Soaring success with DaVinci synthetic slate

By DaVinci Roofscapes.

Project profile: A historic steeple finds a lightweight solution in composite DaVinci Roofscapes.

Jumping up into the Minnesota skyline, the steeple on top of St. Paul’s church in Sauk Centre has been given a new life. The historic steeple now has composite DaVinci Roofscapes slate covering it, providing a lightweight solution to the older, heavy slate that had previously been on the steeple.

A part of the Parishes on the Prairie area Catholic Community, the church is home to a parish of 850 families. The steeple on the church has stood for more than a century, calling out to its members. Originally built of real slate and metal, time and weather had damaged the steeple. Patchwork repairs were no longer working. Existing metal was rusting and beginning to fail. Leaks were occurring and a full restoration was needed. That’s when the parish hired Sentra-Sota Sheet Metal Inc. to tackle the massive project. Involved in architectural sheet metal since 1982, the business was ready for the challenge. 

A new steeple material

The team at Sentra-Sota called upon Terry Pogatchnik, owner of Pogatchnik Building Restoration for assistance with the project. A local tuckpointer who had done repair work on the steeple previously, Pogatchnik recommended the unwieldy slate be removed. As an option, he thought a lighter weight, longer lasting product, like DaVinci Roofscapes composite slate could be used.

“I installed DaVinci slate years ago in a high-end residential project,” says Terry. “It looks great and has a natural slate appearance. Aesthetically, I think the DaVinci material is a good modern material that can work well in the steeple project. It keeps the historical look and is easier to work with than real slate.”

The team from Sentra-Sota liked the idea, and so did Adam Saltmarsh, director of operations for Parishes on the Prairie in Sauk Centre. “There are many reasons we decided to use the DaVinci products,” says Adam. “They came highly recommended by other parishes that have used them on projects.

“The features and benefits of the DaVinci composite slate products are very impressive. There’s the aesthetic appeal and how they mimic the look of natural slate tiles. Match that with the durability of the tiles and the lightweight aspects, which are big winners for this steeple project. Then we considered the minimal maintenance that will be needed, plus the warranty. When we added in factors like the fire resistancy, cost effectiveness and the environmental considerations of the product, we knew we had a great solution.”

Working high up in the sky

The Sentra-Sota team wasted no time getting to work. With the DaVinci Single-Width Slate in a Slate Gray color ordered for the steeple, Shop Foreman Mike Witte began working on details for fabrication work. Together with Journeyman Sheetmetal Foreman Ben Woitalla, the two worked hand-in-hand to replicate the existing profiles on the steeple. Then Woitalla and 4th Year Apprentice Jeremy Thene installed the completed pieces. This work was all completed from 135 feet above the ground in a boom lift.

“These men installed both the DaVinci product and the metal accents,” says Jeff Popp, vice president/project manager at Sentra-Sota. “All the metal work is Holcim/Elevate (Firestone) in a sandstone color, 24-gauge prefinished metal. It was all custom made and formed in our shop. Then it was transferred over and installed on the steeple. 

“Ben reports that the DaVinci product was very easy to cut and install. Even with different roof pitches he was able to keep everything aligned. The result is simply incredible. Our entire team is proud of how this finished steeple looks.”

Ground level finishing touches

With the steeple project finished, the church asked the Sentra-Sota team to redo the roof on a side entrance to the church. Falling tiles were making this area a hazard, so the same DaVinci Single-Width Slate composite roofing was added to this entryway.

“I hope we can do the whole church with DaVinci products soon,” says Adam. “In the meantime, the steeple looks just great. The Sentra-Sota crew was amazing to work with. They were friendly and professional. I get so many compliments from parishioners about the quality of work on the steeple. Everyone’s exceptionally happy with their work.”

As for Terry, who got the ball rolling with his DaVinci product recommendation, he’s pleased too. “True artisans worked on this steeple project,” says Terry. “I’m glad I can say I played a small role in this project by recommending the right product for this beautiful steeple!”