There, I've said it. Maybe I don't like the "clutter" and the way that things constantly end up getting stacked right in the way of where you will probably want to move the scaffolding next and all that, maybe it is because when you are up on a roof you KNOW the decking below is soft you start thinking how it isn't really the 14' fall that is going to hurt, it is going to be when you land on the pile of debris (probably mostly broken nails below) that is what will potentially bring the pain. It is definitely easier when you are with a capable crew.
It is even better when you are with the building owner.
Spent yesterday with a client doing quite a bit of exploratory demolition of a very large building he is taking over. This meant we were mostly concerned with roof issues and buttoning up the building nice and tight to make it through the fast arriving winter. Like any good problem solvers we immediately attacked the worst portion which is slated for patching this week, but I learned quite a bit.
1) I never bring enough water.
2) Working with an owner and walking them through not only the issues of the building but also re-prioritizing the project as a whole to align with the clients overall needs is key.
3) Having a client who is vested in their building and community can be ridiculously rewarding. Not only because they understand the long term value of doing things correctly but when they get their own hands dirty and start peeling away 50 years of band aids they understand exactly why the patch it and forget it technique doesn't work. Besides having some leak issues we are now potentially facing some structural issues due to water infiltration at the parapets. However, this particular client isn't flinching at the numbers, he is more concerned about getting it fixed the right way to the building can be activated and contribute to the community instead of being a foreboding dark monster holding court at the entry to the neighborhood.
4) Flat roofs without a maintenance plan in place are the worst ideas in the world. Flat roofs look nice, they create buildings with nice profiles and allow the maximum occupied height to be attained within a zoning envelope but if you don't have someone regularly checking your flashing at the parapets, roof penetrations (because you have them) and general condition (due to Man's natural enemy, the Sun) you are going to have problems. If you let these problems "go" you are in for a world of hurt as flat roofs generally allow leaks to migrated horizontally through the decking/sub structure as water finds the easiest path down, sometimes right through your walls. And that's when your lintels start to go.
5) It is really easy to feel overwhelmed. The trick is small manageable goals. If that means throwing a clean out party to de-clutter a space, then lets order some cheap pizza, get a dumpster and glove up. Afterwards we can pop a cold one, sit in the newly cleaned space and go, "Yup, we got this handled" as we brainstorm on the best way to use a newly reclaimed giant chunk of building.
Regardless, a new client is on the boards. A very large commercial building, probably going to be on the radar for the next 10 years as we tackle bit by bit and actually will probably continually pull my back on this guy for a while as we clean it out and fix it up. Which is great, because if I had to deal with this building as a project in the space of a year (design to Construction Documents) I wouldn't be able to do it properly. The building sits in what I consider, a very prominent location, in a cute little inner-ring suburb with some great neighbors and harbors some fantastic potential, if only because the owner sees the value in the dang thing.
Plus we can see the Cleveland skyline from the roof, framed fantastically by the surrounding buildings and trees.
I'm excited. Sore as heck today, but excited.
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