Restoring a Historic Courthouse Roof

By Duro-Last. 

Using Duro-Last products, a historic courthouse in Del Rio, Texas was restored to its former glory after a hailstorm. 

Val Verde County Courthouse (built in 1887 and subsequently redesigned in 1915), faced a daunting challenge when a colossal hailstorm in March 2020 wreaked havoc on its roof. To restore the iconic octagonal dome, a search began for a material that would be a fitting replacement and preserve its historical significance. 

4T Partnership, a consulting firm specializing in assisting government entities with building projects, tapped PMR Roofing from Dallas for the emergency response to stop leaks and begin restoration on behalf of the Texas Municipal League (TML), and its insurer, the Texas Association of Counties (TAC). 

PMR, a vetted contractor for TML and TAC, knew they had to find the perfect balance of preserving the historical aesthetics of the courthouse while protecting the roof from damage if similar storms hit the area again. PMR also had experience working on historic courthouses and was prepared when the Texas Historical Commission reviewed the scope, plans and specs before work could start. 

 “We had to find a color that matched as closely possible,” said Quentan Tobolka, PMR Roofing president. “The metal that had been on the courthouse had been there for over 50 years. It was zinc, all welded together. We had to find a solution that would offer a 20-year weathertight warranty while still maintaining the standards of the Texas Historical Commission and meeting local regulations.” 

The match was the EM Craftsman Series silver metallic from EXCEPTIONAL Metals. It met the approval of the Texas Historical Committee. And the 20-year warranty from Duro-Last covers the entire roofing assembly while also falling under the guidelines from TML and TAC. 

One of the biggest challenges of this job is that Del Rio is a small city on the banks of the Rio Grande, which serves as the border between the U.S. and Mexico. The project required a portable roll-forming machine on-site to create the radius, tapered and curved panels on the octagonal dome. 

“Getting the equipment there to bend these panels and get the radius just right on all of the batten strips and on our trim metal was quite challenging,” Tobolka said. “You have to go through a border checkpoint; you’re right on the border when you’re working in Del Rio. You’re not in a booming metropolis with everything immediately available to you.” 

PMR tore off the previous roof and installed a Factory Mutual severe hail assembly that will protect the building for decades to come. They covered the deck with Duro-Fleece 60 mil membrane adhered using Duro-Grip CR 20 HFO Adhesive. The artistry of bending the EXCEPTIONAL Metals’ Craftsman Series panels for the dome took several weeks. The metal roof drains onto a low slope roof with 24-gauge EM BattenLok HS standing seam roof panels and parapet walls with internal drains and scuppers. The roof was finished with AllTerm® 6” 2-piece compression metal cleats, covers and corners. 

“If you’re looking at that roof from the air and looking at all the angles, that’s a work of art,” Tobolka said. “This project was not many square feet, but it took us several weeks to get it done perfectly, to have the battens bent perfectly so that everything just seamed perfectly together. It was a lot of attention to detail and true craftsmanship to get it done right.” 

Original article source: Duro-Last