By Deena C. Bouknight
This article originally appeared in the February/March 2020 edition of Metal Roofing Magazine as the Project of the Month. If you would like your project considered for this special honor, send your building project details to jessica@shieldwallmedia.com.
Project Overview
Location: Highlands, North Carolina
Building: Private residence
Roofing Contractor: Highlander Roofing Services, Franklin, North Carolina
Roofing Panel: 1″ snap-lock, no striations standing seam panels, 26-gauge, 16″ on center – Georgia Metals
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Before |
After |
For a few years while visiting the area, Curtis Gunn and Tana Kelch often walked by and admired the interesting, multi-angled, contemporary house overlooking Highlands, North Carolina, before they finally purchased it in July 2015. They quickly learned that the home, built in 1985, was a James Fox design. Fox (who passed away in 2017) was a native of Indiana who designed and built creative, modern homes throughout the U.S. before starting his own architectural firm in 1969. His firm would be the Highlands’ first modernist design/build company. Each Fox home is dramatic and distinct—attributes that posed especially challenging when it came time last summer for Gunn and Kelch to consider a new roof for their mountainside home.
Gunn and Kelch’s home has massive custom windows, various steep-pitched roofs, flying gables, and a bridge-like foundation due to its cliff side location. They reached out to several area roofers for advice and quotes, but most did not respond. Many of those who did reply took one look at the 35-year-old home and the elevation of the site and were dissuaded. Luke Smith, owner of Highlander Roofing Services in Franklin, North Carolina, decided his crew could handle the task. This decision was made after he learned the exact specifications of the roof through EagleView Roof Measurement & Aerial Measurement Services, a technology provider of aerial imagery data analytics based in Bellevue, Washington.
“They take multiple angles and take photographs of the house, and then their computer modeling [program] shows comparisons and dimensions,” explained Smith. He met with the owners and looked at the house first, then pulled up the EagleView report. “We used EagleView to assist with the quantity takeoff. Field measurements were verified prior to the final estimate. Basically, it is because of this service that we knew what we were getting into with the project.”
Further, he stated: “Because of the EagleView report, no one from the sales force had to get on the roof to check the measurements. We did have to check it from the eaves, however.”
The couple expressed to Smith that the original cedar shake roof was difficult to maintain due to its height and the necessity of replacing shingles to prevent leakage. “[The owners’] first inclination was to go back to cedar shakes because they didn’t know about the current alternatives,” said Smith. “But the problem with cedar shakes, even though they look nice, is that they wear out too fast in [the area’s] moist climate—and no one wanted to have to tackle that roof again for a long, long time.”
Smith discussed with Gunn and Kelch the attributes of a heavy-duty standing seam metal roof. “For example, there is longevity with the roof system,” said Smith. “Because they wanted something that would last longer than the cedar product, due to the location and the high moisture level, I felt the standing seam metal roof would work to best protect their structure. Plus, the house is a contemporary design and this type of roof has a look that would blend well.”
“I also told them that on a standing seam roof, the steel fasteners are concealed, which is a plus,” he added.
Because the area of Highlands, elevation of 4,100 feet, experiences bouts of high wind and excessive rain year-round and freezing temperatures and significant snowfall in the winter, Smith felt that weather hardiness was a top priority.
“Our decision to move forward with a metal roof was kind of a no-brainer,” said Kelch. “Our roof is so unique and challenging, so the outcome of never really having to deal with roof work in our lifetime was incredibly appealing. It also adds a more modern look to the house.”
They chose a Georgia Metals product: 1″, snap-lock, no striations standing seam panels that were 26-gauge, 16″ on center. “The metal roof was fastened directly into the roof deck using a fastener flange incorporated in the roof panel,” shared Smith.
The roofing project required 2,500 square feet of panels. The longest panels were 22′ long, with the bulk of the panels at 16′ in length.
The cost was about 40% higher than an average roof, but many roofs in the region are considered above average because of their height and mountain locations. “A lot of jobs in this area are difficult and steep-pitched. In Highlands especially, homes are not quite average for the nation. Many are distinct resort homes,” said Smith. “The installation of standing seam metal roofing is challenging, but it’s the right long-term solution for a high-maintenance location like this Fox house. The fasteners expand and contract to prevent leakage, and it won’t wear from direct sun and weather like the cedar shakes did.”
All photos by Eric Haggart, courtesy of Highlander Roofing Services.
Smith explained that because of the extreme height of the cliff side home, his skilled roofing team were sure to use ropes and harnesses for safety on the roof. In addition to the height, the roof has three different steep pitches, “and the distance from the ground level to the top of the roof is over 50 linear feet.”
The three-story, 2,400-square-foot home with four bedrooms, four and a half baths, and four decks is constructed essentially around a massive central cinder block chimney, which is decorated with stone on the main floor. The other difficulty for the crew was making sure none of the custom 8- to 10-foot windows were damaged when dropping cedar shake shingles and debris from the old roof.
“The goal was to keep my workers safe, but also the house safe,” said Smith. “The flying gables, the amount of glass, and of course, the height of the roof and the drop-off of the cliff meant we had to not only be extra cautious, but do things a little differently.”
Workers were tied off, but instead of dropping debris around the base of the house’s foundation, they needed to drop it in specific zones on the cliff below or gingerly “small-hand” carry each piece to a designated dump site on the property.
“It was tedious, certainly, and all these details added to the cost of the project,” said Smith, “But the ultimate goal was to get a long-term roof.” After the roof was torn off, the workers scaled down the cliff to pull up any remaining debris.
Adding to the durability of the product, Smith recommended the strongest paint finish available: a Patrician Bronze Kynar 500 finish.
“I learned that this finish resists the chemical breakdown as the coating ages,” said Smith. “I wanted to suggest something to the owners that would keep its color for as long as possible.”
Smith pointed out that custom trims had to be created—a common occurrence with standing seam roofs: “We used 10 41″ x 120” flat sheets, the same material as the roof, to make various custom trims, necessary due to the intersection of walls. We also had to create new chimney flashings on the job.” Stainless steel screws were chosen as well.
On a difficulty scale of one to 10, Smith said the Fox-designed home roofing project was definitely a 10. “It doesn’t get any tougher than this one, due to the angle, the difficulty, the pitch, the hard-to-access location, and the limited access at the site,” said Smith. “Those are all things we knew we would deal with. And there were no real surprises. And it came in at the right time frame.”
However, he said an aspect he did not entirely expect was the effect on his crew. “The mental challenge of the job…it was taxing mentally and physically for the guys actually doing it. On the roof and attached to the ropes all day…for hours. I had to play cheerleader sometimes to keep them mentally focused.”
To lift their spirits, he gave each worker a photograph of themselves working on the roof, taken by a drone service. “The photos were so dramatic,” said Smith. “I think it gave them a sense of pride to see themselves up there.”
Each roofing project provides lessons to learn, said Smith, and the Fox home was no different. “The only heads-up I would give other roofers is to budget more for cleanup of the debris because the shake tear-off was time-consuming and retrieving debris below the house, down the steep cliff, proved to be difficult.”
Gunn and Kelch said they appreciated Highlander Roofing Services’ willingness to take on the tough project. “We had a wonderful experience with Highlander,” said Kelch. “The project did take a little longer than we all anticipated, but it was such an extreme challenge. All the roofers were wonderful, respectful, and honestly quite courageous for taking on such a complicated project. Smith was great to work with and made sure we were in the loop when needed. We love how the finished product looks…such a nice upgrade to the house. And we also appreciate that we will never have to deal with shingles again!”
“Yes, the project ended up costing the homeowners about twice the amount of a ‘normal’ home design, [normal] height, or [normal] roof pitches…but in the long run it might last 40 years or more and need no maintenance in this couple’s lifetime,” said Smith.
He indicated that he has been consistently pleased with the results of metal roof projects, no matter the size. “We are just continuing to grow our standing seam business,” said Smith. “At least 20% of the work we do is standing seam metal roofing on both large and small projects. Some customers don’t know that’s an option because all they know is asphalt shingles.”