Fire Damage Repair

Jay Lanes Case Study

"Necessity is not only the mother of invention, it is also the mother of taking chances!"
-Old Roofing Proverb

The 30,000 square foot building suffered a fire that destroyed much of the central area substructure. The immediate fire damage included 7000 square feet of steel roof deck as well as the 5 eighty foot long trusses which supported the decking. The heat was so intense it warped the steel deck as well as the massive 4-foot wide (deep) steel trusses. Everything required complete replacement under our contract. Despite the central fire the bowling alley system below on either side, with very expensive hardwood floors, was in good condition and to be saved at all costs. Protection throughout the course of the job was demanded.

While the entire roof involved a complete tear off prior to replacement, the real challenge was in replacing the 7000 square feet of steel decking and massive supporting trusses. How to open a 7000 square foot hole in the roof for multi day substructure replacement, while not exposing the interior hardwood floor to harmful weather was the trick.

Cooper Roofing decided to utilize an aircraft cable system over this expansive opening. The cables provided support for emergency tarping should the need arise. It also allowed for quick set up and take down each day as the many cables were designed to easily unlatch around the perimeter.

A schedule was set, the weather followed, and a start date chosen. Of course, as Murphy’s Law would have it, soon after the steel deck in the damaged area was removed (creating an enormous opening), a surprise nor’easter began forming and heading up the coast (in our direction)! Since we were previously committed to going forward (by removing the old steel deck) there was no turning back. Crane rental, workmen availability, interior contractor scheduling all necessitated our moving forward.

Thanksgiving weekend was upon us, rain with high winds started Wednesday afternoon and continued all through Thursday (Thanksgiving day and night)! Only our strategically installed cables and tarps protected the interior of the building through the storm. The tarps swelled and the cables strained but everything held fast. The interior floors were spared any damage during our reconstruction process. Even with a 7000 square foot hole in the roof, and a 1 1⁄2 day nor’easter to contend with the interior was saved!

Thanks to ingenuity, dedication, and a willingness (necessity) to move forward the project remained on time, without complications- through some very nasty weather.

Next time you have an extremely challenging project, please consider us for your special needs.

Cooper Roofing Corporation - 610.275.7663 (ROOF)