Multi-unit Complex Building Address
41 & 51 Brookwell Drive, Toronto, Northwoods Village
Multi-Unit Residential Complex
Client: Gold Seal Property Management
Roofing Project Engineer
Pretium Engineering
The Ask
Our client called about a Toronto-area residential complex that had experienced many years of increasingly frequent roof leaks. The roof area was in especially poor condition at the building’s terrace level. Beyond leaks from the roof, windows and doors were also a significant source of moisture and water penetration.
The building had additional external problems, with the building’s masonry façade and terrace-level parapets deteriorating and needing restoration.
After consulting with a building envelope restoration company, the client decided to package both the roof replacement and work on the building’s envelope together in a single tender. The timeframe resulted in a major portion of the roof replacement work overlapping with the restoration work.
Key Challenges
Every roofing project has its own set of challenges to be addressed during planning and implementation. Here are some of the key situations we faced at this multi-unit residential complex.
- Property Lot: Situated on a ravine-type lot with a steep grade, we needed extra planning for the effective staging of equipment, placement of the disposal bin, and ongoing material delivery. We also needed to accommodate a telehandler and skid steer that would be on site throughout the project and difficult to operate in heavy rain.
- Tenant Concerns: One objective was to cause as little disruption as possible for the tenants, who would continue to use the terrace areas throughout the project. With the scope of work calling for demolition on the terrace level, we needed to put extra safety precautions in place. We were also asked to clear all tenant belongings on the terrace areas to facilitate the roofing work.
- Other Trades: While it’s natural for us to work closely with other tradespeople, this project called for more complex collaboration. We needed to carefully coordinate with multiple vendors to ensure that the design and installation of parapets, windows, and doors would not compromise the roof’s integrity.
Solutions
This project had many moving parts, with simultaneous roof replacement and exterior repairs—including demolition. Elite Roofing’s industry experience and technical expertise were invaluable in coordinating the roof replacement work with multiple renovation contractors while ensuring the safety and comfort of the tenants. Here are some of the steps we took to accomplish these goals.
- Initial Planning: We collaborated with Pretium Engineering and the property management team on a timeline and detailed approach that minimized disruption for the dozens of tenants while maintaining a logical workflow. This resulted in a phased approach with multiple staging areas.
- Lot usage: We maximized the steep lot and created schedules that accommodated demolition, disposal, material delivery, and access to the base of the building. We carefully managed ground equipment to give each trade adequate and timely access to the machinery they needed.
- Tenant Safety: The plan called for the demolition of tall parapets at the terrace level, which tenants continued using. To ensure safety, we carefully coordinated and set schedules with the mason, plus erected a temporary safety fencing to restrict access to the roof’s edge.
- Tenant Comfort: To ease the situation for tenants, we used 3-ply hybrid SBS modified bitumen membrane with cold applied adhesives and protection board that was pre-laminated to the base sheet to eliminate the need for a kettle and the use of hot asphalt.
- Vendor Coordination: With the roof replacement coinciding with restoration work, we closely coordinated with other trades to ensure the roof was not compromised, tenants remained safe, and the workflow continued smoothly. We also took advantage of roof replacement by scheduling a plumber to repair the interior plumbing connection at each roof drain.
- Technical Expertise: Detailed planning, scheduling, and execution were critical, such as our installation of a custom steel fence on the terrace areas. Workflow plans required that we precisely place roof anchors for each fence post well before the fence post would be erected—rather than at the same time. We succeeded, thanks to the technical expertise of our crew.
- Adaptability: While plans provide a framework, flexibility is also necessary. Good communication among our crew and with other vendors helped us adapt to a continuously changing job site, such as adapting our work schedule to better provide safe access to shifting work areas.
Multi-Unit Residential Complex Outcome
With all its complexities, this Multi-Unit Residential Complex project benefited from Elite’s experience working with builders and vendors, technical know-how, and project management expertise. In the end, we accomplished the complete scope of work—including masonry demolition, carpentry, roof replacement, sheet metal installation, and new steel fencing—to the client’s satisfaction.
Multi-unit complex roof replacement specifications
- Building Height: Multi-level, 36’ and 44’
- Roof area: 24,950 sqft
- Membrane Type: 3-ply hybrid IKO SBS Modified Bitumen (Conventional and Inverted)
- Insulation: PolyISO (main roof areas) and Extruded Polystyrene (lower terrace roofs)
- Ballast: 1.5” – 2” river-washed stone plus precast concrete pavers (lower terrace roofs only)
- Flashings: 2-ply SBS modified bitumen, with granular surfaced cap sheet
- Metal copings: 24-gauge pre-painted sheet metal
- Workmanship warranty – 10 year Diamond Shield from IKO
Contact Elite Roofing for your next multi-unit complex roof replacement Project
Is the roof of your Toronto multi-unit residential complex or commercial property damaged, leaking, or nearing the end of its useful life? Your roof is a big investment, so get it done right. When you work with Elite Roofing in Toronto, you get the best in workmanship, service, and expertise. Contact us today.
