Drexel Metals Donation Helps Audubon Society Chapter With Leaky Roof

Drexel Metals recommended Falzinc zinc-coated aluminum roofing metal for the project. In addition to be long lasting, its finish complements the historic building's stone exterior. Click image to enlarge.

When board members of the Bucks County Audubon Society in New Hope, PA were looking for help with a leaking roof on their historic building, they only had to search as far as Dick Carroll, founder and former owner of Drexel Metals.

Established in 1969, BCAS is the second largest chapter of the Audubon Society in Pennsylvania. Its mission is to educate the residents of greater Bucks County about the natural world with an emphasis on energy and resource conservation, including the protection of birds, other wildlife and their habitats. When the cedar shake roofing on the offices started to fail, the group reached out to Carroll, who participated in bird counts and other BCAS events in the early 1990s.

Dick Carroll

“I was part of a group that looked at the building when the Audubon Society was thinking about buying it, so I was very familiar with the building,” Carroll said. “It’s a historic structure and the design is quite unique. Now, the roofing needed to be replaced.”

Carroll said he contacted Drexel Metals about the project. Brian Partyka, the company's executive vice president of business development, already knew about the issues the Audubon Society was dealing with. He also knew Drexel Metals had the perfect material for the re-roofing of the stone building: Falzinc, a zinc-coated aluminum product that would provide years of durability.

“Dick Carroll gave me my start in this industry,” says Partyka. “Dick’s love for birds and Bucks County made it an easy decision to assist with this project."

	Harvey Building Products of Bethlehem, PA, a Drexel Metals Association of Regional Manufacturers (DM-ARM) member, formed the new 16"-wide, DMC 150 SL-profile metal panels at the jobsite from Falzinc coil supplied by Drexel Metals. Click image to enlarge.

Drexel Metals called in a DM-ARM (Drexel Metals Association of Regional Manufacturers) member, Harvey Building Products of Bethlehem, PA to jobsite-form the 6,500 square feet of Falzinc standing seam roofing panels needed for the building. The chosen profile was DMC 150 SL, a 1-1/2-inch snap-lock panel, 16 inches wide. Phil and Mellissa Eiseman of Eiseman Construction of New Britain, PA installed the panels – all while the building remained open to the public.

Eiseman, who passed away in early 2015, was proud to be able to be a part of this re-roofing job for a non-profit organization. Eiseman Construction works almost exclusively on older buildings and does a lot of metal work.

The old cedar shake roofing, which was attached to wood lath and beams, was removed. Eiseman Construction installed insulation board to the lath and beams to better insulate the building and serve as a deck for the metal roofing.

The project took about two weeks and was completed late summer of 2014. Drexel Metals was able to supply the material and Eiseman Construction supplied the labor at a greatly reduced cost.

“Drexel Metals’ founder has a history with the Audubon Society, so it was important to us,” says Partyka. “There are a lot of people who appreciate what we have here, including Dick Carroll and the late Phil Eiseman. We are happy to be a part of that.”

About Drexel Metals

Drexel Metals Inc. is a provider of coil, engineering support and machinery to jobsite fabricators of metal roofing. For more information visit www.residentialmetalroof.com.