Residents of a central city apartment complex will stay dry for many years to come, thanks to an F.J.A. Christiansen Roofing Co., Inc. project that involved major structural work – significantly more so than the usual re-roofing project.

“We encountered a lot of deterioration in wood decking of the existing roofing assembly,” said Steve Stuckey, an FJAC project manager, in discussing work on the Northport Apartments on Custer Avenue. Damage to the elements of the 21,300-square-foot roof was among the worst Stuckey had ever seen, prompting the need for more tear-off than usual and replacement of both decking and rafters.

FJAC was called onto the project after an inspection of the roof by Louis Juhlmann of Roofing Consultants Ltd. in Waukesha.

The existing roof was a built-up system topped with an approximately 45-mil non-reinforced EPDM membrane. But that membrane, put on several years ago, trapped moisture in the sub-layers — moisture that slowly but very effectively rotted away those layers and other parts of the structure
“The structural deck and framing were in advanced states of deterioration,” said Juhlmann. “And virtually all of the insulation was saturated.”
The deteriorated state of the materials heightened the need for safety awareness, he said, calling the project “not for the feint of heart.”
With so much material removed, crews had to be extra careful where they stepped.

“We had to be extremely cautious because of the poor condition of the roof,” Stuckey said of the FJAC roofing crew. “In some places, there was damage all the way to the drywall ceilings. We even had to repair some rafters.”
Once damaged materials were removed, new wood decking was put in place and covered with tapered polyisocyanurate roof insulation and a 75-mil reinforced EPDM membrane. To improve drainage, insulation sloped to as high as eight inches.

Much of the roof damage can be attributed to the lack of drainage slope, Juhlmann said. “The existing roof was virtually dead level. With no slope, water did not drain well.”

Much of the associated sheet metal work on the roof also was in bad shape. “There was a lot of rust and deterioration,” Stuckey said. “We determined it was more cost-effective to replace all of the sheet metal venting rather than make repairs.”

As FJAC crews finished their structural work on the roof, renovation crews made interior repairs, including ceiling drywall replacement, in apartment units on the upper floor of the building. Many of the upper-floor apartment units were not occupied due to the water damage.

With a new roof in place and ceiling repairs made, the building owner can now realize the rental income from those units. Tenants can expect to stay dry for a long time.

“This new roof should perform for 30 years,” Juhlmann said.
FJAC’s Pete Schick served as Roofing Crew Manager on the Northport Apartment project and Pat Thelen as Sheet Metal Foreman, while Tim Koehn and Jeff Keller were Roofing and Sheet Metal Superintendents, respectively.