Commercial Roof Repair at Motor Vehicle Dealership in Thornhill

Project Specifications

Building Height: +/- 24’
Roof area: 22,309 sft
Membrane Type: 2-ply SBS Modified Bitumen
Insulation: 2.5” & 1.5” Polyisocyanurate and 0.5” Perlite coverboard
Ballast: none
Flashings: 2-ply SBS Modified Bitumen
Metal copings: 26 Gauge pre-painted galvanized steel

Building Address

Roy Foss Motor Vehicle Dealership in Thornhill

7200 Yonge Street, Thornhill

Motor Vehicle Dealership – Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC

Engineer/Architect

We worked directly for the motor vehicle dealership.

Client Goal/Purpose of Project

The motor vehicle dealership hired us to complete an extensive repair/replacement of the existing roof membrane. Portions of the roof membrane were more than 20 years old, and a roof inspection showed significant active leaks. In consultation with the client, we decided that a large portion of the membrane would need replacement. During the project, the client’s HVAC systems also needed to be reviewed, with possible upgrades and/or modifications.

Key Challenges

Planning

Minimizing Impact on Operations:

Careful planning was required to minimize the visual and operational impact on the dealership’s day-to-day business and customer experience during the roof replacement.

Limited Staging Space:

The retail location had restricted space for staging equipment, demanding strategic planning to minimize the crew’s footprint and keep operations discreet from customer’s view.

Coordination with Contractors:

Extensive coordination with contractors was needed to plan the approach for HVAC, gas piping, EV charging cables, and other electrical systems, ensuring that rooftop work and equipment removal caused minimal disruption.

Management & Execution

Managing Disruptions:

The team had to manage and supervise the execution of the project while minimizing business interruptions, particularly in handling the disconnections and alterations of electrical and HVAC systems.

Protecting Renovations:

Protecting newly installed ACM exterior wall paneling and cladding was critical, as any damage to this recently completed work would lead to costly and time-consuming repairs.

Motor Vehicle Dealership Roofing Solutions

Roof repairs and replacements are complex jobs with lots of moving pieces. Careful planning is critical, but there are inevitably unexpected situations. Experienced roofers make detailed plans and cost-effective adjustments as needed. Some of the successes and adjustments of this project included:

Planning

We scheduled and coordinated an onsite pre-start meeting with all parties to discuss issues that could potentially delay the work, incur additional costs, harm the property, or cause damage to the valuable inventory of luxury cars on the site. The result was a detailed plan that specified the approach for each roof penetration and outlined each contractor’s role and expectations. Special consideration was given to the safety of the ACM panels and copings.

Meeting Space Requirements

We limited the staging areas by installing a 2-ply SBS modified bitumen membrane, limiting the ground space required for storing roofing asphalt and potential loads of pea gravel, which can be as much as 23 tons per delivery.

Minimizing Disruptions

Roofing materials were sent to the site and delivered to the roof via a mobile crane. To limit site disruptions, we scheduled the crane deliveries of roofing materials to coincide with crane removal and installation of the HVAC units. There were also abandoned HVAC and make up air units that needed to be removed by crane and disposed of.

Reducing Costs

After being awarded the contract, we determined that we could do localized repairs in certain sections rather than replace the membrane, thereby minimizing disruptions and reducing costs. We also recommended reducing the ISO insulation thickness from the original specifications, which would have required disconnecting and altering an existing large-diameter steel gas line. This modification resulted in less disruption without any negative effects on the schedule or overall project costs.

Outcome

As often happens in Toronto, the late fall weather occasionally affected the schedule during this motor vehicle dealership project. When we did experience storms, our team revised the schedule as needed, and the project was completed successfully and as projected. In addition, the dealership was able to operate normally throughout the project, without losing time or revenue. Based on the success of this project, we were awarded additional roof replacement contracts in the same auto mall from our client, which we successfully completed in conjunction with the original contract.

Contact Elite Roofing for Your Next Motor Vehicle Dealership Roof Repair Project

We take great pride in working smoothly with clients, engineering companies, and other contractors on the roof to meet each client’s specific operational needs while completing their projects on time and within budget. For expert roofing of your complex commercial and retail building projects, contact Elite Roofing today