Save now or save later? When planning a roofing project, is it best to focus on minimizing upfront costs, or to look at the long-term, big-picture impact of the roofing system on the business? When re-roofing its facility in Peoria, Arizona, State Trailer RV & Outdoor Supply, working with Phoenix-based contractor Multi-Pro Roof Solutions, did both.
Recovering the existing built-up roofing (BUR) system with a new TPO system saved the cost and hassle of a full tear-off. Ongoing maintenance of the new roof will be minimal. And it has already proven its ability to dramatically reduce air-conditioning costs.
Careful Planning
State Trailer, a service center and parts and accessories superstore for recreational vehicles, trailers and boats, purchased the 112,000-square-foot former Walmart in 2014 to open its fourth location. Its leaders knew that a new roof was in the foreseeable future, but other priorities needed to be addressed first. Initial challenges included completing a two-year, $5 million renovation of the 22-acre property, which also includes a former Albertsons grocery store, and finding a tenant to share the Walmart building with State Trailer.
Once those boxes had been checked, the State Trailer team began budgeting to replace the 1,200-square roof — a granulated BUR system with a plywood roof deck and batt insulation installed underneath the deck. Daniel Bobbitt, owner of Multi-Pro Roof Solutions, worked with them for 18 months to plan the project.
“The roof wasn’t in poor, poor condition,” Bobbitt says. “They had kept it going with maintenance and repairs until they could re-roof.”
But it was now nearly 30 years old and leaked periodically in a variety of places. Continuing to invest in it no longer made financial sense.
Bobbitt recommended a TPO system from Mule-Hide Products Co. The 60-mil white TPO membrane and one 2-inch layer of Mule-Hide Poly-ISO Flat insulation were mechanically attached over the existing BUR system.
“We’ve installed TPO systems on some of our other buildings, so we were comfortable with it and were familiar with its performance,” says Eric Hult, manager of State Trailer. “It also made sense for this project.”
Minimizing Installation Costs
Recovering the existing BUR system was key to minimizing project costs, and a primary reason for choosing TPO. A full tear-off would have cost approximately $78,000, Bobbitt estimates, and would have been far more disruptive to the building’s occupants.
Mechanical attachment of the insulation and membrane also was a time- and cost-saver. Materials and labor costs were reduced by 30 percent to 35 percent compared to a fully adhered system, according to Bobbitt.
The installation process went smoothly. Mother Nature provided the only speed bump, as an unusually wet fall and early winter kept the six-man crew off the roof for a total of nearly three weeks.
Easy Maintenance, Energy Savings
Hult knew from experience with the company’s other buildings that caring for the new roof would be hassle-free and help keep the lifetime costs of the roof low.
“Maintenance is a big plus with TPO,” he says. “If the roof does leak, it’s usually because someone was up there and stepped on a screw or something. Other than that, it’s low-maintenance.”
Given the Phoenix area’s sweltering summers, with average daily high temperatures peaking at 106 degrees Fahrenheit, Bobbitt and Hult knew that upgrading to a more energy efficient roofing system would be a wise investment. They have been astounded by how big the return has been.
Over the roof’s first 12 months of service, the company’s electricity costs decreased by nearly $22,000 — a full 17.4 percent — compared to the previous 12 months.
The owners and managers of the retailer that shares the building with State Trailer also have remarked that it has been easier to keep their space cool, Hult says.
“I can only attribute the lower energy bills and greater comfort to the new TPO roof and the additional insulation doing a better job of keeping the cool air in the building, which keeps our HVAC units operating at a minimum,” he says.
The reflectivity and emissivity of the ENERGY STAR-qualified TPO membrane are far superior to that of the original BUR system, Bobbitt notes, keeping rooftop temperatures lower and expelling much of the heat that does enter the building through the roof.
Adequate insulation is an even bigger contributor to the energy savings. After nearly 30 years, the original batt insulation installed underneath the roof deck “had turned to dust,” Bobbitt says, leaving the system, for all practical purposes, uninsulated. The new 2-inch layer of poly-ISO insulation, with its R-Value of 11.53, will keep the hot air outside and the air-conditioned air inside.
Savings in future years will likely not be quite as dramatic as those seen initially, Bobbitt says. Energy bills could be impacted by fluctuations in weather, increases in electricity rates, and any changes in how the building is used. And without regular cleaning, the reflectivity of the TPO membrane will decrease slightly over time. Even taking these factors into account, however, the new roofing system will be money in the bank for State Trailer.
“It’s a no-brainer,” Bobbitt says.
Multi-Pro Roof Solutions and State Trailer are now hoping for similar results as they plan their next project — a TPO roofing system for a new 28,000-square-foot State Trailer facility in Mesa, Arizona.
TEAM
Roofing Contractor: Multi-Pro Roof Solutions, Phoenix, Arizona, www.multiproroof.com
Roofing Materials Distributor: ABC Supply Co. Inc., Branch #025, Phoenix, Arizona, www.abcsupply.com
MATERIALS
Membrane: 60-mil Standard TPO in White, Mule-Hide Products Co., www.mulehide.com
Roof Insulation: Mule-Hide Poly-ISO Flat insulation, Mule-Hide Products Co.
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