On 9/3/2020, Greg Palya, Digital Content Manager for West Roofing Systems, Inc. interviewed Kenny Vance, General Manager for Master Bolt & Manufacturing.
Master Bolt’s spray foam installation date: June 14, 2019
Location of Master Bolt & Manufacturing: Elyria, OH
Number of sq. ft. of spray foam installed: About 35,000 in 4 different sections/phases
Goal of this review: In the commercial roofing industry, there’s skepticism about spray foam roofing. I wanted to lower that skepticism by interviewing a real customer of West Roofing Systems.
I wanted to learn how the spray foam roofing system is working for them, if there’s been any issues with performance, and how Master Bolt came to working with West Roofing.
Let’s begin…
Greg: Can you give me a background on what Master Bolt’s roof was like and what work got done?
Kenny: Our building was built in the 1930s or 1940s and they kept adding on and adding on.
Every section has a different roof or different configuration on it. West Roofing Systems was able to blend it all in.
I got here about a year and a half ago and the roof was leaking everywhere.
We had tarps in the rafters, 55-gallon drums laying around, the office was leaking, it was just terrible and West Roofing Systems was able to come in and take care of all these issues for us.
So why spray foam? You certainly had a choice to install any roofing system.
Kenny: The guys identified the areas of the roof that had wet insulation, and only removed those wet areas prior to installing the foam roof. If a core was pulled out and it was dry, that section can be left alone.
SATURATED CORE SAMPLE
NON-SATURATED CORE SAMPLE
Going with a new rubber roof would have required the entire roof to be ripped off.
So, it was three things:
#1 – it’s cost. We wouldn’t have been able to pay for an entire roof replacement.
#2 – spray foam lasts.
#3 – the application is simple.
Video: How is a spray foam roof installed from start to finish?
Did you ever get a quote for a full rubber roof replacement to see what the cost was?
Kenny: No, we did not. We’ve kind of knew Chris West outside of work, and Jeff Johnson, and our owner John Gaydosh also knows them. We kind of asked them, “What do you guys recommend?” And they are very honest with us.
Obviously, they want the sale, but it wasn’t like that.
They said spray foam is economical, it’s going to last, you can trust us. When you’re doing a large project like that and you’re making a large investment in building maintenance, you want to make sure you trust somebody.
With the relationships we have with those guys, it was a no-brainer.
Have you had any problems with the spray foam roof?
Kenny: Nope. It’s been really, really good, no complaints.
Read more: What Problems Can a Spray Foam Roof Have?
People are skeptical of spray foam because they’ve never heard of it before. Do you have anything you’d like to say that could lower that skepticism?
Kenny: My grandfather was in the roofing business and they only did rubber roofs, he swore by rubber roofs, and I told him what was going on, and he said that this was not the right thing, and I said, “Pops, this is different than what you had in the 1970s.”
I would have no problem talking to anybody, telling them that the application is easy, it’s mess-free, we have not had any issues, and it’s also added R-value to our roof.
And we’ve noticed in the wintertime, we retain heat a lot better.
It seals up any tiny nooks and crannies…and it’s made a believer out of me. Not that I wasn’t a believer in the first place, and I’m not a roofing expert, but it’s been performing great.
SMALL HOLE ON MASTERBOLT’S ROOF
Have you noticed any difference in your energy bills since the roof has been up?
Kenny: We’ve noticed a slight difference in our energy bills and we’re anticipating seeing even more savings this year because we did our roof in sections.
The front section is where the office was, we did that and another large area in the shop, and we have definitely noticed a difference in the Summertime.
We have an older brick building, and the section we just did, it’s 5-10 degrees cooler than it is in the back part of the building. Now there’s some different manufacturing going on but at the same time, you can definitely tell there’s a difference.
In the Winter, it’s the same thing. It’s a lot hotter up here because it’s obviously holding the heat better.
SEAMLESS SPRAY FOAM ROOF AT MASTERBOLT
Wrapping it all up
Greg: I told Kenny that I wouldn’t use his name or business in this review.
Kenny immediately countered and said that he didn’t mind if anybody wanted to contact him about his experiences with spray foam or West Roofing Systems.
Kenny’s contact information:
Phone: 440-476-6668
Email: ken.vance@masterbolt.com
I wanted to point out the real reason Kenny chose to do a spray foam roof with West Roofing Systems. He trusted what his friends advised was the best option for his specific problem.
If you don’t have roofing friends, you can always do your own research to lower any skepticism you might have. Here are some popular articles:
5 Differences Between Good and Bad Spray Foam Contractors
Spray Foam Roofing vs Single-Ply Roofing: Which is Better?
If you’re looking to learn spray foam roofing quickly, please download The Spray Foam Roofing Cheat Sheet.
