DiPasqua Construction Wins Project of the Year for Deering Groves Community Project

By Duro-Last.

Home is where the heart is – and where your most precious possessions are protected.

Deering Groves is a residential community recently constructed in the heart of Homestead, Florida, and serves as home to a variety of young local professionals and families. The contemporary apartment complex features eight buildings, totaling approximately 280 units and a clubhouse. When the complex developer, who also served as the general contractor, needed a trusted roofing team to help them on the project they looked no further than Di Pasqua Construction, Inc. (DCI) from West Palm Beach.

“We’ve had the opportunity to work with the developer on a few of their projects and have fostered a great working relationship,” said Al Di Pasqua, President of DCI. “They called on us to help address roofing issues on some of their other properties, and the partnership has now grown to include their new construction projects.”

Each building of the Deering Groves complex featured four distinct roofing sections over a lightweight insulated concrete deck. For these portions of the project, DCI adhered 50 mil Duro-Tuff® membrane, and utilized EXCEPTIONAL® Metals collector boxes and downspouts to promote adequate channeling of water off of the rooftop. In addition to the concrete deck areas, each building included an arched steel structure down the center, directly overtop the breezeway. These special structures required their own roofing systems, and posed unique challenges to the DCI team.

“The original plans called for standing seam metal panels to be used over these arched sections, however, we were able to work with the developer to find a more suitable solution,” explained Al. “We wanted to give them a cost-effective option that still had the aesthetic appeal they were looking for while also providing them with a single-source supplier. When we presented them with the idea of the Duro-Last® Vinyl Rib system, they were sold. Looking at it now, people can’t believe it’s not a metal roof.”

For the arched structures, DCI mechanically attached two layers of 1 ½-inch Duro-Guard® ISO insulation which was then covered with ¼-inch DensDeck® before gray 50 mil Duro-Tuff membrane was adhered overtop. The multiple layers allowed for the materials to be formed to match the contour of the arch while also overlapping joints to create a smooth finish. Once the membrane installation was complete, vinyl ribs were added to give the appearance of standing seam metal panels. Finally, the perimeter of the arched structures utilized EXCEPTIONAL Metals Vinyl Coated drip edge to terminate the membrane.

“The arched steel sections required a lot more engineering than most people realize,” Al recalled. “Miami-Dade building codes are notoriously strict due to the high wind velocities and severe weather we get in the region. We had to work with a specialty engineer to design specific calculations for the breezeways, and we enhanced the mechanical attachment of materials to the steel beams to ensure that we met uplift requirements.”

Aside from the challenges that the roofing system itself posed, DCI also had to coordinate timelines with the general contracting crew, installing roofs as each new building was erected. With a crew of six on the concrete deck sections and a separate crew of three on the steel arched portions, they were able to complete the roofing installation in six months despite occasional logistical setbacks due to other trades and the unpredictable wet weather. Once completed, the developers were provided a 20-Year NDL Warranty from Duro-Last on the project, ensuring residents and their possessions will remain protected for years to come.

“We have been extremely happy with Duro-Last and DCI,” said Phillip Benito, General Superintendent for the Deering Groves development organization America’s Housing Solutions, LLC. “It’s vital for us to use products on our facilities that we can trust to perform well. We have to be able to install it and move on to the next project without concern, and the Duro-Last Roofing System does just that for us. On top of that, DCI has been a great partner in making sure that the Duro-Tuff roof meets all of our expectations through their attention to detail and high-quality workmanship.”

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Contractor: Di Pasqua Construction, Inc.

Project: Deering Groves

Location: Homestead, FL

Square Feet: 144,000

Products: Duro-Tuff® 50 mil; Duro-Last® Vinyl Rib; Roof-Trak® III Walkway Pad; Duro-Guard® ISO; DensDeck®; EXCEPTIONAL® Metals Vinyl-Coated drip edge, scupper, collector box, downspout

Learn more about Duro-Last, visit their RCS Directory.