For those who enjoy a desert lifestyle, Lake Las Vegas is the picture-perfect community offering stunning new homes, breathtaking views of the desert landscape, modern amenities, and the kind of serenity that can only be delivered by a tranquil freshwater lake. Within this captivating setting, which sits about 20 miles from the city lights and glamour of the Las Vegas strip, is a collection of luxury communities by Blue Heron Nexus.
Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, Blue Heron is a top luxury design and build firm in Las Vegas known for its innovative modern designs and high-quality construction.
"Blue Heron is famous for its custom homes,” said Chris Beucler, president of Blue Heron Nexus. "That DNA and attention to detail and quality is scrupulously brought into our Nexus communities through our onsite architecture, construction, and interior design teams.”
Blue Heron's Nexus division has six communities in Lake Las Vegas, four of which are in development: Velaris at The Island; Arvada at The Island; Shoreline; and Strata. Among the countless attributes of these Blue Heron Nexus communities is that each home is topped off with high-performance spray foam.
Blue Heron brought MAC Roofing Services on board to install spray polyurethane foam (SPF) roofing on its homes at Lake Las Vegas. A leading spray foam roofing contractor, MAC Roofing has served the region for decades and has roofed some of its most high-profile homes and projects with SPF.
"Our Nexus communities and homes stand out for their architectural significance, adding lasting value and influence to Lake Las Vegas," added Beucler. "We've incorporated flat roofs with parapets on our homes at Lake Las Vegas for important reasons. It allows us to extend higher with our ceilings and the flat roofs leave the incredible 360-degree views unobstructed to our residents with Skydeck lounge areas."
"ThermoFlex 1500 HT is our chosen coating for these projects because, as can be said of Blue Heron's homes, it stands in a league all its own," said Chuck Kruse, owner of MAC Roofing Services.
Rare but Practical Use
With many roofing options to consider, Chuck Kruse, owner of MAC Roofing Services, emphasized the benefits of spray foam roofing while assessing the project.
"It is rare to see spray foam roofing used to this scale on so many homes within large communities here in Vegas," Kruse said. "However, it shouldn't be. Spray foam simply outperforms other options. It is also low maintenance and is the most sustainable roofing option available, period."
Kruse initially linked up with Blue Heron in 2007, when the two companies began working together on The New American Home, which, after completion, was featured during the 2009 International Builders Show. Blue Heron had been looking for an insulating, earth-friendly, low-waste, and cost-effective roofing material that would differentiate the Blue Heron product from the competition using cutting-edge design and materials. The two companies have been working together ever since.
From the outset, Blue Heron and MAC Roofing have always sourced their spray foam from manufacturer Huntsman Building Solutions (HBS) and its legacy line of companies.
"The consistency, spray-ability, quality, and performance of their product [are] undeniable," said Kruse. "I also deeply appreciate the company's ability to deliver product on time every time, even during periods when unforeseen issues like COVID-19 and the recent supply chain crisis were wreaking havoc on so many.”
Blue Heron's Lake Las Vegas homes are being delivered in phases. MAC Roofing began roofing the homes in 2018 and will continue to work on them. The contractor operates five spray foam crews, one or two of which are dedicated to the Blue Heron homes on any given week.
"Our buyers are very happy," Beucler said. "Our homes are obviously more comfortable and reduce our residents' energy bills. On top of that, we never get callbacks from our buyers for roof repairs. As an unvented roof assembly, our buyers can add solar arrays with less interference from rooftop obstructions. There are no leaks and no issues. It's fantastic."
Although white is the most popular color to use with SPF, MAC Roofing Services used Standard Huntsman Tan to comply with design review boards.
New Innovations
This year, Huntsman Building Solutions introduced Ultralok 2.8, a new-generation roofing spray foam with exceptional performance and critical industry certifications. Like its Foam-Lok predecessor (which it will eventually replace), it dramatically reduced environmental impacts.
"We are using HBS Foam Lok 2800 HFO spray foam roofing on these homes," added Kruse. "We have been using this particular foam regularly for the past several years. The cell structure is exceptional, yield is good, and the skin is smooth and non-friable. Additionally, all of our clients appreciate that it's certified for low global warming potential and is a zero-ozone depleting system."
As is true of all spray foam roofing systems, coatings are essential for added protection and performance.
"ThermoFlex 1500 HT is our chosen coating for these projects because, as can be said of Blue Heron's homes, it stands in a league all its own," added Kruse. "White is typically the most popular color with SPF due to its reflectivity, but in this case, we are using the Standard Huntsman Tan color to comply with the Design Review Boards, which govern the reflectivity of roofing. There's also no other coating that can compare to the way this one holds on and stays in place, especially on parapet walls."
