Building Address
Roy Foss Thornhill
7200 Yonge Street, Thornhill
Motor Vehicle Dealership – Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC
Engineer/Architect
We worked directly for the motor vehicle dealership.
The Ask
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
- As a luxury vehicle dealership [Cadillac, Buick, Chevrolet, and GMC], we needed to minimize the visual and operational impact of day-to-day operations and the customer experience during roof replacement.
- This busy retail location offered limited space for staging the equipment, requiring that our crew keep the footprint for group operations at the base of the building as small as possible and as hidden from customers as possible.
- Significant work with HVAC, gas piping, EV charging cables, and other electrical disconnections/alterations required close coordination with all contractors and project managers on how to approach the project, supervise all rooftop work, and remove some of the existing equipment—all while minimizing business disruption.
- A large portion of recently completed building renovations included new ACM exterior wall paneling and cladding. Any damage to this newly installed material would be costly and time-consuming to repair or replace.
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 the 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.
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
Contact Elite Roofing for Your Next Commercial 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
