The Roof Over Our Heads

It’s Time to Replace the Sanctuary Roof

WE CAN’T SEE either of our roofs from our usual vantage point on the ground. Our sanctuary roof is located way up high, behind parapets; and our school/office roof is flat. That makes it so easy to forget how important a roof is. As the saying goes, “out of sight, out of mind.” 😑

Well, I have both good news and bad news. Let me give you the bad news first. (Take a deep breath and keep reading.…)

We know that one of our roofs is actually past the end of its useful life, and the other one is not far behind. Worse, a lack of regular roof maintenance over the years has made it likely that internal decay has begun (see below). 😮

So the situation is something like driving around in a car with bald tires. It’s not prudent to say, “Hey, so far, so good!” Or, “Hey, it’s just water.” We know better. 😧

The sanctuary roof was rated by an outside expert as being in poor condition already 3 years ago. (For technical details, discussion, and sources, see my long post HERE.) Check out the eye-opening photo tour with captions in Rich Radenbaugh’s Synopsis, courtesy of Bilt-Well Roofing and Solar, 3/15/21.)

Condition in October 2020 (source: FIR). Instead of its being an even white color, the surface is mottled and cracked.

Ongoing loss of the white surface granules, as they get washed toward or down the drain, is allowing the blazing sun to further damage the black asphalt sheet. Meanwhile, surface cracks develop and admit moisture, which then trickles down toward the outer walls. And also construction defects in each corner have allowed water to pond — and eventually soak in. 

All this has repeatedly caused visible leaks of the kind that needs a bucket underneath when it rains. Here's a 2020 photo from the basement, complete with blue bucket:

But even worse is the prospect that dry rot has become established in the structural wood that is not openly visible. As you may know, dry rot is wood decay caused by fungi. Once the wood of a structure has been allowed to get seriously wet, especially over a period of time, an infection often starts — and then spreads even without the addition of more moisture. (So it's not enough simply to stop a leak.) The wood continues to become brittle and crumbly, and the infection keeps spreading. In short, the structure (not only the roof but also the walls) may well be decaying beyond our view — behind the reassuring stucco and plaster and paint. Here's an illustration of what the workers might find when they strip off the membrane:

Typically, such infected wood must be removed and replaced.

In short, the longer we wait to replace the sanctuary’s roof, the more it will cost to get it back to normal condition. 😖

Meanwhile, we also have a long list of restoration and repair projects waiting to be done AFTER a new roof is in place. Assuring that we have a solid roof over our heads is the prerequisite to getting our facilities back in shape.

And so, what’s the good news? First, we now have a prime opportunity to invest time, energy, and money to make the world a better place — to pay forward the legacy that we received from our predecessors. And second, we have plans for dealing with this situation. And in a future post, I intend to discuss them. 😎