Landis Slate Roof
We are getting close to wrapping up the Landis Slate Roof project in Rochester, Indiana. Slate installation is somewhat tedious, but the finished product leaves a lasting impression. Mr. Landis says that there has been a parade of walkers in the evening checking on the progress and he has received nothing but positive comments on the work. We’re always pleased to hear that!
Completed section showing random color and width of slate shingles
This project was challenging as the slate is random width and has a 70-30 color mix in a random pattern. That makes a lot to keep track of. We have used copper flashings over ice and water shield to keep all transitions water-tight. The original nails were galvanized cut nails. We are using a combination of copper nails and stainless steel nails. New aluminum gutters are being installed. Gutter straps are hidden and protected using slate bibs.
Spire showing copper flashing detail
We are currently working on the spire as you can see in the pictures. We used a flashing with a crimped standing seam in the center of the hip. Unlike the rest of the roof where we used a slate cutter, we used a saw to cut the pieces so they could be installed with less waste at the hip transition.
The ridge details you see are galvanized metal pieces that were pop riveted together and nailed in place. They had deteriorated and rusted. Mr. Landis had a local body shop sand blast them, fill any holes and paint them with an auto quality paint. He commented, “I don’t want to have to have anyone on this roof again in my lifetime!” The silver color really shines in the sun and provides a wonderful highlight.
Community Garden
Culver Community Garden at the corner of Slate and Lewis Streets
The Grace United Church of Christ and the Wesley United Methodist Church have started a Community Garden in Culver as part of their outreach ministry. The garden is at the northeast corner of North Slate Street and West Lewis Street in Culver. This is the first year for this project at this location. It will be interesting to observe its success since it is just down the street from our office.
Easterday Construction Co., Inc. has helped support this effort by donating steel stakes for tomato cages and wood stakes for row markers. We received a nice thank-you note from the organizers. We are happy to support this community effort and wish the two Churches every possible success with this new undertaking. We take pride in our community and participate in community efforts where we can. Many of our employees volunteer their time and skills to make Culver a better place.
As you can see in the note, the organizers need worker bees to help tend the garden. If you have a green thumb and time to donate, step up to the plate and get your hands dirty! It’s for a good cause.
Kevin
Landis Slate Project Makes the Papers
The Landis Slate Roof Project we're working on in Rochester made the front page of the Rochester Sentinal on April 20, 2009.
This project was previously discussed here.
Water Conservation
Water conservation is not a huge issue in our area, but we’re hearing about it more and more on a national level. California Governer Scharzeneggar declared a goal of a 20 percent reduction in water use state-wide by 2012. California currently purchases water from Arizona, but with the continual development expansion in Arizona, particularly in arid areas such as Pheonix, the need for fresh water is a growing issue in the Southwest. How does that affect us in Northern Indiana?
Culver Elementary School Gymnasium Addition at Plan Commission 4-21-09
- Pilot News Article on CES Gym Expansion
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The letter should be on the letterhead of a civil engineering firm and should be signed by a civil engineer licensed in the State of Indiana. The letter should include their P.E. stamp certifying the statements in the letter.
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The letter should certify that they have inspected the existing system and that it has been adequately cleaned and is working as designed.
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They letter should certify that they have reviewed the original design and agree with the assumptions made.
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The letter should state those assumptions, i.e., What was the design storm intensity (10 yr, 25 yr, 100 yr…)? Was the original design to cover the entire site or only changes made during the project? What was the design life of the system and maintenance schedule? Are the soils adequate for the system? Will cleaning the system make it meet the design standards or will additional remedial work be required?
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The letter should then certify that the existing system was overdesigned with adequate capacity for the changes in the Time of Concentration and the additional impervious surface included in this project.
This letter and the completion of any remedial work required should be completed before a Certificate of Occupancy is issued.
I believe that they have been given adequate notice of the requirements and this should not be a problem for them, even if the remedial work is extensive or additional drywells are required. If for some reason, this becomes impossible to complete before the building is needed for school activities, then a temporary Certificate of Occupancy could be issued. I would not see a problem bonding this project over to the next year if for some reason funds are not available. That would protect the Town’s interests and allow the School additional time to secure funding. Since the project came in well under budget, I don’t see this as a major issue for them.
