Thursday, February 26, 2009

Foam Roofing and Solar Blog

Dura-Foam Roofing & Solar Blog


Welcome to the Dura-Foam, Foam Roofing and Solar Blog. We have been talking about writing a blog for news, articles and announcements for at least a few years now (it seems). Although we envisioned something perhaps more polished, and more planned, we decided this blog couldn't wait forever. So, I suppose we have finally arrived!



Foam Roofing and Solar Experts


We will try & keep people up to date on anything we feel worthwhile related to roofing and solar power, and perhaps even general contracting as well. Our niche expertise lies in over 30 years of experience with Foam Roof installations. As a specialty contractor, we have assisted in the growth of a relatively new field (Foam Roofing) for three decades now. Our California Bay Area office has many contractors and specialists, so our expertise does extend to other fields such as Solar Power, All types of Roofing, and even General Contracting.


Here are a few links to our site and a few projects we are involved in.


Foam Roofing and Solar Experts


Dura-Foam.com: Dura-Foam is a Bay Area leader in Foam Roofing and Solar Power installations. The site has maps displaying some of the 10,000+ (and growing) number of Foam Roof and Solar Installations which Dura-Foam has completed throughout the California Bay Area. Dura-Foam Solar Center's highly trained professionals are the established leaders in California, Bay Area Foam Roofing.




Roofing and Solar Forum


Roofsynergy.com: This is one of our latest projects, partly created to fill an obvious void (as far as we could see) in the area of roofing and solar related forums. Most similar forums had poor layouts, haphazard organization, or otherwise poor quality designs. We are proud to say this forum is cutting edge, crisp, up-to-date, and organized. This forum is focused specifically on Roofing and Solar. We are hoping to first provide some sound information on the subject matter to help consumers make more informed decisions on things such as roof replacement and solar panel installations. The forum is contains many articles and videos on subjects related to roofing and solar, and we hope to create some good ongoing discussions on roofing and solar issues as well. In the interest of transparency, we admit that we favor "green construction" (aka "green building), and sustainable development. You will find many articles which both commercial and residential homeowners will find instructive on how to make their buildings and homes "greener". For example, some articles will cover issues such as how to cut energy costs, or how to reduce the "urban heat island effect" (one home at a time) with reflective roof coatings.



Roofing and Solar Wiki


Roofwiki.com: Roofwiki is an ongoing project to develop an informative database, or 'wiki' full of construction terms, with a focus on roofing and solar. As of today there are only a few thousand terms in the wiki, although we have plans to add many thousand more terms in the near future. In the wiki you'll find articles on subjects like Foam Roofing and Solar Power, as well as definitions of construction terms such as EPDM, Polyurethane, and Gambrel. Often consumers may encounter terms like "Shore Hardness" when dealing with a roofing contractor, which are fairly meanlingless to those outside the industry. There are enough such terms to make this specialized Wiki worthwhile.



Concrete Bubble Homes


http://castlerockdnd.com/: Castlerock construction is a California, Bay Area Based general contractor, specializing in the construction of Foam Dome, or Concrete Bubble Homes. This type of construction is very niche, and still relatively unheard of in the industry, although it is slowly growing. Occasionally, a superdome arena, or school gym is built with this type of design concept, although it's still rare. Aside from the public lack of knowledge on the subject, there are not many contractors that can build these types of structures. Castlerock Design and Development is an experienced Foam Dome construction company, part of a truly rare breed. On this site you can view one of their ongoing developments, the "maybell project".

5 comments:

  1. I have a few questions:

    1-Is foam roofing only for flat or low slope roofs, or are there other types of roofs that are also good candidates?

    2-Are there any roof types where solar panels can't be installed? Or is it ok if I have a sharp slope on my roof?

    3-Also, let's say my roof is 3,000 square feet, and I live in the California Bay Area. Let's also say I get some solar panels installed by you guys. If my electrical bill is about $300 per month, how much money would getting solar save me? Also, what kind of government incentives would/ could I qualify for? Are there separate state/ local/ national incentives, or is it just state or local?
    4-Do you guys have a web page (or is there a page) somewhere that explains incentives for California or Bay Area Home owners, so they can get a good idea on how much money they can save when solar is installed?

    Anyway, I hope you don't mind me asking these questions and I look forward to your answers--thanks!

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  2. One more question--what areas of the USA have concrete bubble homes, and are there many contractors out there that can install these?

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  3. 1. Flat and low slope roof are the most common candidates for foam roofing systems. Barrel shaped roofs also fit the profile. Foam roofing is best on roofs that are a 3/12 pitch or less.

    2. Solar panels work well on any roof slope. Keep in mind that South is the optimum direction for the panels to face. Solar panels can even be applied to wall surfaces. Solar cells have been built into glass wall surfaces with customized light transmission properties. Keep in mind that the optimum angle is about 35 degrees.

    3. Try out this solar estimate calculator to start quantifying your costs and savings:
    SunPower Solar Power Calculator
    These numbers are a fair representation, but don't set your heart on any numbers until you have a quote from one of our estimators in your hands. Click here for a FREE solar evaluation.
    4. You can find some key information on solar incentives offered at our foam roofing and solar power installation website.

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  4. Bubble homes are located all over the USA. Because of their highly energy efficient qualities, they are most common in areas with extremely hot or cold climates such as Texas and Alaska. Castle Rock Design & Development Inc is the first company to build bubble homes in the Bay Area.

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  5. Thanks for such useful information. I like the post. Polyurethane foam roofing involves these kind of categories.

    ReplyDelete