For a roof design that features a little bit of everything and to ultimately install an attractive and watertight system, everything has to come together – quality design, quality materials and quality craftsmanship.
A unique boathouse in northern Wisconsin, near Manitowish Waters, was designed to blend into its surroundings. The combination of metal roofing, with walls constructed of metal, wood and plaster, makes for an almost indestructible storage facility.
“We really wanted this structure to go away from a distance and be a pleasant surprise as you got closer,” says Douglas Kozel, AIA, founding partner at KEE Architecture of Madison, Wis. “The color, texture and material helped with that.
It’s supposed to be a modest structure despite the great amount of detail.”
Kozel says metal roofing was chosen for this project to allow for the shedding of snow and other debris, like pine needles.
Several unique roofing details required the finesse of a crew that knows how to get metal to perform exactly the way the crew wants it to. Lou Rondeau, owner of Natural Metal Associates of Mont Vernon, NH, along with team members Keith Rondeau and Mark
Melone, journeyed to Wisconsin and were on the job about six weeks, installing the roof. The zinc specified for the roofing panels and trim came in prePATINA Graphite-Grey from RHEINZINK, supplied and fabricated by Sheet Metal Supply of Mundelein,
IL.
“As fabricators, we appreciate and enjoy a project with an exceptional mix of materials that combine for a most unique aesthetic,” says Ben Kweton, CSI-EP, of Sheet Metal Supply. “KEE knocked it out or the park and delivered a fabulous
design. The material selections, in relation to that design intent for the building, blended perfectly into the environment. The craftsmanship of everyone onsite who was a part of the project ensured its success.”
Graphite-Grey is the only Type 2 zinc available to architects and installers. It’s an alloy that will generally weather darker than its peers, given the same environmental factors. RHEINZINK’s prePATINA line is durable, low-to-no maintenance
and 100 percent recyclable.
Natural Metal Associates installed 2,282 square feet of mechanical lock standing seam, 773 square feet of radiused mechanical lock standing seam and 1,235 linear feet of flashing material.
The boathouse owner wanted the project completed as soon as possible, but the cold March weather in northern Wisconsin made it a challenge to work with zinc, which is less malleable in temperatures below 45. In warmer temperatures, zinc is easier to work
with. Rondeau and his team arrived on the jobsite when spring and warmer temperatures finally arrived in early May.
The installation of RHEINZINK products started with the rafter tails at the eaves. They match the rafter tails on the residential garage on the property. Each wooden rafter tail was fitted with a single piece of Graphite Grey zinc that covers the top
and sides.
The unique roof features a step about three feet up from the eaves and then is curved over the top to the opposite side. The step allows for the adding of insulation under the roofing above the overhangs, where you don’t need insulation.
Lou Rondeau says it was challenging to keep the seams below the step lined up with the seams above the step. Panels were installed starting in the front, working toward the rounded back of the building where panels were tapered to form a low-slope cone-shaped
roof.
Panels were formed and radiused at Sheet Metal Supply and delivered to the jobsite. Tapered panels were measured and cut to fit by Natural Metal Associates.
“We installed the bottom part of the step first and formed the top of the panel up the step,” Lou Rondeau says. “We married that panel into a panel at the top of the step for a watertight system; again, being careful to match up the
seams.
“My nephew Keith did an awesome job on the tapered area in the back. When I would come over to help, he would just shoo me away. He knocked it out!”
Challenging jobs like this are what Rondeau seeks out. “We are a small company that loves to travel,” he says. “We want to do calendar-worthy projects. We love to do fun, unique jobs, to put our mark on the industry.”
The satisfying part of this project for Rondeau came upon completion. “When it’s all done and you get to see it, that’s when you realize all the time-consuming work was worth it,” he says.
The front of the building is 1/8-inch Cor Ten, which acts as a rain screen in front of plaster walls. The wood used in the door is chemically heat-treated to kill organics and preserve the wood.
“It’s a permanent roof,” Kozel says, “and the rest of the materials were chosen for their durability and longevity as well. The craftmanship is superb.”
To learn more about RHEINZINK, click here.