Economical Roof Insulation Solutions with Tapered EPS and Valley Panels
A truth widely known to most building and construction industry pros: standing water can be detrimental to a low-slope roofing system. Without effective drainage solutions to reduce stress on a roof’s membrane, building owners may face costly repairs down the road or worse—premature roof failure. To proactively avoid any issues associated with the structural integrity of a roof, today’s building codes (pertaining to both new construction and retrofits) require a positive drainage slope. However, designing a roof insulation system that allows water run off can be expensive and labor-intensive. Employing tapered expanded polystyrene (EPS) is a practical alternative building solution.
Tapered EPS’ customization capabilities can reduce costs associated with building up the roof’s pitch.
Installing tapered EPS across a roof system is a cost-effective means of designing a positive drainage slope because it cleverly lends roofing professionals the ability to stay on budget by decreasing upfront material costs and minimizing man-hours spent on the installation process. Tapered EPS is available in large blocks up to 40-inches thick and can be cut to satisfy virtually any slope and density. These customization capabilities make it possible to achieve the desired R-value without the added material or labor costs that are typically associated with building up multiple layers of insulation material. Installed much like enormous puzzle pieces, these ultra-lightweight factory-cut blocks can be adhered to a roof deck quickly with minimal effort. Consequently, this also helps accelerate the time it takes to complete a roofing job.
A complementary roof insulation solution, economical EPS valley panels
For additional cost-saving measures, roofing professionals can install factory-cut EPS valley panels. According to Kris Eschmeyer, an Insulfoam Territory Sales Manager with more than a decade of experience working in the construction industry, notes that “often, with new sloped roofing systems, builders have to cut every valley in half diagonally and throw the unused piece away.” To reduce the amount of material waste on the jobsite, factory-cut valley panels can be tailored to meet exact design specifications. This level of customization not only reduces material waste and supports cost-savings, but it also eliminates much of the field-cutting, which again supports labor savings and accelerates a projects’ timeline.
By taking the economical tapered EPS approach, roofing professionals can address drainage concerns with fewer layers of insulation material. Employed alongside EPS valley panels, tapered roofing solutions can play an important role in keeping a project’s material and labor related costs in check.
EPS roof insulation products have been installed across countless real-world roofing applications, including this 200,000 square foot network operation center near O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. Contact our team to see how EPS can be the key to your next roofing project.
