Life cycle costs can be defined as the total sum expended to maintain and support a product, in this case a roof, from initial purchase throughout its useful service life. Too often projects and building systems are evaluated on initial cost, rather than life cycle costs. While it is an important factor, initial cost is not the only factor. Roofing decisions based on a complete life cycle analysis must also include the expected life of the system, scheduled maintenance costs, energy costs and disposal costs.
A reliable, high quality roof simply lasts longer and has lower maintenance expenses over its lifetime. That’s why Sika Sarnafil has one of the lowest life-cycle costs in the industry.
Many Sika Sarnafil roofs around the world are still performing well after more than 20 years. Take a quick look at some of our oldest roofs.
Average Life Expectancy This graph shows five different roof systems with average life spans estimated to range from 12.1 years to over 21 years*.
A study of Sika Sarnafil’s oldest roofs revealed an average service life of greater than 25 years. Consistent with that data, the British Board of Agrément, a government linked organization responsible for the issue of European Technical Approvals for construction products, concluded, “All available evidence indicates the (Sika) Sarnafil Roof Covering System should have a life in excess of 30 years**.”
Typical Maintenance Costs
Unlike other roof membranes that require coating and seams to be stripped in and re-caulked, Sika Sarnafil roofs have been proven to require minimal maintenance.
Average cost of maintenance reported by Sika Sarnafil roof system owners is 2 and a half cents per square foot per year, well below the industry average*. A representative sampling of the maintenance costs of five roof systems is shown below*.
*Survey data from ”The Relative Durability of Low-slope Roofing”, Carl G. Cash, Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc., as presented at the Fourth International Symposium on Roofing Technology, Sept. 17 – 19, 1997. ** Agrément Certificate Nos 89/2168 and 87/1849.
