Klober, that are suitable.
Changing attitudes
To continue to raise roofing standards, it is
important to carefully consider the roof and
remember that the true cost is relative not only to
the price, but also to the performance and how
long it will last. It simply takes a shift in attitude
to realise that a slightly higher investment can
translate to savings in terms of time and money
later down the line. It is also worth mentioning
that when working with trusted manufacturers,
the reputation of the building contractor is
protected.
Overall, with the help of manufacturers who
continue to innovate membrane performance and
target specific project applications, building and
roofing contractors can be supported with the
most up-to-date roofing product solutions,
specification support and installation guidance.
Contact Klober
www.klober.co.uk
01332 813 050
30 TC AUGUST 2020