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Question: How much does a foam roof cost?
Short Answer: About the same as a Tar & Gravel or BUR Roof
Generally, a polyurethane foam roof costs about the same as a Built Up Roof (BUR) with underlying insulation. However, a polyurethane foam roof is unique because it is the only roof type that can both insulate and protect against leaks as a single monolithic barrier.
Foam roofing will reduce your roofing costs long term.
Most contractors will not recommend a BUR roof is installed with underlying insulation, since the roof membrane is usually stretched towards the edges of the roof where there is no insulation. This causes stretching of the membrane since the roof tends to heat or cool faster in these areas, causing both excessive contraction and expansion of the roof membrane. This is in sharp contrast to the rest of the roof membrane, which will not shrink or stretch as much, due to underlying insulation. This tug of war causes wear and tear on the roof membrane, especially near the edge of a roof. In the case of a BUR roof, without reflective coatings, the surface temperature can exceed 150 degrees Fahrenheit on a summer day. ‘Cooking’ a roof membrane like this can cause it to tear and crack prematurely. And once a roof membrane is compromised, water can seep in and quickly cause large areas of a roof to deteriorate. Just a few months of water penetration can cause major deterioration of a roof membrane.
Image: A three dimensional cut-away of a BUR roof (Built Up Roof).
There are a plethora of flat roofing materials, however, not all are of equal quality. An EPDM (rubber roof) or a singly ply roof, sealed either by tars or adhesives are lower quality than a typical bur roof. This is because they generally last less than 5-10 years, while a higher quality BUR roof may last more than 10 years. Generally, a BUR roof consists of a few semi flexible membrane layers, water-proofed with water resistant modified bitumen.
Keep in mind, coal tars, which are mostly no longer in use, are a known carcinogenic substance (not as severe as asbestos–otherwise, this would be more widely known). Modified bitumen comes from oils, refined at much lower temperatures than coal tar, and is a much safer substance. Recently, the sharp rise in the cost of a barrel of oil has been passed on to the roofing industry. As the costs of asphalt continue to increase, and the cost of a high quality polyurethane foam roof remains more steady, SPF or foam roofing continues to become more affordable.
Image: A three dimensional cut-away of a PVC plastic roof (polyvinyl chloride based highly flexible plastic membranes). Picture from www.jmeagle.com
Cost of course varies by many factors, including geographic location, and size and type of job. While prices may be quoted anywhere between $3-$12 per square foot, these are often effected by several factors. The quality of the materials being used, the labor costs to install these materials, and any associated warranty, contractor insurance, or bonding costs which get passed on to the customer.
Up-Front Cost Factors:
Re-roofing is often an expensive, but important part of home maintenance which cannot be avoided. If you’re thinking of remodeling a home, you should probably update your roof first. The roof will protect your interior carpet, paint, furniture and other belongings. One way to save money, is to extend the life of the roof you already have.
Simply getting on your roof and making sure no drains are clogged by leaves, dirt, rocks or other obstructions can go a long way in persevering the life of your roof. At a minimum, this should be done every 6 months on a flat roof or more often if you’re home is surrounded by a lot of trees (people in places like Palo Alto, which have more trees than people are more at risk). If a drain is left clogged, and large quantities of standing water form, it can quickly destroyed a BUR, EPDM, Single Ply or Tar & Gravel roof. Although we do not usually think of water as a solvent, it is truly a powerful one, especially over long periods of time. A simple clogged rain can devastate a roof over the course of a year if standing water is left on a roof for an extended period of time (a few months or a year).
When installing a roof, it is good to consider the long term cost impact. If you have a warehouse or an Eichler with no space or provisions for insulation (except for the roof), adding an insulated roof can pay big dividends in the long run. Also consider the importance of cool roof coatings; simply changing the color of a roof to something reflective could cut down summer cooling bills by 30% or more. Medium Density Sprayed Polyurethane Foam Roofing conforms to a roof and generally has an R-Value around 6 to 8 per inch of material thickness. That means, one inch of foam is as effective as 6 to 8 inches of solid wood.
In practice due to factors such as vapor trapping (foam forms a barrier), and due to the density of foam (it is light, but heavier than air–of course), foam can often be 4 times more effective than fiberglass. Those of us who have lived in older, poorly insulated homes know that heating and cooling bills can really get out of control with a poorly insulated home. This is just one final cost factor which should be considered when comparing an insulated roof (like foam roofing) with other roofing materials (like EPDM, Single Ply, or BUR with no insulation).
Giving the cost of a foam roof in general is too difficult due to large cost differences based on location, size of job, and other factors. The best rule of thumb we can give is that a foam roof costs about the same as a BUR (or tar and gravel) roof, especially if the roof is installed with insulation. If you are in the California Bay Area (near San Francisco or San Jose), and you are interested in learning the cost of a foam roof, click here for a Free Estimate on a new foam roof.
These examples highlight why foam roofing is not just an alternative but the preferred solution for businesses looking for unmatched durability, energy efficiency, and cost savings.
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