Photo courtesy of CMR Construction & Roofing, Indianapolis
Photo courtesy of CMR Construction & Roofing, Indianapolis
Meridian-Kessler, a residential neighborhood outside Indianapolis, long has been sought after by homeowners.
The neighborhood was open farmland until the late 1890s when a few wealthy people built estates in the area. The neighborhood's population grew quickly during the early 1920s, and the area became one of Indianapolis' most prestigious communities.
Meridian-Kessler is still highly desirable, and a few original farmhouses remain—the oldest dating to 1832.
In May, a storm threatened to damage the historical community and inflicted severe hail damage on many homes in Meridian-Kessler. And one home in particular, an older building with a graduated slate roof system, caught the attention of CMR Construction & Roofing, Indianapolis.
"From the ground, you could see the graduated slate roof had suffered extensive hail damage," says Patrick McNichols, an independent contractor for CMR Construction & Roofing. "I approached the homeowners to offer an inspection.
"The homeowners ended up asking us to assist them in negotiating with their horrible insurance company and install a new graduated slate roof on the home," McNichols continues.
Safety first
CMR Construction & Roofing began work at the home in early June. But before work on the 10-in-12 (40-degree) roof system could begin, there were some safety issues that needed to be addressed.
"Before tear-off could begin, scaffolding had to be assembled around the structure to assist the crew in removing the extremely heavy and sharp slate," McNichols says.
A safety railing also was installed, and rope and harnesses were used to protect the seven to 10 crew members working on the roof.
"The crew also had to be prepped before and during the installation," McNichols says. "We informed the workers of the roof's steepness and the complexity of the job. They really needed to understand how to properly blend the slates. They also had to be prepped on proper safety precautions."
Tedious work
After safety measures were in place, CMR Construction & Roofing began tearing off the existing graduated slate roof system, which was about 100 years old.
"The first row of slate was 1 inch thick, and the slate thickness gradually lessened up to the top row of 1/4-inch-thick slate," McNichols says. "The roof consisted of 20 to 30 slate widths with five different lengths."
The slates were removed one by one from the roof and lowered to the scaffolding. When each piece of slate reached the scaffolding, it was carried to the end of the scaffolding and dropped into a trash bin.
"All landscaping had to be protected using plywood, and caution tape was put up to prevent inadvertent walking on the premises," McNichols says.
After tear-off was complete, CMR Construction & Roofing installed Sharkskin™ Ultra synthetic underlayment and 16-ounce copper metal flashings and used 2- to 3-inch copper nails to install Hilltop Slate's Vermont S1 Slate in Vermont Blend and Unfading Purple.
"The colors had to be blended together randomly," McNichols says. "We mapped out the random patterns on the ground to ensure correct installation on the roof."
And the heavy slates proved difficult to maneuver.
"It was especially challenging getting the slates to the roof—everything had to be hand-carried—and moving them around on the roof," McNichols says.
Preparation and time
Because graduated slate roof systems are not installed frequently, CMR Construction & Roofing faced some special challenges during the project.
"I do not believe many graduated slate roofs are installed in the Midwest these days," McNichols says. "The project required much preparation to make sure the correct slate was ordered."
Also, the roof presented some challenges.
"The roof system had mitered hips, which required us to use a slater's stake to chip the correct mitered angle on the slate," McNichols says. "This was time-consuming because we were dealing with large, thick slates. The crew had to manually chip the slates and make sure they lined up exactly to be visually pleasing."
Additionally, because the roof had closed valleys, the same process was required at those locations.
"Randomly installing the various widths and lengths of slate to maintain the correct headlaps required constant adjustments," McNichols continues. "And to ensure the roof was watertight, we had to check the widths of the slate pieces constantly."
A beautiful outcome
Although the project was time-consuming and required a lot of preparation, CMR Construction & Roofing's meticulous work paid off and proved satisfying for all involved.
"We are extremely pleased with how the roof turned out," says John Kremmer, the homeowner. "McNichols did an outstanding job, using the highest quality slate as well as maintaining the roof system's historical significance."
Ashley St. John is Professional Roofing's associate editor.
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