2017
Redwood Shores, California

Sarnafil Roof Gives Hi-Tech Company Something to Exclaim About

When viewed from above, two office buildings for a computer technology company in Redwood Shores, California resemble a pair of exclamation points.  Perhaps the buildings are just thrilled about their brand new Sarnafil roofs.

The existing roofs on the two office buildings were EPDM roofs with pavers and two inches of gravel roof ballast, and had reached the end of their service lives.   The decision to go with new Sarnafil adhered roofing systems on the two roofs was an easy one for this multinational company.  "We have Sarnafil roofs on eight or nine other buildings, and have never had an issue," remarked the director of real estate and facilities at the company.  "We've been very happy with them."

The computer company also had good experience with roofing contractors D. C. Taylor Co. in Concord, California, and was confident that they would do a quality job installing the roofs.

Project
Multinational Technology Company’s Office Buildings
Redwood Shores, California 

Roofing Contractor
D. C. Taylor Co.
Concord, California

Roofing System
Adhered Roof System, using 60 mil
G 410 EnergySmart Roof® membrane in white

Project Size
40,000 square feet

Oracle
No Room for Delays, Mistakes, or Negligence!

D. C. Taylor Co. carefully planned each detail of the project to avoid any delays.  "Everything on this project was pre-planned and executed as intended," said Raymundo Jimenez, construction manager at D. C. Taylor Co.  "There was no room for delays, mistakes, or negligence."

Each roof had two levels -- lower and upper.  The lower roof was rectangular and the upper roof was a cylinder.  Tear-off of the existing roof involved removing the ballast, which was deposited by hand into metal boxes, about one ton at a time.  The 12- by 12-inch concrete pavers along with the rest of the EPDM roof were also removed.  A crane was also used to move materials on and off the roof.  Because the building was in use during this project, the crane could only be operated on weekends, when the building was empty.   "We had to make sure we had all the materials on site before the loading date," Jimenez explained.  "Fortunately, Sarnafil always delivers its materials well wrapped to avoid any dirt or damage."  

 

oracle

Installation of the Sarnafil membrane was a bit challenging due to the gusty winds on the 8-story and 12-story buildings.  "We did a lot of planning to try and avoid days when there might be high winds," stated Jimenez.  

Where the rectangular roof meets the cylinder portion the roof gets very narrow -- down to four inches in places.  D. C. Taylor Co. used suspended scaffolding (like window washers use) to work on these areas of the roof.  "It can be a challenge to be on a floating platform, but we were able to still get all the details perfect," Jimenez said.  "The Sika inspector visited the job often while the project was in process, which was helpful because we know as long as we are doing things the manufacturer's way, it is good quality work."    

Speaking of window washers, to protect the new roofing system from the use of swing-stage window cleaning equipment, walkway pads were installed on both the flat part and cylinder of each building.  This created a protection layer for the window cleaning equipment, and an attractive design at the roof perimeter.  

Because there are no parapet walls on the roof, safety was another big concern.  Guard rails were installed on the entire parameter of the roof, and plastic nets were installed on the guard rail to stop debris from falling off the roof.  The crew performed perimeter work using 100 percent fall protection, and were tied off to the building's permanent horizontal lifeline.  Thanks to these safety practices, there was not a single incident during this three-month project.  

Oracle
A Happy Place to Be!

What impressed the company’s director of real estate and facilities the most about the installation was the minimal impact felt by tenants of the building.  "The real story is there were no issues doing this project on an occupied building," he stated.  "D. C. Taylor Co.'s commitment to customer service is huge, and their professionalism made it a happy place to be."

It was this professionalism and attention to detail that earned D. C. Taylor Co. third place in the Low Slope - Re-roofing Category of Sika Sarnafil’s 2017 Project of the Year competition.

Both roofs have had no problems since installment.  "The roofs are doing spectacular, despite a very rainy year,” the director of real estate and facilities said.  "I would definitely use Sarnafil and D. C. Taylor Co. again."

"I think of Sarnafil as the top of the line in roofing membranes, and their representatives are great and easy to work with," added Jimenez.

Is it just a coincidence that the buildings look like exclamation points, or are they really excited about their new roofs?  The answer is "yes!"

Roofs Doing Spectacular!

Both roofs have had no problems since installment.  "The roofs are doing spectacular, despite a very rainy year,” the director of real estate and facilities said.  "I would definitely use Sarnafil and D. C. Taylor Co. again."

"I think of Sarnafil as the top of the line in roofing membranes, and their representatives are great and easy to work with," added Jimenez.
Is it just a coincidence that the buildings look like exclamation points, or are they really excited about their new roofs?  The answer is "yes!"

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