Facility Manager Log 2021-08-27
Good Friday, everyone.
Roof repairs
Today, we had a bit of a slow pace. We had roofing technicians come to patch some leaks in the TPO membrane. We have a manufacturer warranty that we transferred from the previous owner. The warranty is good for 30 year. So, it will be in place long after I have left the job. In the meantime, it does not cost us anything to have the repairs made, unless the damage is mechanical.
TPO is a white, vinyl-like material that covers the roof. It is applied in sheets, which are machine welded at the seams. For the most part, these seams hold together well. The trouble comes in where corners meet. These have to be hand-welded, which doesn't always make a waterproof seal.
It is a good deal of work to find a leak, however. Where the water comes through the roof deck is not always where the leak is located. Usually, it is upstream a bit on the roof deck. The hole is merely the first convenient spot for water to come out. It take some patience and lots of probing to find out where water makes its way through the membrane.
Finalizing the landscaping
The landscaping company returned today to finish the work started yesterday. This consisted of filling the raised garden with compost so that we can make a community garden. Potentially, we may be able to find a grant to help with the cost of planting the garden. I'll explore that before sinking any money into seedlings and garden tools.
End of week
The rest has been administrative. Updating records. Planning for the upcoming week.
Facility Management as a Career
Last night I was listening to a podcast about Facility Management. It was episode 26 of The Modern Facilities Management Podcast. They talk about IFMA and SkillsUSA developing a pipeline of high school students to fill the growing gap of skilled FM professionals. The particular program is called FM Pipeline. The problem that they are trying to solve is that over 50% of facilities professionals will be reaching retirement age within the next 5-7 years. This leaves a major gap in talent available to fill those positions. I will look into what it takes to host a Facilithon. It could be fun to organize.
Roofing is such a big pain in the ass, but so important to maintain. I try to tell people all the time that the most important thing to take care of on a building and spare no cost, is the roof, at least IMO.
Facilities managers, when you have a good one, are your ace. They seem to always know a little about everything industrial, plumbing, and electrical maintenance-related. A really good one takes that knowledge and can apply it to how to make the facility support the business strategy and operations more effectively.
That part about supporting the business strategy and operations is textbook training for the job. An organization that understands the function will see FM as a way to leverage their other assets, which are people and technology, to produce the product or service that pays the bills. Rather than being a cost center, FM can be leverage.
As for roofs, it's worth paying the extra cash for a manufacturer warranty, if you have TPO. It deflects some of the cost. Of course, in the interior of the building there is still some repair cost. But, sometimes it's just a new ceiling tile.