All that pizzazz

• Photo courtesy of Rising Star Roofing Inc., Truckee, Calif.
• Photo courtesy of Rising Star Roofing Inc., Truckee, Calif.
• Photo courtesy of Rising Star Roofing Inc., Truckee, Calif.
• 

Have you ever driven through a housing subdivision lost because every house looked the same? Houses' exterior colors and landscaping sometimes are so similar, it's difficult for homeowners to distinguish their houses from their neighbors'.

But that is not the case in Truckee, Calif. Truckee, which is nestled in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, is about 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Lake Tahoe. The resort town has a small-town atmosphere and Old West charm. Truckee also is touted as being a desirable living location. It was ranked the third-best ski town by Mountain Sports & Living in 1999 and named one of 10 dream towns in which to live by Skiing Magazine's Ski Town Guide in January 2000. In February, Ski Magazine listed Truckee as one of 18 best towns for families.

These rankings have prompted year-round homeowners to settle in Truckee; the town used to mainly consist of seasonal residents. With a background as awesome as the Sierra Nevada Mountains, many houses in Truckee complement the town's favorable atmosphere while standing out from one another.

Truckee resident Blair Odam's house was built in 1979 and never had been reroofed. In 2002, she asked for reroofing estimates from several local roofing contracting companies because her house's roof system had severe ice damming and was leaking. After getting bids, Odam waited one year to schedule roofing work because she performed extensive research with local contractors and several roofing associations. In the end, Odam chose Rising Star Roofing Inc., Truckee.

Rising Star Roofing was asked to design a roof system to withstand harsh winters common in the Sierra Nevada Mountains area. According to the Truckee Chamber of Commerce, 217 inches (5512 mm) of snow and 8 inches (203 mm) of rain fall on average in Truckee per year. Odam also wanted her house's new roof system to be unique and show some pizzazz.

When receiving estimates and designs, Odam mentioned she liked the copper details on a restaurant's roof system in Squaw Valley, Calif. Ric Clarkson, president of Rising Star Roofing, took Odam's idea and suggested accentuating a rugged-looking roof system with copper. Clarkson wanted to use 16-ounce (0.022-inch- [0.56-mm-] thick) copper to create flat and standing-seam panels and trim and beam caps. Clarkson says he was fortunate the house had good lines with which he could design a new, rejuvenated look.

Roofing details

The project began Aug. 25 and was completed Sept. 11. To ensure safety on the 12-in-12 (45-degree) sloped roof, roofing workers used 2- by 6-feet (0.6- by 1.8-m) boards. Fall Tech harnesses also were used in steep-slope roof areas.

The original roof featured a 5/8-inch- (16-mm-) plywood sleeper system with 4-inch- (102-mm-) polyisocyanurate insulation and medium western cedar shakes. Rising Star Roofing workers faced an unusually difficult tear-off because the original shakes were secured with too many 7/16-of-an-inch (11-mm) crown staples and 1 3/4-inch (44-mm) staples; six staples to 12 staples were used per shake. Apparently, so many staples were used because the original roof system installer was concerned the medium shakes would not remain secure.

The tear-off was completed in about two weeks, and materials were placed in 30-cubic-yard (23-m³) bins. Because workers needed more time than originally scheduled to remove excessively secured shakes, the tear-off work was closely coordinated with a local disposal company.

The new roof system features 30-pound (14-kg) felt underlayment, and valleys and wall-to-roof gables feature Grace Vycor® Plus flashing. CertainTeed Presidential Shake asphalt shingles in an autumn-blend color were installed with 1 1/4-inch (32-mm) nails.

The five-person crew installed the 16-ounce (0.022-inch- [0.56-mm-] thick) copper panels with stainless-steel clips and fasteners. Flat copper panels were installed with a 2- by 18-inch (51- by 457-mm) eave reveal over a 90-degree, 5- by 7-inch (127- by 178-mm) end wall. On the eaves, 18-inch- (457-mm-) wide by 1 3/4-inch- (44-mm-) tall snap-lock standing-seam panels were installed.

A Sierra project

Performing construction work in the Sierra Nevada Mountains area isn't easy. Cold temperatures, heavy snow, wildfires and rough terrain are a few common obstacles workers have to overcome. Finishing this project in the fall meant Rising Star Roofing workers faced additional seasonal challenges.

Clarkson explains, "Working during that time of the year was challenging because it was yellow-jacket season and afternoon thunderstorms had to be dealt with daily."

But Clarkson looks at this project with pride because he and his crew accomplished their goal—installing a quality roof system that has pizzazz.

"The most rewarding part was a plan working and coming together," Clarkson says. "It also was rewarding to design a roof for the owner with unique detail, attain customer gratification and have smiles on my employees' faces from job satisfaction."

Kate Gawlik is associate editor of Professional Roofing magazine.

Project name: Private residence
Project location: Truckee, Calif.
Project duration: Aug. 25-Sept. 11
Roofing contractor: Rising Star Roofing Inc., Truckee
Roof system type: Shake asphalt shingles with copper details
Roofing manufacturer: CertainTeed Corp., Valley Forge, Pa.