Jack Rabinovitch z’l (1930-2017), was a Canadian writer, businessman, and philanthropist. He is best known for founding the Giller prize, a short story writing grant named after his late wife, however, he was also a business dynamo, joining real estate developer Trizec in the 70s and leading them to huge profits. When asked what his philosophy of success was, he stated:
“The 10% rule is the margin in hard work and spending between mediocre and first-rate, and it makes all of the difference in absolutely everything.”
The advice is simple but profound; All other things being equal, the difference between a product or service that is exceptional is the small attentiveness paid to the details. This is something that we see consistently in the roofing industry.
How The 10% Rule Factors Into Our Work
No matter what your building looks like, if it is a repair, replacement, or new construction, if your building is brand new or 100 years old, the roof is meant to last. Your roof is exposed to the elements in all types of extreme weather, and it is one of the most important components in the insulation and energy efficiency of your structure.
Many of the things that make a roof last, or even work functionally at all, are all in the details. Before we begin any roofing work with our clients, our team goes through every single item that the client hopes to get out of their roof over the next two decades. Things like foot traffic, issues they are seeing currently, future budgets for ongoing repairs, and foreseeable issues that may arise in buildings that are older.
Things like the material list are put together thoughtfully, keeping in mind the already existing elements of the building including deck substrate, penetration and parapet details and how they will work together over time. It is in the details that we see the most long-term success for our customers. There are, quite literally, hundreds of combinations of roofing elements, and our team looks at each roof individually.
The ten percent rule also affects the finishing details in our work. There are usually good, better and best types of accessory products, installation methods and execution procedures. We find having a wider frame of reference beyond our own roofing trade, to include drainage, HVAC and other issues, we are able to either avoid problems from arising or resolve them on a timely basis when they do occur.
Focusing On The Long-Term
One of the best things a property manager or building owner can do for their building is focus on the long-term life cycle cost for their roof. We are unfortunately often called to buildings where a construction company came in, did work with a one year warranty, and repairs that result from poor work have to be redone. This challenge can come at an even steeper cost to building owners than they would have spent in the first place. As a general rule, when a roof is constructed, having a warranty that is less than two years is uncommon, and usually means that the contractor does not want to be responsible for issues that may arise. Many roofs also carry extended warranties beyond the two years.
Roofing work has many elements, a lot more than many people realize. When making this kind of investment for your building, going with a roofing company that goes that extra mile to ensure that your roof holds up for the long-term is always the right call. When looking for your contractor, ask yourself, is this person giving that extra 10%? When it comes to our customers, you can rest assured that the Elite Team is always at 110. That’s the Elite Advantage.
