LIFE CYCLE COSTS AND LOOKING BEYOND SHORTTERM PRICING

Selecting suitable waterproofing products for projects has become an increasingly difficult task for local authority specifiers due to the many factors that need to be taken into account. Such as longevity, sustainability, fire credentials, ease of application and cost. Cost is often one of the first considerations, but there are other factors to consider beyond the initial quoted price. At the Mastic Asphalt Council we see many examples where construction professionals have taken a very myopic view and chosen roofing products based on price alone. Cases where the specifier or end user did not fully understand the limitations of the product, or chose to ignore them, simply to save money. This often leads to rapid failure and usually means that the local authority or building owner has to foot the bill for a second time.

It is often all too easy to take the short-term view and look at initial installed costs of a product and the impact this will have on the project budget. On face value, some waterproof membranes such as mastic asphalt might not seem to offer the best value for money. Fortunately, more and more specifiers are realising that they can actually find the best value for money and most sustainable solutions from tried and trusted waterproofing products.

The true cost over the lifetime of a building is perhaps a more accurate reflection of the value of a particular product.

For example, many systems might seem initially attractive from a cost per square metre point of view, but will then require relatively expensive refurbishment or replacement within a limited period of time. Sometimes only a few years.

The Building Research Establishment (BRE) has independently accredited mastic asphalt to last at least 50-60 years, but there are many cases of asphalt roofs providing effective waterproof protection for 80-100 years. For example, the rooftop of Buckingham Palace is protected with mastic asphalt and it has kept the building dry for well over 80 years. Mastic asphalt was also first laid at London’s St Paul’s Cathedral in 1906 and it provided well over 100 years’ of effective waterproofing before it needed replacement.

Lowest Life Cycle Costs Over 60 Years

When compared with alternative waterproofing systems, mastic asphalt can offer the lowest life cycle costs over a 60 year period, when the typical refurbishment and replacement requirements for each system are taken into consideration.

It is the longevity and durability of mastic asphalt that makes it the best value solution. Though alternative waterproofing membranes may appear much better value initially, many of them have life expectancies of around 1520 years which is only a third of the typical life expectancy of mastic asphalt. Another consideration is that while some modern waterproofing products may provide impressive results in laboratory tests, they may perhaps not perform so well when installed and exposed to the rigours of UK construction methods and wet weather conditions.

Quality of Installation

It is also worth noting that the quality and reliability of any chosen waterproofing system is only as good as the quality of installation.

The Mastic Asphalt Council ensures that every installer of mastic asphalt has trained and achieved a NVQ level 2 qualification in the mastic asphalt craft. Unlike many other systems, mastic asphalt is only ever installed by reputable and skilled crafts people.

Comparative Lifecycle Costs

Typical costs based on a 200m2 roofing application