Photos courtesy of Stonebrook Roofing Inc., Lincoln, Neb. 
Photos courtesy of Stonebrook Roofing Inc., Lincoln, Neb. 
Photos courtesy of Stonebrook Roofing Inc., Lincoln, Neb. 
Photos courtesy of Stonebrook Roofing Inc., Lincoln, Neb. 
Photos courtesy of Stonebrook Roofing Inc., Lincoln, Neb. 
Photos courtesy of Stonebrook Roofing Inc., Lincoln, Neb. 
Built in 1909, the Mead building in Yankton, S.D., is located on the southern side of the Human Services Center campus, the oldest institution in South Dakota. Funded before the state's penitentiary and universities, the Human Services Center opened in 1878, 10 years before South Dakota became a state. Designed by Dr. Leonard C. Mead, the three-story building is named for him as a tribute to his progressive attitude toward the positive treatment of individuals with mental illnesses.
In charge of the Human Services Center during a time when mental illness was misunderstood and carried stigma, Mead described mental illness as "a misfortune which may come to any of us." Because Mead believed patients should be housed in conditions he wished for himself and his family, the Human Services Center campus features park-like surroundings and residences with broad verandas and tall windows. The marble staircase in the Mead building is an example of the care and attention Mead put into the environment his patients inhabited. His talent for creating serene environments for patients helped produce a 25 percent rehabilitation rate at the center. Mead wrote several textbooks about child psychology and is considered a pioneer in the study of autism.
Renovation plans
Abandoned about 30 years ago, the Mead building suffered considerable damage, including significant structural damage to the roof's wooden understructure. In 2009, the Mead building, and much of the campus, was placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's list of the 11 most endangered historic places in the U.S.
Subsequently, the Yankton County Historical Society set up a committee to review the possibilities of restoring the Mead building. Initial review of the building and its structure revealed it would suit a new museum to fit the historical society's needs. Believing the Mead building will attract many visitors to Yankton, the historical society embarked on a plan to renovate the Mead building.
Work on the building was planned in three phases. The first phase included work to make the Mead building habitable. The second phase included work on space for use by Yankton County Historical Society. And the final step was to complete areas that can be used for office rental and conference space.
The $660,000 roof system renovation project was part of phase one and made possible because of a substantial private contribution and funds from the Deadwood Historic Preservation Commission and South Dakota State Historical Society Deadwood Funds.
During a social gathering in Yankton, Tom Kunkel, project manager for Stonebrook Roofing Inc., Lincoln, Neb., expressed interest to Yankton County Historical Society members about being involved with the Mead renovation project. Three years after the initial conversation, Stonebrook Roofing was awarded the roofing project.
"It's seldom roofing companies get the chance to be involved in projects of this nature," Tom says. "Typically, buildings of this age are demolished."
Renovations commence
To mark the occasion of the roof system renovation project, a "Raise the Roof" groundbreaking ceremony was held Monday, July 30, 2012, at the Mead building, a U-shaped stone structure with a rectangular main section in the front and two wings in the back. Its roof surface is about 20,000 square feet with a 10:12 slope.
In August 2012, Stonebrook Roofing began its work to rebuild the roof system to stabilize the structure so other rebuilding steps could be achieved. The building was neglected for so long, 6 inches of accumulated dust and debris were removed from three attics.
After the attics were cleaned, Stonebrook Roofing removed the existing Ludowici French low-profile interlocking clay tiles. Telehandlers were used to facilitate the process of placing tiles in a crate to protect them before reinstallation. Each telehandler carried the tile crates to the storage area and provided access for crew members at the roof's eave height to load the crates. One person from each team removed tile while the rest of the team passed the tile down the roof to another crew member who loaded the tiles in the crates on the telehandler. The crates then were carried to the storage area on the ground. About 70 percent of the original tile was stored to be reused for the new roof system installation.
Crew members wore personal protective equipment and were tied off with a lineal cable system, allowing workers to move laterally across the roof, and hand railings were built on the roof's open sides. For the public's protection, the job site was fenced off with warning signs. To ensure Occupational Safety and Health Administration compliance, daily job-site and monthly inspections were performed.
Raising the roof
After removing the tile, the roof's decayed wooden understructure was repaired. The entire top plate of the interior's perimeter was replaced using Dow Building Solutions' 1/4-inch-thick STYROFOAM™ Brand SILL SEAL Foam Gasket over the concrete walls, followed by 2- by 12-inch treated wood and 2- by 12-inch custom-grade wood stacked and fastened using 1/2- by 7-inch stainless-steel expansion anchors. To facilitate this, the first 2 feet of roof sheathing was removed to gain access to the top plate. Many of the 2- by 8-inch rafters supported in the center by 6- by 8-inch and 8- by 8-inch beams were replaced.
The building's design includes 40- by 20-foot dormers connecting the wings to the main part of the building. Because of extreme deterioration, the dormers were demolished and rebuilt, including 100 feet of 12-inch-tall by 3/4-inch-thick cast-in-place concrete fascia. More than 10 percent of the roof's substrate also had to be replaced with 3/4-inch-thick CDX plywood. This was a time-consuming task, but after this step, the roof began to regain its original dimensional shape.
"The most rewarding part of the job was watching the old roof, which had deteriorated with age and neglect, take shape again and look sound," says Steve Kunkel, president of Stonebrook Roofing.
On top of the roof
After the roof's understructure was repaired, work began on top of the roof. Stonebrook Roofing installed 30-pound double-layered felt underlayment over the wood deck. Resisto's self-adhering underlayment composed of glass-fleece reinforcement and SBS polymer-modified bitumen was used on eaves, valleys, hips and ridges, followed by 1/4-inch-thick lathe boards used as counter battens and 1- by 2-inch wood battens nailed to the roof. The original roof system did not include lathe boards installed vertically under the horizontal battens; Stonebrook Roofing added the boards to the configuration to assist with condensation.
The next task was replacing fascia and installing new 20-ounce copper gutters on the roof with the original dimensional designer gutter components. The 11-inch-wide K-style gutters were hung using 3/16-inch-thick brackets below the gutter and 1/8-inch-thick straps bolted to the top of the gutter and screwed to the roof deck; all seams were riveted and soldered. Downspouts were installed using a pin, rack and key system. A 32-inch-tall custom cornice was fabricated on-site.
Next, the roof tile was reinstalled with similar interlocking clay tile manufactured by Ludowici Roof Tile to match the original Ludowici French low-profile interlocking clay tile installed in 1909. Stonebrook Roofing took great care selecting matching materials appropriate to the building's original roof system. Ring-shank copper nails were used to fasten the tiles, and FLEXIM roof mortar was used to seal tile edges.
Unique solutions
Working on such a unique building demanded unique solutions to challenges. Scaffolding originally was erected around the steep-slope roof to facilitate access to work areas. However, transporting materials, hand tools and crew members up and down the scaffolding proved to be too tedious and time-consuming, so Stonebrook Roofing brought in four 55-foot telehandlers with outriggers and 12-foot material storage platforms to expedite the transport process.
The multiple telehandlers were highly maneuverable and stable and saved considerable material hoisting time. They also were handy for moving materials and equipment around the site. When using two telehandlers side by side, they provided a 24-foot-wide access point for depositing removed roof materials. Stonebrook Roofing crew members also were able to reach the roof's eaves using the 55-foot-long booms on the units.
Two original air-exchange cupolas mounted on the ridges of the building's wings also were refurbished. The cupolas are about 8 feet tall, and a telehandler was used to remove them from the roof. Removing the cupolas using the original scaffolding approach would have been potentially impractical. After the cupolas were removed, they were repaired, sandblasted, painted using aluminum paint and reinstalled.
Unique labor
Another unique project solution was using inmate labor for cost savings. Because the Mead building is located on state property and the restoration was funded by Yankton County Historical Society, using inmates from a nearby state minimum-security unit was allowed.
Stonebrook Roofing employees at the foremen level and higher were required to attend a three-hour class before working with the inmates. Employees also were required to pick up the inmates at the security unit and check in two to three times each day to ensure all inmates were accounted for and present. The inmates were educated about the roofing project's aspects and proper use of personal protective equipment.
"The inmates generally were cooperative, and many had excellent skills," Tom says. "Those who showed interest to be included on the job liked working on the project and were motivated to work. The obvious advantage to the project was the cost savings."
Back to life
The project was completed in March 2013 and took longer than anticipated because 396 cubic yards of accumulated debris were removed from the attics, and extreme inclement weather caused further delays. Despite challenges and delays, Stonebrook Roofing delivered exceptional workmanship. More than 15 tons of lumber, 3 tons of roofing underlayment, 4 tons of copper, 66 tons of clay tile, 2 tons of mortar and 1,500 pounds of fasteners were used for the Mead building's roof restoration.
"Before the job began, many people thought the restoration of the building was a waste of time and money," Steve says. "After the roof was completed, more people began to favorably view the Mead building as a great historical site with beautiful architecture and a part of South Dakota history."
Stonebrook Roofing was instrumental with helping to rebuild the Mead building and breathe life back into Dr. Mead's vision of excellent surroundings. The hallways that once were cold, dark, empty and silent now are warm and bright and filled with South Dakota's dream of hope, honor and history.
"Replacing this roof system was not just a job, it was a dream," Tom says. "Many people in Yankton wanted to see this building come back to life, and it became my dream. As contractors, we not only are building roof systems, we are fulfilling dreams. The buildings we work on all hold someone's dream of a better life. That is what it is all about."
Chrystine Elle Hanus is Professional Roofing's associate editor and NRCA's director of communications.
Project name: The Mead building
Project location: Yankton, S.D.
Project duration: August 2012–March 2013
Roof system type: Clay tile
Roofing contractor: Stonebrook Roofing Inc., Lincoln, Neb.
Product manufacturers: ABC Supply Co. Inc., Beloit, Wis.; Dow Building Solutions,
Midland, Mich.; Ludowici Roof Tile, New Lexington, Ohio; Resisto, a division of
Soprema, Quebec City
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