Foam Improvement
White reflective coating is more a great coating covering a foam roof.
It is a major part of saving energy through the roof!
"In the past, roofing was considered to be nothing but the first line of defense for keeping the weather out of the building, but now ii's considered one of the key elements for reducing the energy use of a building." "Cool Roof systems are now mandatory in the standard as the base refeerence roofing products." Western Roofing magazine July August
Spray gun transforms block houses with insulating foam...
By Chuck Hawley
Staff writer
Paradise Valley
Like a magician, Victor Blackwell waves a wand and flat, gray cinder block mystically melts into gently curved adobe.
Blackwell is a contractor, his wand a spray gun; the block is a home in Paradise Valley.The adobe is an illusion.
Bob Gisburne and his wife Becky moved into the home on Doubletree Ranch Road in 1988. After four years, they decided that it was time to remodel. In a stroke of luck, they read about an experimental insulation project for older homes in Scottsdale and called the state Department of Commerce to investigate.
As it turns out, the Gisburnes’ home was not right for that earlier program but ideally suited for another – Energy Art – a system of spraying block homes with urethane foam to insulate them and covering the foam with stucco to make the house look like traditional adobe.
After the exterior is prepared, urethane foam is sprayed on with a high-pressure gun, drying almost immediately. The foam then is covered with chicken wire to hold an additional coat, this time a plaster material. When the job is complete, only close scrutiny can distinguish the ersatz adobe from the real thing.
The faux adobe look is being used in new construction but is less common on older homes. Craig Johnson, vice president of Studio B, the architectural firm the designed Gisburne’s residential makeover, said the sprayed urethane technique is used in new construction to give structures "a more massive look."
"I think probably foam first was used in rigid sheet form for its insulating properties, but we have found the sprayed applications have evolved with some rather lovely sculptural properties," Johnson said.Techniques have been developed to sculpt the material in almost any fashion.
"We have more design variety and latitude than with sheets of insulation board." The Commerce Department and utility companies are interested in the original uses of urethane, though – as insulation.
Kirk Rossi, a business and technology analyst for the state, said that Energy Art is a way to upgrade or remodel a home and – at the same time – gain an edge on rising utility costs. No estimates have been made for how much energy bills might drop, but Gisburne said that the sprayed-on material had an unexpected effect the day it was applied to the front wall of the house facing Double Tree Ranch Road.
"I have an office in the front of the house," said Gisburne, who owns an electronics equipment company and frequently works at home. It was amazing. After they put that stuff on (in a 3-6 inch layer) you couldn’t hear anything from outside. Normally, from about 5 to 6:30 (p.m.), Doubletree is pretty busy, with a lot of traffic, but that afternoon the front office was quiet. Really, it was a surprise."
Gisburne and his wife did much of the preparation work, adding a parapet around the roof with false beams sticking out of the traditional Sante Fe style. They also bulked up some vertical supports to look more like traditional rough-hewn materials.
They also will pay for the exterior stucco coating – estimated about $9,000 – but will gain a maintenance-free exterior.The color’s mixed into the stucco – permanent – no more painting," Gisburne grinned.
Since Becky and Bob Gisburne have no children using extra energy, their utility bills have been minimal, with the highest around $250 for one month. Because they already have a low-energy-use home, Bob Gisburne said he doesn’t expect much of a return in lower utility bills but anticipates a higher resale value if he sells someday.
"If you take into account the energy savings and the aesthetics of upgrading, I think it’s worth it," he said.