SLIDESHOW

Slideshow: Atlanta First United Methodist Church

The synthetic slate roofing system on the Atlanta First United Methodist Church was not watertight — water was leaking through the walls inside the church. The roof had been installed five years ago and while the slate tiles were hung properly and were still in good condition, a lot of details (especially flashing details) were left unfinished. This allowed for water to penetrate the system in many places. Unfortunately, repeat service calls from the installers hadn’t solved the problems.

Sentry Roof technicians cleaned the roof of all debris then methodically located and corrected all of the areas that were leaking. While doing the work we noticed other issues that needed attention. The church had us back to resolve those issues as well. Now the roof is in up to warranty standards and we will be maintaining it regularly through our Sentry Roof Care program.

Swipe through the slides to see what we did (turn mobile device sideways for best viewing):

1.
Atlanta First United Methodist Church on Peachtree Street in Midtown Atlanta.
2.
This was the condition of the roof when we began the project. The scuppers were too small and there was a lot of unfinished detailing, which was causing water to get in behind the flashing and run down the wall inside the church.
3.
This is a scupper that was too small for the size of the roof.
4.
There were also areas where the metal flashing details were missing completely — water was penetrating into the tower.
5.
Here you can see where some metal flashing details were missing.
6.
This is typical roof debris that collects over time. An annual maintenance program will take care of debris like this so it doesn’t build up and interfere with roof performance.
7.
Some old flashing and debris build-up in a partially hidden area. Our technicians cleaned the entire roofing system, including all existing flashing and installed new metal flashing where needed.
8.
All of the caulking was failing and water was entering in to the building here as well. We cleaned and removed the old sealant.
9.
We installed new expansion caulking using a special material for the application.
10.
Here you can see the existing condition of the internal gutter. To resolve the leaking, we installed a solid plywood surface, a bigger scupper and then a new EPDM roof membrane.
11.
We temporarily removed a few rows of slate so we could install the EPDM high enough to ensure that if the scupper gets clogged, the water will not go into the building but rather out along the parapet wall.
12.
Our crew covered the stones with plywood along the entire problem area to make sure the new EPDM would fully adhere to the surface.
13.
The new EPDM is installed. We wanted one to use one solid piece of membrane to eliminate any entry points for water.
14.
We also installed new copper flashing that we tested for a watertight finish. This is an area where the flashing had been completely missing.
15.
A wide view of the new flashing along the roof edges. The bigger scuppers that we installed will relieve the amount of water on the roof and keep it free from the type of debris that was previously causing the leaks.
16.
While inspecting the underground drainage line, we discovered the old sleeve was broken…
17.
…so we removed it and…
18.
…made a clean connection from the PVC downspout.
19.
Here a technician is removing old caulking and sealing the coping joints.
20.
We prepped and cleaned the termination bar and sealed all the coping joints of the stone seen here. We also applied waterproofing liquid.
21.
Here is another area where you can new flashing we installed where previously there had been none. We also installed new louvers to prevent further leaks.
22.
A few of the church windows had big gaps between the newer plexiglass and original glass panes so we added some baker rod and urethane caulking to seal it.
23.
Here is a finished window — no gaps! And no more water will get inside.
24.
Regardless of the pitch of the roof, Sentry can access in the safest way and make sure to tie off everything for safety.
25.
Looking good…
26.
…from street level, too.