California Church Revitalized with Lightweight Stone Coated Steel Roof

Built 30 years ago, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Fremont, California sits amidst a residential neighborhood. A cherished beacon within the Bay Area community, the institution’s leaders recently decided it was time for a major remodel of the church structure itself following three decades of use.

The series of enhancements chosen by the church leaders included sheet metal repairs, upgrades to stucco and painting, and a complete re-roof. Local Fremont city officials weighed in on the repairs, offering guidance. Because the church has been such a hallmark within the community, and the physical structure such a uniquely visual community marker, the city mandated that any work done to the church, including the new roof addition, must remain true to the original aesthetic of the church.

“This isn’t a typical looking LDS church,” says Tom Miller, owner of Tom Miller Roofing, whose crew installed the new roof. “It’s really prominent, however the architecture is presented in more of a California Mission style. This is a different look than most LDS churches in the United States.”

The original roof was tile, therefore the new roof needed to mimic a traditional tile aesthetic. Boral Steel, a stone coated steel roof system, was ultimately chosen. The selected BARREL-VAULT Tile profile in Sunset Gold aligned aesthetically with the original tile, complementing the Spanish look of the church.

Often utilized in roofing retrofits, the Boral Steel product is a lightweight roofing material manufactured from Galvalume steel, then coated with stone granules which are applied to the steel with an acrylic polymer adhesive. The material offers a cost-effective solution whose lighter weight of 1.5-pounds per square foot poses no structural load issues while offering the strength of steel. In the case of the Fremont church, weight was important. The existing tile was replaced with stone coated steel, resulting in a weight savings to the structure of over 175,000 pounds. A direct-to-deck system was also selected to reduce weight.

“There are several benefits to using stone coated steel for the roof,” says Miller. “It is a material with the strength of steel that weighs less and has great fire resistance due to its steel base, offering good protection against wind borne embers landing on the roof. It also looks really great and I have always been really impressed with the product.”

Another consideration for the new roof was ventilation. With the prior roof, the church wasn’t getting enough. The added ventilation, or Above Sheathing Ventilation, is a Boral Steel Cool Roof by design feature. The Boral system has the benefit of greatly reducing energy costs by keeping the church warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer.

“With the steel roof we were able to add that dimension,” says Miller. “We utilized a vented ridge specifically designed by the LDS church construction engineering group which, when combined with the steel Above Sheathing Ventilation system, allows for really good air flow.”

Installation of the roof proceeded seamlessly. Miller’s three-man crew discovered a process efficiency that allowed them to lay the stone coated steel onto the roof deck with ease. While one roofer set the product down, a second roofer would screw down the back flange and the third would screw in the nose and finish it off. With this teamwork and system in effect, the roofers were able to install 40-60 squares per day, despite never having installed a stone coated steel BARREL-VAULT Tile profile before. They completed everything but the ridges, returning to the church at a later date to complete that final detail after the sheet metal contractors had finished their portion of the remodel. “Donna Vingo and Jon Wilson, both of Boral Roofing, also visited the site during the roof installation and provided guidance and support to ensure the retrofit proceeded smoothly with our team,” says Miller. “I’ve always felt well supported by Boral Roofing, each and every time I’ve used their products on a job. As a contractor, that is key. I always want to have a strong relationship with the manufacturer.”

Despite the seamless installation process of the Boral Steel roof, COVID-19 brought some minor challenges to the project. “Because we worked on the church during the pandemic, there were some health concerns,” notes Miller. “Luckily our roofing crew was really great about maintaining their safety throughout the process through physical distancing. We also conducted regular temperature testing on the job.”

Miller notes that the City of Fremont also shut down their regular in-person permitting process, so all of those activities needed to be handled virtually. Additionally, some building product deliveries were a concern as certain truck drivers were refusing to travel through some cities due to civil unrest in those regions.

“Luckily the Boral Steel roofing materials were delivered from within California and we had no issues with the delivery,” Miller says. “Darrel Gobby at SRS A.L.L. Roofing Materials helped us with all of our product shipping. He is always great to work with.”

The complete remodel of the church was completed in December 2020.

“A lot of people think the stone coated steel looks like tile and comment on how beautiful it is,” adds Miller.

About the author: Pete Croft is brand manager for Boral Roofing LLC, manufacturer of the Boral Steel product line, and the nation’s leader in stone-coated steel roofing for both new construction and retrofit applications. For more information, visit boralroof.com; contact the author at [email protected].

TEAM

Roofing Contractor: Tom Miller Roofing, Sandpoint, Idaho

MATERIALS

Roof System: Boral Steel BARREL-VAULT Tile, Boral Roofing, boralroof.com.