Blending in

• Photos courtesy of Upstate Roofing & Painting Inc., Rochester, N.Y.
• Photos courtesy of Upstate Roofing & Painting Inc., Rochester, N.Y.

On a wooded lot in the 36-square-mile township of Victor, N.Y., sits a newly built The North Face store. The North Face, which specializes in performance apparel, equipment and footwear, first opened in the late 1960s in San Francisco's North Beach neighborhood. The company is committed not only to encouraging people to experience the outdoors but also promoting environmental responsibility.

The new The North Face store is one of several retail stores and offices in Victor's High Point Office Park. Dave Pastore, chief executive officer and president of the project's roofing contractor, Upstate Roofing & Painting Inc., Rochester, N.Y., says the project was unique in that it needed to meet the building owner's requirements that it be a LEED®-certified building while also meeting the city's requirements that it blend with its natural surroundings and look as though it had been a part of the landscape for many years.

Working with the project's general contractor, Genesee Construction Services Inc., Dansville, N.Y., Upstate Roofing & Painting recommended and installed roofing material that would meet LEED requirements.

According to Pastore, Upstate Roofing & Painting initially was asked to provide a submission for a traditional cedar shake roof system; however, after some investigation, it was discovered traditional cedar shakes did not meet LEED certification requirements so the company provided alternative solutions. Upstate Roofing & Painting recommended DaVinci RoofScapes' EcoBlend® Multi-Width Shake tiles in a custom blend of weathered gray colors because they met LEED certification requirements.

Work begins

With a crew of no more than 10 people, Upstate Roofing & Painting began installing the roof system in July 2012. First, crew members installed Carlisle SynTec's WIP® 100 Granular-Surface Self-Adhering Underlayment over the plywood roof deck at eave edges. Next, Grace Construction Products' W.R. Grace Ice & Watershield Self-Adhered Roofing Underlayment was installed in valley areas.

The crew then installed an InterWrap® Inc. Titanium® UDL-25 PLUS underlayment and a shop-fabricated 0.032-inch-thick Kynar®-finished aluminum drip and rake edge.

Finally, crew members used nail guns and stainless-steel nails to install 128 squares of DaVinci Roofscapes' Eco-Blend Multi-Width Shake tiles on the 12:12 roof system.

During installation, Upstate Roofing & Painting followed safety precautions by using Acro Building Systems' eave and rake edge guardrail systems in addition to standard jacks and planks to access the work area. Body harnesses, slide guards and retractable lifelines also were used as needed.

Proper planning

Although there were a few challenges to overcome during roof system installation, one of the biggest concerns arose before work on the roof system began.

Because the EcoBlend Multi-Width Shake tiles' five-color blend needed to be pre-mixed at the factory, it was necessary to allow ample time for production.

"Production lead time is a hurdle, especially in our fast-paced world where instantaneous response is becoming the norm," Pastore says. "Communication was cumbersome and frustrating at times. Delivery range dates given at the time of the order were passed along to the customer who, as I suspected would be the case, focused on the minimum time frame. And though DaVinci Roofscapes delivered within the maximum time frame, it fell short of our customer's expectation."

Additionally, because of the roof system's intersecting valleys and various eave edge heights, achieving proper shingle course alignment proved challenging. Pastore says it was important to be precise during shingle measuring and transferring stages.

"It took a fair amount of creativity and ingenuity to transfer measurements into and through valleys, up and over ridges, and from side to side and wing to wing," Pastore says.

Thanks to proper planning and precise measuring, Upstate Roofing & Painting finished the project ahead of schedule in August 2012, and the 7,870-square-foot The North Face store opened in time for the start of the prime retail season in late October 2012.

Leaving an impression

According to Pastore, the most rewarding part of the project was meeting and exceeding the building owner's expectations.

"The building owner and The North Face are pleased with the look and performance of the finished product," Pastore says. "Given the challenges with proper shingle course alignment, our crew took special pride—and rightfully so—for how well it all came out."

Rick Gourley, superintendent for Upstate Roofing & Painting, also says he's proud of the roof system's appearance. He says they receive compliments from other contractors and passers-by.

"It came out looking superb," he says. "It was a great project to work on, especially with the builder, Genesee Construction Services—the company's positive attitude and overall relationship with its selected contractors made the project easier. It was challenging but rewarding, and the crew really enjoyed working on it."

Beth Wang is Professional Roofing's editorial assistant.

Project name: High Point Retail II—North Face
Project location: Victor, N.Y.
Project duration: July 2012-August 2012
Roof system type: Synthetic shake roof tiles
Roofing contractor: Upstate Roofing & Painting Inc., Rochester, N.Y.
Product manufacturers: Carlisle SynTec, Carlisle, Pa.; DaVinci Roofscapes LLC, Kansas City, Kan.; Grace Construction Products, Cambridge, Mass.; InterWrap® Inc., Vancouver, British Columbia

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