Photo courtesy of CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa.
Photo courtesy of The Roofing Co. Inc. 
Photo courtesy of The Roofing Co. Inc.
Photo courtesy of The Roofing Co. Inc. 
Photo courtesy of The Roofing Co. Inc. 
Photo courtesy of The Roofing Co. Inc. 
Photo courtesy of The Roofing Co. Inc. 
The Christian Broadcast Network (CBN) is a high-profile organization that has been in existence since 1960. Founded by religious leader Pat Robertson, CBN was the first Christian television station in the U.S., as well as the first Christian ministry to build and operate its own satellite earth station. Today, CBN is one of the largest television ministries in the world.
CBN's Support Services building is prominent in Virginia Beach, Va. So when the building required a new roof system, high standards needed to be met.
The Roofing Co. Inc., Hampton, Va., was invited to bid on the project and eventually chosen to install a new roof system on the 70,000-square-foot office building.
Staying safe
Before the project began, The Roofing Co. Inc. had to prepare for safety challenges involved with installation. For example, the three-story building's roof has a 12-in-12 (45-degree) slope, which provided a challenge for the roofing workers.
"The building's height made the most common efforts difficult," says Jim Hicks, general manager of The Roofing Co. Inc. "Roofing workers had to install roof materials on a 12-in-12 [45-degree] slope with harnesses at all times. For the reframing of the internal gutters, because of the failure of the EPDM system, additional anchors had to be installed just above the gutter so the carpenters and roofing workers could work safely on the walkboards and scaffolding. Much of the work required a 60-foot man lift to reach the gutter system."
The company stocked up on safety equipment and ordered an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection.
"We knew we were going to have to use a lot of ropes and harnesses," Hicks says. "We actually had OSHA perform a pre-inspection to make sure we were in compliance."
After safety preparations were completed, tear-off began. The Roofing Co. Inc. was asked to remove the original roof system, which consisted of 700 squares of cedar shake shingles on a plywood deck and EPDM membrane in inlaid Yankee-style gutters.
The Roofing Co. Inc. then installed CertainTeed Corp. Grand Manor® Shangles,® as well as new copper flashing and copings.
"A special-order color of Grand Manor Shangles, Chesapeake cedar, was installed, with a minimum order of 500 squares from CertainTeed," Hicks says. "And the flashing details were specific. The roof consultant, Hentz Engineering, Virginia Beach, thought through all the details and provided helpful and complete drawings. They used 16-ounce copper for most of the copper flashing details. They specified 20-ounce copper in areas where the copper would have greater exposure to the elements, such as in valleys.
"Hentz Engineering inspected every detail on the entire roof during the project instead of just making a cursory inspection after installation was complete as we have seen many so-called 'roof consultants' do in the past," he continues. "This was unique in our experience, and we welcomed their attention to detail."
In addition, the company needed to reframe the inlaid gutters.
"The Yankee gutter was large enough that a man could walk in it," Hicks says. "It had to be reframed because of excessive wood rot under the existing EPDM membrane. The gutters were more than 5,000 feet long, so our carpenters reframed 1 mile of gutter. Most of this work was by additional work order after the extent of the wood rot was determined."
After the gutters were reframed, the complete Sealoflex CT™ roof coating system was installed.
"A special-order color of Sealoflex was used so the color on the back of the gutter matched the color of the trim on the dormers," Hicks says.
As previously mentioned, the company paid close attention to safety, using 60-foot and 80-foot man lifts, as well as harnesses and tethers that complied with OSHA standards.
Other challenges
Weather was only one of the problems the company faced during the project.
"Because of cold weather in December, January and February, the drying time for the Sealoflex system was much greater than originally anticipated," Hicks says. "The drying time was four times the normal time period, adding about four weeks to the project."
In addition, the effects of Hurricane Katrina caused staffing issues for The Roofing Co. Inc.
"We lost key personnel because of Hurricane Katrina," Hicks says. "Our original project manager was hired for Katrina rebuilding in New Orleans, and many roofing workers left the project because of higher wages paid to rebuild after Katrina."
After 10 roofing workers left, it took several weeks to obtain new staff, delaying the project's production schedule.
Staging materials also was an obstacle.
"We had to restage the project many times to work around CBN's fund-raising schedule and ingress/egress requirements for pedestrian traffic and loading dock traffic," Hicks says. "Special staging also was required because of large satellite transmission dishes located directly under a debris fall zone."
Because of these issues, the company finished the project, which began in August 2005, in March 2006 instead of the originally anticipated date in October 2005.
"I think Hurricane Katrina and the additional framing work on the gutters contributed to the delay more than anything else," Hicks says.
Personal pride
All involved were satisfied with the results.
"The finished product is gorgeous," Hicks says. "And Hertz Engineering certainly earned our respect during the project."
Hicks experienced some personal satisfaction and validation, as well.
"Personally, I am proud of this project," he says. "It is the only project I have taken my father and mother to see. My father, who used to be chief of construction for the Air Force, is a difficult guy to impress. But even he complimented us on the job!"
In addition, Hicks says installing a roof on the CBN building was rewarding because it was a high-profile project.
"To date, it is the largest project we have completed," he says. "Each time we take on a larger project, it causes us to stretch a bit more, and we grow. This continual growth and improvement is the key to our company. Now, we look back on projects we did just four years ago, which at the time we thought were complicated, and laugh at how simple they seem today. Someday soon, I hope we look back at this project and view it as simple."
Krista Reisdorf is managing editor of Professional Roofing magazine.
Project name: Christian Broadcast Network Support Center
Project location: Virginia Beach, Va.
Project duration: August 2005-March 2006
Roof system type: Laminated fiberglass-reinforced asphalt shingles
Roofing contractor: The Roofing Co. Inc., Hampton, Va.
Roofing manufacturer: CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa.
Roof consultant: Hentz Engineering Inc., Virginia Beach
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment. Please log in to leave a comment.