Commercial Re Roofing Project – Grant County International Airport
Spokane Roofing Company® re roofed the Grant County International Airport control tower in Moses Lake, Washington entirely at night, 150 feet up in the air. Spokane Roofing finished the month-long project in mid-May after dealing with several issues.
Project Complexities
We were working on several different buildings, but primarily the tower, which is 150 feet up, at night, with uncertain weather. Because the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) was replacing the HVAC equipment at the same time, we were coordinating with the HVAC contractor, plugging existing holes and creating new ones in the roof,
said Jeff Sitton.
When you’re dealing with a project this complex, you need good people managing it. Bill — our project superintendent — is the best. That high up, there are always safety concerns, especially with wind. Because it was a small surface (less than 1,500 sq-ft bounded by parapet walls), we could only have one or two roofers at a time on the roof. No roofers were allowed up there when materials were being loaded or unload.
Every component had to be craned up and down. All the while, Bill had to coordinate with air traffic controllers while planes continued to land. Limiting noise was a priority, to avoid disrupting the controllers’ flow of work.
As always, weather was a concern. Sitton said that Spokane Roofing dodged a big storm or two on that front.
Because of the working conditions, it was as complex a project as you’ll ever come across. We had to bag and store the old roofing material on the roof for removal, then take it off by crane. It was important to keep water out of the tower because of the vulnerable electrical and HVAC equipment. There were way more variables than on a typical, commercial flat roof.
Commercial Roofing System Used
Sitton applied the thickest (80-mil) TPO roofing available. Because it was a complete re roofing project, Spokane Roofing tore off all of the old materials, down to the metal roof deck. SRC then applied new:
- TPO membrane roofing,
- Cover board,
- 2 layers of pre-engineered polyiso rigid insulation,
- Tapering system,
- Vapor barrier.
All of the roofing system’s components were fully adhered, being either glued or secured with a bonding adhesive.
Except for Georgia-Pacific DensDeck® cover board, all the roofing materials were manufactured by GAF and supplied by MacArthur Co. Burton Construction, Inc. (BCI) was the general contractor on the project, overseen by inspectors from the FAA and Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Our success on this project should open up other public works opportunities for us,
Sitton said. The federal government only invites proven commercial roofing contractors to bid on their work, and successful roofing projects like this prove that Spokane Roofing is among the best.
Planning a Commercial Roofing Project?
Are you planning a roofing project for your commercial building or structure? Day or night, 20 feet to hundreds of feet in the air, Spokane Roofing does it right. Call us today at (509) 838-8633 to speak with our commercial roofing experts.