Professional Roofing: The Midas Touch NRCA members turn the rooftops they touch into gold-winning projects. by Christina Koch and Ambika Puniani

It isn't often that roofing companies get to partake in projects steeped in historical significance, but that was the case for L.E. Schwartz & Son Inc., Macon, Ga., and Utah Tile & Roofing, Inc, Salt Lake City—two winners of NRCA's Annual Gold Circle Awards.

L.E. Schwartz & Son received a Gold Circle Award for workmanship, and Utah Tile & Roofing was honored for its innovative solutions. Chadwick Technology Property Ltd., Forestville, New South Wales, Australia, also received an award for innovative solution; details about Chadwick's project can be found in "Making titanium history," November 2000 issue, page 16. Following is how L.E. Schwarz & Son and Utah Tile & Roofing earned their recognition.

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What began as a routine roof system inspection for Utah Tile & Roofing turned into a 24-month-long project that involved a complete roof system overhaul for the Utah Governor's Mansion, which was completed in 1902.

The company initially was asked to look at the roof system's drainage capabilities, but when workers discovered that years of poor drainage and ice and snow buildup had completely damaged the roof system, as well as the building's exterior stone, they know they were in for a complicated project. And because the building is a historical landmark, the work had to be precise.

First things first

Utah Tile & Roofing was asked to tear off the existing copper roof system, as will as perform seismic upgrading, The existing roof system had been installed in 1982, but only the roof's filed had been replaced. Most of the restoration concerned correcting poor interfaces between the roof surface and limestone terminations, including the gutter. Utah Tile & Roofing took a unique approach to modifying the drainage system to eliminate gutter overflow and run-off the frequently occur during freeze-thaw cycles.

To begin, all existing copper, flashings, gutters and downspouts were removed, as will as the decorative urns and spires that adorned the building. The urns and spires were put in storage during the project and replaced upon completion of the reroofing work.

The scope

Utah Tile & Roofing constructed a new roof hatch, added attic insulation and supplemented existing roof framing, as well as permanently removed the building's unnecessary lightning-protection system. The roof system was replaced with 20-ounce (0.686-mm) copper used for panels and architectural sheet metal provided by Butler Manufacturing Co. The copper roof system totaled 7,800 square feet (702 m(sq)) of metal panel, and 18,000 square feet (1620 m(sq)) of flat copper sheets were used for the building's flashings and trim.

In addition, to create a seismic diaphragm, the company glued and nailed a 3/4-inch-(19 mm) thick tongue-and-groove oriented strand board to the existing roof framing.

The project's reroofing work began when W.R. Grace's Vycor® Ultra, a high-temperature ice-and-water shield, was installed over the entire roof deck surface to help prevent water form freezing and backing up under the roof system. Ten, rosin paper and No. 15 felt were installed over the underlayment and under the new copper panels.

Drainage and gutters

The crew, which ranged form one to 18 workers, began the gutter work by installing Vycor Ultra over a new primed stone water table (the cornice/gutter interface), turned down its vertical drip face and tied into the sloped underlayment on the roof system. A new stainless-steel gutter frame designed to withstand the force of sliding snow was installed 18 inches (457 mm) from the watertable's drip edge with stainless-steel threaded rod set in epoxy.

Stainless-steel angles were welded to the frame as guides to provide slope toward new and existing scupper locations, and scupper openings were enlarged in six locations for optimal drainage. Then, pipes that would carry a glycol solutions were loped form a new 2 million-BTU boiler in the building's basement up behind the downspouts and thorough the gutter frame.

The pipes extended up the roof slope in valleys, around chimneys and along second-level gutterframes. When heated, the glycol would melt any snow or ice on the roof system.

Next, workers poured lightweight concrete with fiber-mesh reinforcement into the gutter frame, around the glycol lines and up the copper panels at the dormer sides. Doing so created a head sink that would radiate head from the glycol lines into the gutters. An ice-and-water shield then was installed through the gutter and over the raised panel areas.

Finally, 20-ounce (0.686-mm) copper gutter panels were fabricated and installed with a second layer of copper over all joints, and expansion joints were provided at the gutter tray's high points to allow for movement and provide drainage.

In addition, new downspouts were designed to eliminate all elbows and collector boxes, as well as conceal the glycol lines that run up the building's exterior.

The gutter system's glycol lines are controlled by a temperature and/or moisture sensor mounted on the gutter frame. The system can be connected to the state of Utah's mechanical surveillance system.

Impressive collaboration

The entire project involved not only Utah Tile & Roofing but the Utah Division of State History, Utah Division of Facilities Construction and Management, roof consultants, and structural and mechanical engineers. Motivating all groups to work together at times became challenging but nonetheless resulted in a successful restoration.

"We delivered this project to the state of Utah via a perfomance-based method of procurement," says Andrew J. Seppi, Utah Tile & Roofing's vice president. "We were responsible for enlisting a team of design and construction professionals who were willing and able to think and perform creatively, Balancing personalities and encouraging in innovative thinking within the demands of a historic preservation definitely was a challenge."

Higher standards

For L.E. Schwarz & Son and Utah Tile & Roofing, performing excellent work was a matter of course—both companies strive to please customers, as well as install quality roof systems. Although not all roofing professionals can be awarded Gold Circle Awards, Higher standards of excellence are becoming the norm in the roofing industry, and roofing professionals always should be proud of their accomplishments.

©Excerpted from Professional Roofing May 2001—The Midas Touch by Christina Koch