Exciting Times for Washington Roofing & Insulation

There is so much going on this year and we want to continue to share exciting updates with everyone. Washington Roofing & Insulation was awarded the job to work with almost a dozen Casey's General Stores in the state of Missouri and will be working with them for several months. We also recently finished a Digester Lid Dome in Lubbock, Texas with SPF and elastomeric roof coating.

We are in the process of working with a 30,000 square foot building in Lenexa, Kansas which will entail using GacoFlex S-20 Silicone Coatings from GACO Western over an existing EPDM roof. Exciting times in the roofing industry.

In addition, we ran across this case study from the Honeywell Report which shows how well closed cell polyurethane foam saves on utilities. Yes, we work in commercial construction and the report is based on residential case studies, but it is a great example of how SPF can be a major player in energy efficiency.

The Lucky Flock of Geese

Chuck Carpenter, owner of Washington Roofing and Insulation, once told me a story about when he was a young kid back from the military. Since it is Memorial Day, it seemed like a good time to share.

He and his buddy had returned home and were offered an opportunity to go goose hunting with a guide for free. The guide wanted to pay respects for the young men, thank them for the service they provided the country, and take them on a hunt.

The guide was excellent, calling to the birds over Cheyenne Bottoms in Great Bend, Kansas, bringing them closer to the boys. There were many geese coming in and the guide told them to get ready. When the time came the birds were so close that they could have jumped up to tackle them. The guide said, "NOW" and chuck and his buddy started to shoot.

After the dust settled, the two military boys anxiously looked around to count their prizes.

Not a bird had been dropped.

After the group got back home, the guide looked at the sheepish crew and said, "Do you want to know why you didn't bring down any geese?"

Chuck and his friend were very embarrassed. Excellent shooters, they couldn't understand what happened.

"It is because you didn't focus, boys. You shot randomly. You need to pick one bird at a time, and focus."

Chuck learned a very big lesson that day. He told me it has helped him through life and is one of the reasons Washington Roofing and Insulation is successful. Each job, each client . . .  gets his ultimate attention . . . his focus. And who would have thought that it all boiled down to a flock of lucky geese and a professional hunting guide.

A Roof Management Plan

Do you have a roofing management plan? It is sometimes the case that when many organization think about implementing a roofing management plan, their roofs actually need to be replaced and they are looking for immediate funding.

Most building owners or facility managers agree that regular roof inspections are important to "reduce ownership costs, reduce leak frequency and severity, extend roof life, and reduce management inefficiencies."

In order to begin your roof management plan, first start with a historical record of your building's roof. You will  need when it was installed, who installed it, what type of system, warranties, who the manufacturer was, leak and repair history.

Then you will need to actually need a roofing professional to perform a "condition assessment," both visual and non-destructive. If in-house employees are trained in roof inspections you can utilize them, as well. If you hire an outside contractor, make sure they familiar "with the design, installation, repair, and types of failure specific to the roof system being surveyed."

Your survey documentation should be complete with photos, checklists and condition report. This information will be of value for the roofing contractor you hire in the future when your roof needs repair or replaced.

We'll dive further into roof management plans on our next post.

Source: Roof Inspections: A Closer Look

Up On the Roof Top

We have been "up on the roof top" now for over 35 years and have never been mistaken for Ol' St. Nick, albeit we would find it to be a complimentary identity mishap. The jolly man himself may have a bigger service area and a larger target audience but our mid-western clientele is pretty extensive with places in Texas, Oklahoma, Texas, Iowa and of course, Kansas.

We have met some fantastic people along the way, and they are all pretty satisfied with their polyurethane spray foam roof systems or their air barrier systems for their commercial buildings.  This last year has been quite a ride. We became Air Barrier Association of America (ABAA) accredited to install Air Barrier systems and, along with many others, are currently working with the Beta Theta Pi Fraternity House at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri.

But aside from all of that, we want to wish everyone happy holidays and the best for the 2012 new year. We are looking forward to being "up on the roof top" for many more years to come.

Is Your Community StormReady?

StormReady is a program started by the National Weather Service (NWS) in Tulsa, Oklahoma 12 years ago to help arm communities "with the communication and safety skills needed to save lives and property-before and during the event, " according to the StormReady website.

As of September 6, 2011 Oklahoma is leading the Midwest with 86 StormReady designations, while Missouri comes in 2nd with 63; Kansas 32; Iowa 30 and Nebraska with 24. Our big southern neighbor, Texas, comes in big at 115.

What does that means to residents? It shows that these areas are prepared to help prevent weather-related deaths and injuries through planning, education and early warning systems. 

To become a StormReady designation (a county, city, commercial site, university or supporter site) the area must show they follow six guidelines: Communication, NWS Information Reception, Hydrometerological Monitoring, Local Warning Dissemination, Community Preparedness and Administrative.

Cities, counties, commercial sites, and universities can become StormReady, Tsunami Ready or both. To learn more about this program and to see if your community or University is StormReady, go to the StormReady website.