Oregon Spray Foam Contracting Company Perfects Applications, Champions Industry

BEND, OR - March 30, 2012 - All stakeholders in the spray foam industry fight a seemingly endless battle against the purveyors of cheaper insulation and roofing applications--cheaper in the sense of both price and quality. At Smart Choice Insulation & Roofing (SCIR), owners Teri England and George MacDonald join in the battle and make it their mission to convey exactly what their company's name suggests: that implementing spray foam is indeed a smart choice. A couple of spray foam applications SCIR has under its belt are illustrative of this focus.

Rock Creek Town House Estates, located in Portland, Oregon, had been dealing with underperforming roofing systems in a few of its structures. Specifically, two garages and the community's pool house, all of which were outfitted with 20-plus-year-old asphalt roofing installations, were beset with water issues.

"They were leaking and the old asphalt material was long past its expected life," said England, who functions as SCIR's CEO/CFO. MacDonald functions as Director of Operations.

SCIR proposed addressing these issues with a spray foam roofing system. The old asphalt roofing installation would not be removed; the foam would be sprayed directly to the substrate. SCIR used Bayseal 2.7 lb. foam from Bayer MaterialScience to coat the roof areas, which were sprayed to a minimum of 1.5". The foam was then coated with a few layers of Bayblock, also from Bayer, that totaled 28mils, with granules infused in the finishing coat.

The project, which spanned a total of 3,000 sq. ft. across the three roof areas, was completed in about five days. MacDonald, who has more than three decades' worth of spray foam experience, did the spraying himself, paying special attention to fortifying an effective, positive drainage pattern with the foam.

"He is a perfectionist," England said, resoundingly. "And the owners were glad they had no more leaks."

That sentiment of satisfaction was no fluke. SCIR's customers rave about the company's work, and at least one has written a letter of recommendation. The letter sprang from an SPF insulation project SCIR completed in Crooked River Ranch, Oregon. The project involved spraying the interior of a large metal pole-frame building that is used as a workshop.

"This is a great example of how SPF made such a huge difference in a metal building," England said.

The structure is 36'x72', with the ceiling reaching about 20'. The owner, James Rooks, was concerned about working in the building, which entailed everything from painting to welding, during the cold winter months. He knew spray foam was the best way to address the issue and contacted SCIR to set up a consultation. In the letter, Rooks made a point to detail how impressed he was the consulting phase.

"They spent time with me asking many questions about the use of the building, then explained how SPF would provide the most benefits covering my concerns of thermal and air barrier, as well as moisture management," wrote Rooks. "They came back within two days with a completed quote with several options, including open-cell and closed-cell foam."

SCIR had the winning proposal, with the plan centered on spraying the ceiling and the top two feet of the walls with up to 3" of closed-cell foam. Rooks planned on having fiberglass batts installed over the rest of walls for cost reasons. However, when the project got going and more discussion was held on the benefits of spray foam being used for the entire building envelope, Rooks made the decision on the spot to go all the way. So, SCIR adjusted the project plans accordingly and sprayed the whole building. This new plan allowed for the space to be heated with a smaller, safer and more efficient heat source.

"He was able to keep this very large shop at 72 degrees all winter with just a small heat pump heater," England said of the project. "This allowed him to work on his sailboat project without condensation issues."

Rooks summed up the experience: "I was impressed by the quality of work and the ease and honesty of the business relationship," he wrote. "The expertise and knowledge of the products and services by [SCIR] has been first-rate."

For more photos of the Rock Creek project, as well as photos of another roofing application completed in Central Washington, please click on the photo gallery button above.

About Smart Choice Insulation and Roofing: Based in Bend, Oregon, SCIR was formed in 2010 and serves the northwestern US, including Idaho, Oregon and Washington. With more than three decades of experience in the spray foam industry, SCIR has the expertise to handle any insulation or roofing application, be residential, commercial or industrial. For more information, please use the links provided below.