Semple-Gooder Roofing
restores historic London church roof

A 2005 roofing restoration project at the New St. James Presbyterian Church in London, Ontario was anything but ordinary. The church was a 11O-year-old local landmark with intricate designs on l20-foot towers. So when Semple-Gooder Roofing Ltd. successfully tackled this demanding job, drawing accolades from church officials, it came as no surprise that the Toronto-headquartered contractor was awarded a CRCA Roofing Canada Award.

To win a Roofing Canada Award, companies must demonstrate "outstanding workmanship in a roofing application by a contractor and roofing crew. This can include a particularly challenging job, difficult design job, abnormal working conditions, difficult materials used, etc."

In terms of innovation, criteria involves "innovative solutions (which) can include innovative project solutions to difficult jobs, smart solutions to a problem, special safety considerations, environmentally friendly projects, etc." Meeting all of the aforementioned criteria helped Semple-Gooder win the 2007 Roofing Canada Award, according to CRCA Executive Director John Hill.

"Semple-Gooder Roofingshowed outstanding workmanship on a difficult project," Hill explains. "The job was particularly challenging, and included innovation in design and use of materials."

Innovation is nothing new to Semple-Gooder. Established in 1947, the award-winning company has served Toronto's commercial and industrial communities for a half century, and now includes branch offices in Sudbury, London, Belleville and Kitchener-Waterloo. A proud member of the CRCA, Semple-Gooder boasts a historical restoration division, managed by Tom Shreeve.

"Historic restoration is one of our specialty areas-something the company has specialized in since 1947," Shreeve explains. "It's not an easy thing to deal with, because it is time consuming and involves attention to detail. You must have the right people involved with your team."

A Team Effort In fact, teamwork played a major role in the successful roof restoration at the New St. James Presbyterian Church. Established through the missionary efforts of Rev. William Proudfoot in 1833, the church has been situated at 280 Oxford St. East in London since the 1890s. It's a highly-visible building, thanks to its physical stature and intricate design, plus its location which borders London's downtown core.

Shreeve put a crack Semple-Gooder team together for this project. That team included lead mechanic, Peter Sjouwerman; lead slater, Manuel Pereira; and production superintendent, Peter McGoey.

"From the owner's representatives through to the consultant, and our own company, we had the right team to move forward in a positive fashion," says Shreeve. "It's something we'd like to have on every project, but it doesn't always happen. When it does, everyone understands that a successful job will ensure the owner a project which will have a very long life."

Unfortunately, the re-roofing of New St. James Presbyterian Church did not experience a good start--through no fault of Semple-Gooder. In 2003, the congregation first undertook a renewal and replacement of roof slate and associated metalwork on the church's two towers. The congregation hired contractors who were not familiar with the demands of the project.

"The contractors had never done anything like this before," explains Shreeve. "They put a new slate roof on, but installed it improperly. The character was lost."

The original contractor had removed and scrapped the ornamental spires without reproducing the patterns necessary to replicate the spires. The four dormer roofs on the east tower were cut out and filled in. New slate roofs were then trimmed with aluminum sheet metalwork which lacked any of the original profiles or character for which the church was known.

Scaffolding sat for a long period of time, until late fall 2003, when the church was forced to hire a second contractor to winterize the project and remove the scaffolding. A professional consultant was hired, and in summer 2004 qualified contractors were invited to prepare bids based on a specific scope of work.

According to Hill, "Because the original contractor was unsuccessful with this project, it made the project even more difficult for Semple-Gooder. But they demonstrated outstanding workmanship."

Semple-Gooder's re-roofing and restoration of the historic New St. James Presbyterian Church involved lead-coated copper and semi-weathering grey-black slate. The project commenced in May 2005 and was completed in October 2005, just in time for Thanksgiving church services.

In spring 2005, engineered scaffolding was erected to provide safe working access to the various levels of the two towers. Selective destructive investigation revealed some of the profiles of the original metal flashings and cornices on the walls. Old photographs of the original installation led to the sizing of the new profiles for the five ornamental spires. Computers were used to define proportions relative to other parts of the building. A similar spire still in place on an adjacent roof was also photographed to provide proportions.

The church features a west tower with four surrounding turrets-each turret the same in appearance but, in fact, each with its own unique dimensions. Says Shreeve, "(In the 1890s), they didn't have laser levels, or the tape measures which we have today. So, you need to accommodate the idiosyncrasies of the building in your patterns, and in your shop manufacturing. That was a challenge."

With site dimensions and requirements established, pattern construction and shop fabrication of lead-coated copper began. As mentioned, the fabrication of the four octagonal turrets to the west tower had to accommodate differences in sizes of the existing wood construction. The slate roofing was removed and replaced with semi-weathering grey-black with red slate to mark the location of the old dormers on the east tower which had been demolished by the old crew.

The installation of lead-coated copper to the square east tower and the octagonal west tower, was undertaken largely with hidden fasteners and soldered joints to ensure long-term performance. This limited the use of caulking to reglet joints. Exposed brass fasteners ensure that wind will not get under hip flashings on slated areas. All of this work accounted for the differences in the elevations, which were not square or true.

In the end, James Hunter of the church's tower restoration committee remarked that Semple-Gooder's work was "exceptional in quality and craftsmanship. Mr. Peter Sjouwerman, who did the majority of the metal work, is a truly gifted employee ... (and) safety and access to the church for members was always paramount."

"I think our work fairly replicated the 1890's installation," says Shreeve. "It very likely exceeds the level of work on the original installation."

"We did a good job," adds Shreeve. "We are proud of it. At the end of the day, you know that your work will stand the test of time."