Union Club Case Study

The View: Union Club

The Union Club The Union Club is made up of a proverbial “Who’s Who” of Cleveland business professionals. The club boasts former presidents and business moguls like William Rockefeller as past members. The group has outlasted depressions, wars, industrial growth and decline and many other social, political and economic challenges. The building they meet in is approximately 100 years old, and that means it’s outlasted something even more destructive: 100 brutal Cleveland winters. As tough and durable as these old buildings are, they need a little maintenance from time to time, and the Union Club is due for some attention on the roof.

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The Job:

Restore the building to a watertight condition by 100% tuckpointing the parapet walls and removing the old roofing system and installing a new waterproofing membrane. This first phase of the restoration secures the top of the building and allows for time to address some of the building’s other infrastructure needs. The second phase of the project will include those infrastructure enhancements as well as the finished institutional roof system.

The Challenge:

An older roof and years of rain and snow led to water infiltration and potential damage at the club. So, when the team at Warren Roofing® was called out, we began with identifying the needs of the customer and the full scope of the restoration. With our comprehensive view on the entire building envelope, it was discovered this wasn’t going to be just a roofing project. The project would involve 100% tuck pointing of the parapet walls to stop water entering at the buildings highest points and potentially compromising any solutions with the roof. Identifying the root cause is critical to a long-term solution for any building owner and saves money by addressing those concerns properly and not allowing gains to be undone with unaddressed concerns. Often, we see professionally installed roofs fail prematurely because the roofing contractor failed to identify the real causes of the roof failure in the first place.

The Cost Family has been managing Warren Roofing® for the last 65 years. With Warren Roofing® now in its 96 year of doing business, there is a lot of history servicing the roofing needs of Northeast Ohio. Along our journey, we often find restoration projects to involve more than just a roofing solution, as was the case at The Union Club of Cleveland. The Cost Family saw the need for their roofing company to incorporate the entire building envelope into their service offering. Adding these services better allows us to service our customers, identify solutions and help budget cost effective ways to address those needs. In 2017, the Cost Family introduced to the market Cleveland Building Restoration, LLC. With the Cost Family now in the 3^rd generation of management, the husband and wife team of Warren Roofing® and now Cleveland Building Restoration are positioned to service the needs of the entire building envelope.

The Team:

Warren Roofing® Project Manager: Trevor Cost

Cleveland Building Restoration Project Manager: Elmer Mekke

The Crew: 6-8 on the masonry crew from Cleveland Building Restoration and about the same number of workers from Warren Roofing® to do the roofing and architectural sheet metal work.

The Status: The building envelope is secured with the owner having a multi-year plan to continue to address the needs of their facility.

The Process:

The project was completed in a two-part process. The project started with the crew from Cleveland Building Restoration tuckpointing the parapet from the roof deck up, securing the walls so that it wouldn’t undermine progress on the roof. This sequencing keeps the masonry activities on the old roof, protecting the new roofing from the foot traffic required by the masonry team.

When the building was constructed, there was no modern air conditioning, so there was a concrete deck, and below that was a six-foot, open plenum that was vented and insulated. With the addition of modern HVAC equipment, this plenum no longer serves the same functional needs once intended. Securing the building allows for these other infrastructure needs to be reviewed and addressed. The masonry work included 100% tuckpointing, 100% sealant repairs to all of the joints, the original bell tiles were replaced, and the walls were 100% sealed with a penetrating water repellent.

Tremco assisted Warren Roofing® in coming up with a plan for the roof. All the wet materials were removed, right down to the structural deck below. Then, a Tremco FR GR Cap sheet was torched on to seal up the top. All the drains were re-worked, and all of the curbs and penetrations were re-worked as well to help keep water from pooling on the surface. This left the rooftop ready for the next phase when the club will be able to come back and add a permanent institutional roofing solution.

The Result

The work done on the Union Club roof will buy members years to get the proper approvals and go through the right channels to get squared away on an institutional roof solution. The fixes put in place by Warren Roofing® ensure repairs that will last about 10 years so the club can continue to meet and use their beautiful building without fear of costly water damage and destruction. The process was made easier due to the technology behind Warren Roofing®’s “Rooftop Manager” app which helps the project manager keep in tuned with all developments on the job and allows the clients daily updates on progress. When the club is ready to move forward with the industrial roofing solution, Warren will be ready to assist with the next phase.