What it should keep track of, when a spreadsheet stops being enough, and how to choose one.
A roof is one of the most expensive parts of a building, yet its history is usually scattered: the warranty in a filing cabinet, inspection photos on a contractor's phone, repair invoices in accounts payable, and the real story in someone's head. Roof asset management software brings that into one record per roof, so you can see what each roof needs, keep warranties valid and plan spending before something fails.
A spreadsheet is fine for a few buildings and one person keeping it up to date. It gets hard once photos and reports live elsewhere, several people edit it, or you need to see how a roof has changed over the years.
A CMMS or work-order system is good at scheduling and closing jobs. Most aren't built around roof sections, membrane types, manufacturer warranty conditions or condition ratings, so the roof ends up as a single asset with a pile of attachments.
A dedicated roof tool is organised around the roof itself: sections, systems, warranties, inspections and repairs, with a history that builds up over time. It's worth it when you manage several buildings, rely on outside contractors, or have warranties with inspection requirements.
Roof Atlas is building this kind of tool around one idea, the Roof Passport: a single record for each roof that holds its warranty, inspections, repairs and photos, and stays with the building when owners, managers or contractors change.
If you manage roofs across several buildings, we'd like to hear how you keep track of them today and what gets lost.
Tell us how you manage your roofsIt's a system for keeping the full record of every roof you're responsible for: what's on the building, when it was installed, which warranty covers it and what that warranty requires, every inspection and repair, photos, and what the roof will need next. The point is to make decisions from that record instead of from memory, old emails and whoever happens to be on the phone.
For a handful of buildings, a well-kept spreadsheet works. It starts to break down when photos, inspection reports and warranty documents live somewhere else, when several people update it, or when you need to see how a roof has changed over time. A general maintenance system (CMMS) handles work orders well, but most aren't built around roof sections, membrane types, manufacturer warranty conditions or condition ratings.
At minimum: each roof section and its area, the roof system and manufacturer, installation date, warranty terms and inspection requirements, inspection reports with photos, every repair with the date, contractor and cost, a condition rating, and a rough replacement or major-repair budget year.
Mostly facility managers and owners with more than one building, the roofing contractors who inspect and repair those roofs, and sometimes manufacturers who need proof that warranty conditions were met.