From humble beginnings in 1974, Insulated Roofing Contractors initially operated out of the back of a pick-up truck. Since then, the company has become the go-to contractor in the Spray Foam industry with nearly 9,000 completed jobs and over 140 million square feet of installed roof. It’s safe to say Insulated Roofing Contractors (IRC) has had a landmark 50 years in business.
On average, IRC installs about seven 7 million square feet of roof per year, with completed jobs as large as the Superdome, West Virginia University Coliseum and Miami Airport. The company is committed to providing the right roofing solution for its clients’ needs but believes in the quality and efficiency of spray foam, a core offering.
Family owned, the company is known for its experience, integrity, and quality – and above all else – providing a unique product to the market with services spanning restoration coating, singly ply, roofing maintenance services and Sprayed Polyurethane Foam services — a key differentiator for IRC.
“We are actually the largest spray foam roofing contractor in the United States,” remarks Justin Baird, Director of Marketing and Business Development. A member of the tightknit family-run team, he is proud to work alongside his father, uncle, sister, brother-in-law, and cousins for a company his grandfather and great uncle started half a century ago.
Sprayed Polyurethane Foam, or more simply known as SPF, has become one of the most impressive roofing materials on the market due to its ease of installation and lifelong performance. Key features of spray foam include:
- Seamless and fully self-adhering
- Requires no fasteners, eliminating thermal bridging
- Conforms to irregular shapes and expands to fill cracks
- Provides a waterproof monolithic seamless roof system
- Withstands the most extreme weather conditions
- Greater resistance to wind uplift and hail damage
- Highest R-values on the market
- Acts as a heat, moisture, and air barrier
- Decreases energy expenses
“The cost of entry can be high,” says Baird of the reason many roofing contractors don’t offer it. “You have to buy all the materials and train staff to install it properly and of course it can be installed improperly if you’re not careful.” It takes a team of dedicated, highly-skilled, conscientious roofers to install it properly, which is why IRC believes they are the best people for the job.”
The foam IRC works with is a HFC-blown, Zero Ozone-Depleting SPF. The system is ideal for commercial buildings, especially large buildings with irregular shapes or complex layouts. Polyurethane foam is a monolithic insulation formed by mixing an ISO component with a resin blend. At the time of installation, the materials are heated and pumped through precisely metered, plural component equipment and blended directly on the roof as they are sprayed out of the gun.
“Family owned, the company is known for its experience, integrity, and quality – and above all else – providing a unique product to the market.”
The biggest threat to SPF is UV exposure. SPF must be protected from the sun after installation to avoid accelerated deterioration. SPF can be protected from the sun with a renewable coating, usually in the form of silicone, acrylic, or urethane. The protective coating is spray-applied directly over top of the foam, where it provides UV protection, additional waterproofing, and increased protection from the elements. To further increase the protection the coating provides, building owners often elect to have roofing granules laid down in the wet coating for additional durability and protection from the elements, or to designate walkways.
IRC is proud to provide roofing solutions spanning a variety of industries including education, aviation, pharmaceuticals and food and beverage with some high-profile projects in the Midwest and the southern U.S.
Union Station Project
Directly in the middle of downtown Indianapolis sits a train station that is iconic to the city. It is the first Union Station and was built in 1853. This iconic facility has taken part in the transportation of millions of people and goods in the last 164 years. These days, Union Station is an office, parking, and public meeting space that also houses restaurants and entertainment. The train station itself remains open and is fully operational.
The roof at Union Station was in very poor condition. Leaks, broken skylights, and poor roof access were among the many issues. These problems needed to be fixed, but there were many obstacles in the way. First of all, Union Station is located in a downtown area, meaning it’s surrounded by other buildings, vehicles, and pedestrians that create a challenge for industrial work. Second, because the station is elevated, getting equipment to the rooftop would be difficult.
With such a rich history and reputation, the facility managers didn’t want to change the look of the facility when they installed a new roof. They recognized the importance of preserving relics such as this and maintaining their beauty.
Insulated Roofing Contractors approached the property management of Union Station with a proposal to apply spray foam and bright red coating. This would preserve the iconic look of the roof while also protecting it. IRC would use coating specially developed by Progressive Materials. The proposal included a plan to store equipment on the elevated sections of Union Station to overcome the challenge of moving equipment each day.
The spray foam and red coating system would give Union Station a brand-new roof surface while preserving the historic look of the station and preventing damage to the surroundings.
- Removed old spray foam that was cracked, damaged, or wet.
- Power-washed entire roof to remove any dirt or grease stains.
- Installed 2.5 inches of new spray foam.
- Applied light gray silicone coating to entire roof at a thickness of 30 mils.
- Applied granules to field of roof for improved durability and traction.
- Applied custom red silicone coating to monitors at a thickness of 20 mils.
With the new roof in place, Union Station will be safe and dry for years to come. The new roof comes with a 15-year leak-free warranty, in addition to these other benefits:
- Improved energy efficiency.
- Elimination of current and prevention of future leaks.
- Simplified repairs and improvements for maintenance crew.
- Preserved and enhanced iconic look of roof.
The Superdome in New Orleans
The Louisiana Superdome is a multi-purpose stadium located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, home to the New Orleans Saints football team. In 2002, the Superdome had an EPDM rubber roof installed, which was claimed to resist winds up to 200 MPH.
Unfortunately, in August of 2005, the roof was put to the test when Hurricane Katrina formed over the Bahamas and, over the course of the next week, made its way to the southern United States. The deadly Category 5 Atlantic hurricane devastated the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area in 2015 with many lives lost and damage to property and city infrastructure.
The roof of the Superdome was completely torn apart by Hurricane Katrina. IRC stepped in to provide roofing repair, opting for an SPF roof, which resists wind better than any other system on the market and even offers a wind warranty option.
- Power washed the smooth surface built-up roof to remove all dirt and grease stains.
- Swept the roof surface to remove any debris left behind from the power washing.
- Any damaged areas and lap seams were fixed using a three-course coating-fabric-coating system.
Insulated Roofing Contractors was on the job once spray foam was chosen as the new roofing system. The remaining EPDM roof had to be removed, and the steel decking had to be rebuilt and replaced. Once the steel decking was replaced, the new SPF roof system was applied directly to the new deck. On top of the foam, a urethane coating was applied.
This new foam roof not only received a 10-year manufacturer’s warranty against leaks, but the roof also came with a guarantee that the roof would not blow off – even in a Category 5 hurricane. This new warranty has no dollar limit and is non-prorated, a huge bonus for the Superdome. Benefits include:
- Increased energy savings
- Easy to maintain
- Manufacturers warranty for up to 20 years
- UL rated; IRI & FM approved
- Dade County approved
- Seamless, self-flashing and fully adhered
IRC is grateful to be celebrating its 50th anniversary and is looking to a future of continued growth and expansion across the country, with its sights set on the Western and Southern United States. If you’re in need of roof repair or roof maintenance, fill out the IRC request form.
