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Contact information for Dallas Urethane Research and studies on roofing

ROOFING STUDIES
Leading information on SPF Roofing & Insulation

Performance Based Studies Research Group (PBSRG)
ROOF SYSTEMS RESEARCH

Dallas/Ft. Worth Urethane, Inc., SPF Roof Systems and Arizona State University have conducted a performance based roofing research effort in the Dallas/Ft Worth metropolitan area.

The Performance Based Studies Research Group (PBSRG), located at the Del E. Webb School of Construction at Arizona State University, conducts research on the performance of contractors and the construction systems. Started in 1994, the PBSRG is the only research center in the world with non-biased performance information of construction systems. Partnering with groups such as Motorola, Honeywell, IBM, the State of Wyoming, the US Army Medical Command, McDonnell Douglas, Burr Brown, Phelps Dodge and International Rectifier, the PBSRG has performed over $500,000 of research and education programs to assist facility owners in reducing life-cycle cost and risk of facility systems. Dr. Kashiwagi developed the next generation procurement system, as an "artificially intelligent" decision making computer model, the Performance Based Procurement System (PBPS), to accurately identify the performance levels of contractors and their construction systems. The PBPS selects the best available contractor with the highest performing system for the lowest cost on a competitive basis by transforming data into information. The PBPS has the following features:

  1. Requires no pre-qualification.
  2. Allows all contractors with different systems to bid.
  3. Gives buyer protection beyond the warranty conditions and time period.
  4. Identifies performing contractors who take over responsibility for the roof.
  5. Motivates contractors to perform without inspection.
  6. Transforms procurement and design personnel with little experience into experts of facility system performance.
  7. Allows facility managers to do more by using information.
The PBPS was developed using roofing performance information. The PBSRG is also collecting performance information on janitorial and landscaping services, general, mechanical, and electrical contractors, Job Order Contractors, and roofing consultants. The PBSRG has performance information on over 3,000 roofs across the United States. Performance information includes such critical facts as customer satisfaction, percentage of roofs that have never leaked, percentage of roofs that currently leak, maximum performance periods, maintenance and repair requirements, cost, and environmental conditions. The PBSRG has identified performing contractors and roof systems across the United States.

The objective of the PBSRG's performance research is to reduce the risk and cost of roofing systems by:

  1. Identifying performing contractors.
  2. Educate contractors to use information to continuously improve.
  3. Motivate contractors to continuously improve their own performance. The research effort to improve roof system performance requires the following:
    1. Roofing contractors are requested to either produce their entire job file (random inspection which is more reliable) or a selected sample of 100 roofs which is most representative of the company's capabilities.
    2. The PBSRG selects 50 roofs from the listing and collects the performance information from these roofs.
    3. Contractors are then given the opportunity to improve their performance.
    4. Continual update of contractor's performance on all roofs that the contractor installs.
The PBSRG continually updates the performance lines to reflect the current level of performance lines to reflect the current level of performance by the contractor. The PBSRG has compiled performance records of 40 contractors across the United States. To improve their performance, contractors participating in the research effort are motivated to maintain their roofs, satisfy their customers, and improve the level of their applications. Over the past two years, the performance of the participating contractors has been clearly differentiated from other roofing contractors. Dallas/Ft Worth Urethane is one of only two contractors surveyed in the Dallas/Ft Worth area.

Dallas/Ft Worth Urethane (Dallas Urethane) was organized in 1986 by John Ewell and Bengy Hurd. Dallas Urethane installs the sprayed polyurethane foam (SPF) roof system that has a documented proven performance of 26 years (from a database of 1500 roofs across the United States). The SPF system is a renewable, low maintenance, monolithic, self-flashing, flat roof system. When installed by a "performing contractor", the customer satisfaction, percent of roofs that do not leak, and percent of roofs that never leak are very high. Although non-performing SPF manufacturers and contractors have tarnished the image of SPF roof systems in the past, "performing contractors" such as Dallas Urethane using performing products and experienced applicators, have installed high performance SPF roof systems.

Dallas Urethane has two applicators, Bengy Hurd and James Webb, with 36 years of experience in applying SPF roof systems. Dallas Urethane has installed 150 roofs, with a combined area of 10 million square feet of urethane and acrylic coated SPF roof systems ($5 million) in the last seven years. Satisfied customers include Parker Chiropractic College, A.E.P. Industries, and Pepsi International. Dallas Urethane is continually improving its performance by participating in the Better Business Bureau, Alliance for Construction Excellence, Society of Plastics Industry/Sprayed Polyurethane Foam Division, and the National Roofing Contractors Association.

Dallas Urethane contracted the PBSRG in 1995, and requested a random survey of their SPF roof installations. The PBSRG randomly selected and inspected 50 roofs and collected the following performance information on Dallas Urethane installed SPF roof systems:

bullet Proven services period: 9 years.
bullet Average performance period: 3 years.
bullet Average area of roofs: 13,911 S/F.
bullet Average area/penetration: 584 S/F.
bullet Percent of roofs with less than ¼ inch slope: 82%.
bullet Percent retrofit-roofs: 96%.
bullet Percent of roofs that have never leaked: 80%.
bullet Percent of roofs that do not currently leak: 100%.
bullet Percent of roofs not maintained (by owner): 43%
bullet Percent of roofs with more than 12 times of traffic/year: 13%.
bullet Percent of roofs with more than 5% ponding: 34%.
bullet Percent of roofs with less than 1% deterioration: 98%.
bullet Percent of roofs requiring less than 1% repair: 96%.
bullet Percent customer satisfaction: 100%.

Dallas Urethane's 100% customer satisfaction and 100% non-leaking roofs from a random sample makes them unique in today's roofing industry. Dallas Urethane is currently working with the PBSRG to further improve their capability to service facility owners. Dallas Urethane is not only attempting to install performing roof systems, but to also maintain the roofs to minimize life cycle cost and risk. Dallas Urethane's roofs will be inspected every two years to assess continual improvement of performance.

Dallas Urethane is one of the qualified applicators for Neogard's urethane coated SPF roof system that has just been tested by the PBSRG for hail resistance using Factory Mutual's severe hail test. The hail resistance of Neogard's 30 mil thick urethane coated SPF system passed the severe hail test and showed great potential to minimize hail damage caused by even large sized hail (FM severe hail test used a ½" steel ball) with a 45 mil coating thickness. Dallas Urethane's performing installation with Neogard's hail resistant coating has the potential to reduce the risk of hail damage to roofs in the Dallas/Ft Worth Metropolitan Area.

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