New Church Protected by Standing Seam Metal Roof, Snow Retention System

The history of Niemonds Independent Church dates to the late 1700s, with the earliest record of a physical church building completed in 1896. Throughout the years, various improvements were made to the building but eventually, the church reached capacity and sought land to build a new facility.

In 2017, this new facility experienced a fire. The frigid temperatures, high winds and frozen steep-sloped driveway prevented firefighters from getting to the site and extinguishing the fire. After three years of operating out of a local school’s auditorium, the church began its new-build project.

The new 15,000-square-foot church building features a sanctuary, fellowship hall, five classrooms, four bathrooms, three administrative offices, a kitchen, a nursing mother’s room, a youth room and dedicated space for its ladies’ group, Patches of Love, who make quilted blankets and pillows for the ill in the community. This non-denominational church provides youth programs and education, bible studies, a food ministry and more.

The facility is constructed with sustainable building materials including a standing seam metal roof and metal wall panels manufactured by AB Martin Roofing Supply. Mounted to its roof is the complete S-5! ColorGard snow retention system.

The Challenges

The church needed a long-lasting, weathertight roof and desired an aesthetic snow retention solution to match. They sought to protect church-goers from ice and snow sliding off the roof and onto the new pedestrian sidewalk causing damage below. This area of Pennsylvania experiences a lot of rain, snow, sleet and hail with high winds regularly sweeping through, so weathertightness was a key consideration. Also, the church is located in a valley, which makes these weather conditions particularly challenging for any construction project.

The church selected a metal roof for its durability, environmental sustainability, style, versatility and extended service life. Metal roofing is quite common in this area and its benefits are well known to the local community.

Lehman Construction Services Inc. of Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, the design-build contractor on the project, reached out to AB Martin Roofing Supply to explore the available options, notes Harold Martin, sales associate with AB Martin. The metal roof system specified consisted of 26-gauge ABSeam panels in charcoal with the Sherwin-Williams Weather XL Crinkle Finish. The metal wall panels chosen were beige ABM panels in the Sherwin Williams Weather XL Smooth Finish. The walls also feature split-faced block. “They wanted a beautified building, but they wanted it to remain economical,” notes Martin.

Custom details included specialty trim, fascia, soffit, and a custom louver over the cross on the side of the building, as well as gutters and downspouts. “There was a lot of communication back and forth — and a lot of drawings done — between us and the contractor to get that nailed down,” Martin says.

According to Martin, the roof system specified was a great fit for the project. “With no exposed fasteners, it’s a long-life roof system with aesthetic beauty. Yet it’s affordable. That’s where it all came together for an organization like this church. They had the perfect blend of affordability, long life, and beauty. And, we put the utmost faith in Sherwin-Williams coatings. They have a very good product with a 40-year warranty.”

The metal panels were roll-formed at AB Martin, packed in custom crates and shipped on skids to the jobsite, where they were installed over Tyvek Protec 160 synthetic underlayment from Dupont. The roof has three different pitches with vented ridge caps. The textured finish for the metal roof was chosen not only for its aesthetics, but it provided a better grip for installers walking on the roof. Given the weather conditions, it would be nearly impossible to walk on the roof otherwise.

The roof panels are installed using metal clips and two flat panhead screws on one side of the panel every 24 inches on center; the screws are covered by the side of the next panel, which locks into place with a pop. “That’s how you get no exposed fasteners and no mechanical seam,” Martin explains.

Snow Retention

The church utilized the complete S-5! ColorGard system, including the S-5-S Clamp, VersaClip and SnoClip II for its perfect color and finish-matching ― designed and warranted for the life of the roof. They found the aesthetic and long-lasting solution they were seeking including a textured finish on the ColorGard. And S-5! offered the fully tested and engineered safety and protection from potential snow slides to safeguard pedestrians and property below.

According to Martin, the S-5! ColorGard system was chosen for its cost-effectiveness, strength, performance and aesthetics. “We were able to cut a 2-inch strip of the exact same steel as that used on the roof panels and slide it into that rail so that it has a matching appeal from the ground,” Martin notes. “No roof penetrations whatsoever. No adhesives. It blends in perfectly and is so streamlined. It keeps your roof looking clean.”

The church was able to achieve the quality look it wanted with a long-lasting metal roof and snow retention system that maintains the roof integrity, mitigates potential rooftop avalanches, and complements the look of the roof.

TEAM

Design-Build General Contractor: Lehman Construction Services Inc., Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, lehmanconstructionservices.com

MATERIALS

Metal Roof: ABSeam Panels, AB Martin Roofing Supply, abmartin.net

Wall Panels: ABM Panels, AB Martin Roofing Supply

Paint Finishes: Weather XL Crinkle Finish and Weather XL Smooth Finish, Sherwin-Williams, sherwin-williams.com

Underlayment: Tyvek Protec 160, Dupont, dupont.com

Snow Retention: ColorGard, S-5-S Clamps, VersaClips and SnoClip II, S-5! S-5.com