Duro-Last® 2022 Sustainability Project Award
Contractor: Royalty Roofing
Project: Crothersville Junior/Senior High School
Location: Crothersville, Indiana
Square Feet: 136,177
Products Duro-Last® 60 mil membrane, Duro-Guard® EPS fan fold board, Roof Trak® III Walkway Pad, Two-Way Air Vents, corners, caulk, vinyl fascia bar, fasteners, custom-fabricated curbs, drains and stacks; U-Anchor U2400 anchors
When Royalty Roofing received the bid request from Crothersville Junior/Senior High School, it was deja vu for two Royalty employees. President Andy Royalty and vice president Darrell Couch both knew the building well – it’s where they graduated high school.
The roof was 20 years old and in need of replacement. With federal money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act available and time running out to use it, Crothersville started looking at options.
“We want to make sure we don’t have leaks when it rains,” said Dr. Chrystal Street, Crothersville Community School Corporation superintendent. “We want to make sure that no water is coming in. Safety is the utmost importance, and our roof is part of a strong foundation for us.”
Crothersville contracted with PSG Energy Group of Indianapolis for ways to be more energy efficient, open to the idea of using sustainable, renewable sources; and also looking for ways to save taxpayer money. The PSG study recommended adding solar panels could reduce the district’s $104,000 annual electric bill by as much as 85%.
“Sustainability is very important to Royalty Roofing because we find a great deal of our customers are embracing sustainability,” said Jacob Newkirk, Royalty Roofing national sales manager. “We are providing a product that is way ahead of its time. John R Burt [founder of Duro-Last® Inc.] was exceptional in his entrepreneurship of creating a company that stands in the forefront of sustainability.”
The Crothersville roof has multiple sections with four types of deck material: metal, gypsum, concrete and Tectum®. Royalty knew from early core tests the partial tear-off had sections with two or three layers, while others had one. The layers were removed down to the existing poly iso board, and the material was sent to Duro-Last for recycling. Recycle Your Roof is a program where Duro-Last takes back mechanically-attached PVC roofs at the end of their useful life and reprocesses the material into other products such as Roof Trak Walkway Pads, PROFLEX® concrete expansion joints and Protect-All® flooring.
Duro-Guard EPS fan fold board was applied with Duro-Last 60 mil membrane over top. More than 150 U-Anchor U2400 anchors were mechanically fastened to mount the 3 feet by 6 feet panels, and 800 Roof Trak pads were welded to make the walkways between solar panels safer. The old roof had areas of ponding water, so more drains were added to get water off the roof and away from the solar panels.
The tight project timeline was a challenge.
“We completed this project in 28 working days,” Newkirk said. “Using Duro-Last custom-fabricated sheets made the process of installing this roof very, very easy. It allowed our guys to move a lot faster than if they were installing any other product.
In addition to the custom membrane, the stacks, curbs and drains were prefabricated at Duro-Last before arriving at the job site to lessen rooftop installation time.
The Edge-to-Edge & Deck-to-Sky™ model of having all material from one supplier was also vital to Royalty hitting the project deadline.
“We’re finding in very competitive situations over the last two years that Duro-Last stands head and shoulders above the other manufacturers— in manufacturing and delivery— of a complete system for jobs needed in a timely manner,” said Dale Sventeck, Royalty Roofing vice president of corporate sales.
The solar panels, installed over the summer by PSG, started converting the sun’s energy into power for the district in August. Street said it will likely be six to eight months before the school sees substantial savings. But the savings will come.
As for Royalty and Couch, this is where it all started; two young men with a dream of becoming entrepreneurs. With a 20-year material and labor warranty on the roof of their alma mater, the only reason they should visit the school now is to cheer on the Crothersville Tigers!