Help from above sometimes comes in unexpected forms. In this case, it came to the Harrisburg School District as an environmentally friendly roof from Eugene, Ore.-based IB Roof Systems that saved them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Help from above sometimes comes in unexpected forms. In this case, it came to the Harrisburg School Dis-trict as an environmentally friendly roof from Eugene, Ore.-based IB Roof Systems that saved them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Like most schools, Harrisburg High School had to make the most of its budget. When faced with reroofing at the school in 1979, they chose A-1 Roofing who recommended an innovative 50 mil PVC membrane for their 55,000 square feet of flat roofs. They were attracted to the easy installation process - they virtually roll right on - their low maintenance, ability to withstand harsh Northwest weather, and their cost-effectiveness. What they didn’t foresee was hundreds of thousands in saving potential over the life of the roofs because they lasted nearly three decades without typical maintenance costs. “Not only do we have roofs that are almost 30 years old with no problems and no maintenance except for cleaning leaves and balls out of gutters, but we haven’t had to allocate funds in our budget each year for repairs and ongoing maintenance,” said Tom Dentel, maintenance supervisor for the high school, who in his tenure at the school district has only heard stories of how bad things used to be before IB Roof Systems.

“When the 20-year warranty was almost up,” explained Shawn Stanley, IB Roof Systems marketing director, “and A-1 Roofing came to test the membrane, they discovered that although it had never been coated or had any other extensive maintenance over its history, it was still weldable and in excellent condition - and could last another decade.” Which it nearly did. In 2007, the roof is finally ready for replacement.

“That would be a great ending to the story, but it gets even better,” continued Stanley. “A big benefit to us-ing an IB Roof Systems roof - in addition to the easy install and durability - is that at the end of its ser-vice life the material can be recycled. So instead of going into the landfill, the material is turned into con-sumer products where they see new life, a complete cradle to cradle life cycle.”

IB Roof Systems was founded in 1978 in Eugene, Ore., and has become one of the leading manufacturers of single-ply roofing membranes. Thanks to a unique co-polymer alloy, IB Roof Systems resist contaminants that tend to collect on flat roofs, deflect destructive UV rays, expand with the buildings, and actually keep buildings nearly 50 percent cooler than those roofed with smooth black tops. Additionally, they are the only single-ply membranes offering a nationwide lifetime residential warranty.

For more information, visit www.ibroof.com.