First Congregational Church - Canandaigua, New York
First Congregational Church 58 N Main St, Canandaigua, NY 14424 designated as a National Landmark by the U.S. Department of Interior in 1958, the original building exterior remains unchanged after the addition of the adjoining Gothic Revival chapel constructed in 1873. Past maintenance performed left the 250-year-old bell tower in despair. Much of the exterior surface was covered over with rubber membrane; we removed the rubber from the surfaces and discovered many metal and wood surfaces deteriorated. During the 12-week project we endured inclement weather and unexpected delays we pushed forward. Sections of the wood columns were removed and replaced, vertical cedar siding installed, lead coated copper floor pans and trim was fabricated / installed, additional support and belfry flooring was removed and replaced, cedar t&g reflective celling was installed; the 3500lb bell and components was removed and replaced including a new mortise and tenon Douglass-fur carriage; the bell wheel was deteriorated with 33% remaining and rebuilt to replicate historically; exterior surfaces were prepared, repaired, cleaned, primed, sealed and painted; the finial "friendship feather" was repaired; painted and gilded using 24kt gold leaf. In memory of my wife Magi's father Lew.
Bethany Lutheran Church - Escanaba, Michigan (Upper Peninsula)
Bethany Lutheran Church 202 S 11th St, Escanaba, MI 49829 was originally founded in Escanaba in 1879 on a parcel of land donated by Nelson Ludington. The current building hosted its first worship service in 1912. Bethany Lutheran Church has two tall steeples and is one of the most beautiful churches in Escanaba. Metal work on each of the spires as well as the roofing was the concern and our mission. The roofing was removed and replaced with metal shingles and ridge cap; metal work was repaired and or replaced as needed; all metal surfaces were conditioned, cleaned, primed and painted; misc. tuckpointing and wood repairs were performed.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church - Hart, Michigan
St. Joseph's Catholic Church 2380 W Jackson Rd, Hart, MI 49420 Stained glass windows in Church art and architecture not only create an atmosphere for worship, they also weave a multifaceted story for future generations about a people of faith, regarding values held sacred, memories treasured, and people and events that need to remembered. This past summer of 2019 we were in Hart, MI performing repairs to the steeple and other areas of the church sanctuary. Part of this project was to remove and replace the roofing as well as the metal ridge caps. We incorporated a new system designed by Michael to carefully and efficiently carry materials up and down as needed. Other tasks included painting the cross, spire dormers, window frames, louvers, gutter and downspouts as well as misc. tuckpointing.
Loch Raven United Methodist - Baltimore, MD
Loch Raven United Methodist 6622 Loch Raven Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21239. On Sept. 13 1953, a vast group turned out for the first service held in a little white cabin on the property; 102 individuals joined the congregation and picked the name Loch Raven Methodist Church. Development of the congregation building began on May 30, 1954, and the first services in the new building was held on January 15, 1956, with a few hundred individuals in participation. From that point forward, broad development has brought about a flourishing church with a sanctuary, fellowship hall, educational classrooms, amphitheater, a chapel as well as a library. October came way to fast this year and the steeple at Loch Raven was next on the list. Besides having the weather as a factor to complete the repairs in time we had a very unfortunate and unexpecting loss in the family which postponed our start date a little. But we were able to complete this project with very little weather delays and working long 12-13 hour days including weekends. The steeple was trapizodal on all sides and the existing damaged cladding material in differnt areas needed to be replaced. Matching the exterior surface was crucial due to the wall thickness and smooth formation. All of the exterior cladding and wood trim was removed on the top section of the steeple, the trim was refurbished and reinstalled with new exterior cladded walls. The cross was striped and the entire steeple was cleaned, primed and painted to last for another decade or two. In memory of Michaels brother Christopher Hardin, who passed on October 8th 1964-2017.
Lyon College Brown Chapel - Batesville, Arkansas
Lyon College 2300 Highland Rd, Batesville, AR 72501. Batesville is the most settled existing city in the State of Arkansas. By a deal of 1808 the Osage Indians surrendered this area to the U.S. moreover, not like most of the district of Arkansas, it was never again given to Indian control. In any case, the area only south of the river edge was held by the Cherokee Indians from 1808 to 1817. Brown Chapel and Fine Arts Building was built in 1958 and named for W. C. Dull shaded, Sr., of Stamps, Arkansas, a College trustee from 1910 to 1915, and two of his children, Allan (also a trustee from 1929 to 1937) and Josephine Brown. The senior Brown was one of the proprietors of the Bodcaw Lumber Company, back then working one of the greatest sawmills in the South. The cross was damaged and was dangling ontop of the steeple holding on by the lightning protection cunductor wire. The re-installing of the cross was engineered in house by owner Michael Hardin and was pssed on for approval by Lyon College. With the information provided and approval of design we prefabricated the new design to install the cross and reattach the lightning protection cable. Thanks for the initial support and offer to use the college metal shop, we were able to make modifications as needed to safetly re-install the 8ft alluminum cross.
Plymouth Church Of Shaker Heights - Cleveland, Ohio
Plymouth Church of Shaker Heights 2860 Coventry Rd, Shaker Heights, OH 44120. Plymouth started when rebel Presbyterians left what is currently called the Old Stone Church in 1850. Those individuals leaving were abolitionists, annoyed with Old Stone Church for its refusal to restrict slavery. We moved toward becoming "Plymouth" in 1862 at the recommendation of Henry Ward Beecher, the minister of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, NY, who conveyed this proposal to Harvey B. Spellman, the father of Mrs. John D. Rockefeller, who was an individual from this recently framed Society. A straight forward process to provide the very best paint, materials and a few leather skined, certified craftsmen to assure this Cleveland, Ohio area steeple will last threw another decade of blistering cold and heat. Utilizing a lift with our rigging we able to properly clean the exterior steeple surfaces, thoroughly prepped the all surfaces for coatings, perform proper minor surface repiars and skillfully applied our natorious and and what is becoming a company signature our "dragonscale" paint application. We also re-caulked and cleaned the windows to make weather tight and bring out the sparkle!
Saint Joseph - Erie, Michigan
St Joseph 2214 Manhattan St, Erie, MI 48133. The primary French pioneers started around 1790 making their clearings in the thick walnut remains behind the shores of Maumee Bay. Regardless of hardship, they worked and revered together in a little group with a straightforward log church and school. The primitive log church, built on the lake shore in 1819, was supplanted by a framed structure in 1826. The present church on a more open site was raised in 1851. As the second most established church in Monroe County, MI, and the third most seasoned in the Archdiocese of Detroit, the account of St. Joseph's Parish is one of confidence and group life fixated on Christ in the Eucharist and guided by his Word.WehadeverytalentneededtocompleteSt.Joseph'sincludingonegreathelpinghandsfromoneofthemostdedicatedchurchstewardwhoIcanhonestlysayisthemostdedicatedmanontheplanet.Westartedbyremovingall theold vinyl sidingandmetalcoveringwhichwasonce installedonallexteriorwallsincludingthespire.Allmissingtrimandwoodworkwasreplacedaswellasthewoodenlouverswecustomfabricatedandmadetocloselymatchtheoriginalsfromafewearly18-1900'sphotos.Allwoodwork,trimboardsandlouversetswouldfabricatefromwesternredcedar.Allofthesurfacesonthebelfrywerepreppedforcoatings,primedandpaintedusingtheverybestexteriorpaintandcoatings,includingthetiermetalbelow.Thespirewasre-claddedusingacustomfabricatedkylnarcoatedaluminumwithanaccentofwesternredcedarshinglesjustunderthecrossandfinial.Thecrossandfinialwasalsoprimedandpaintedinapatinagreen.Thetransitionofthissteepleshouldconvinceyouoftheskillittakestomakeacosmeticallydecayingsteeplewithnoattitudeintoaworkofartwithalastinglusterofarchitecturalshadows.Nopunintendedbutweputtheheartbackintothework.
Epiphany Byzantine Catholic - Roswell, Georgia
Epiphany Byzantine Catholic 2030 Old Alabama Rd, Roswell, GA 30076. In April, 1978, Father Paul Berny, recieved his bi-custom resources and authorization to help Father. Novario with the Mission area. The noteworthy occurred on April 26, 1981. After significant research and survey, a 12 acre section of land site in Roswell was chosen and notable occurred on April 26, 1981. A very unique and traditional Carpatho-Ruthenian wooden style edifice was constructed. Although there was a considerable amount of research done know one would have prolly expected wood pecker damage. Yes, thats right wood pecker damage and lots of it! it is not just the horrible damage woodpeckers make its also what happens when you cant make repairs right away that really is a pleasure. There was even the what say is the mighty hardi plank board that didnt withstand the harshness of the woodpecker. We replaced alot of the conical and trapidzodal wood cladding and framing as well as the wooden edge skirts around the base of the spire. All three steeple exterior surfaces were cleaned, primed and painted using high quality exterior coatings to helpprotect from the harsh and pesty elements in Georgia. The crosses were re-painted using a specialized gold metalic coating and a new digital deterent system was install to help keep them woody wood pecks at bay.
Saint Martins Episcopal - Bentleyville, Ohio
St Martin's Episcopal 6295 Chagrin River Rd, Chagrin Falls, OH 44022. Saint Martin's Episcopal Church was established in the mid 1950s. The primary building was built on the present site in 1957. Developments to the building followed in resulting decades (1991). The area was shaken by an overwhelming flame in 2007 from which it valiantly battled to recuperate inside ensuing years. The modify yielded an "essentially new working" of glorious extents and helpfulness. For several years the aging cupola had leak issues and many repairs with intent to fix didnt hold up. First things first, we needed to remove the church bell in order to make the adequant repairs. This isnt always an easy task as you sometimess have only am inch of room to work with. But with the proper equipment, operator, rigging and the right help this task is easy as pie. We removed the bell craddle and original deteriorated roofing and replaced the roof with a sloped EPDM system. All of the lower columns were repaired and the exterior surfaces were prepped, primed and painted including the metal dome. New cedar beams were used to rebuild the bell cradle and the bell was safely re-installed and secured as needed.
The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints - Cleveland, Ohio
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 7600 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH 44103. The Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a Nontrinitarian, Christian restorationist church that is considered by its individuals to be the rebuilding of the first church established by Jesus Christ. Nestled in the outskirts of downtown Cleveland, Ohio our mission was a wind damaged steeple to repair. Due to the location on the busy streets of Cleveland timing was everything in order to secure the dangling aluminum cladd panels and tier metal above before anything or anyone became a victim of an unfortunate matter. Upon initial review of damage steeple, it was very clear the original engineering and materials used were overlooked as we all know; up here around Lake Erie, winds and weather can cause havoc on such a structure. We started by removing all the existing aluminum cladding panels on the spire as well as the lower tier and disposed of the debris as needed. The existing framing needed reinforcement, so we added some aluminum angle bracing as needed. We fabricated and install a new cladding system with the help of a local reputable fabricator using quality materials designed to withstand and last the winds and weather in the northern climate.
Guyton United Methodist - Guyton, Georgia
Guyton United Methodist 401 Church St, Guyton, GA 31312. Guyton United Methodist 401 Church St, Guyton, GA 31312. Guyton UMC had its beginnings as the Andrew Chapel. It is trusted the congregation had its start in 1810. On June 21, 1862, the Andrew Chapel had its name changed at the third quarterly meeting. It was named the Whitesville Methodist Church. In 1886 Whitesville Methodist Church had another name change. It was changed to coordinate the name of its city. Guyton Methodist Church. We were contacted in regards to an insurance claim due to storm damage that acquired during the 2016 hurricane season in which the eight foot wooden finial that sits on top of the steeple was blown down to the ground. The insurance company depreciated the claim and left Guyton United with a much bigger loss than they can handle. Out of good faith we offered to donate our time and services to help repair and restore the spire and cross. A custom hand drawing was forwarded to one of the church parishioners friend who happened to have a metal fabrication shop near by. The fabrication came out just as needed and installed beautiful on top of the spire. Prior to re-installing the cross and finial, we cleaned the entire surface as well as prepped the existing shingles for paint. We removed sixteen inches of rot and water damage from the top of the steeple were the old finial was attached. After removing the damage we re-shingled the top of the spire using western red cedar shingles, then we prime coated the entire spire and applied two coats of high quality exterior paint.
Olmsted Falls Community - Olmsted Falls, Ohio
Olmsted Community 7853 Main St, Olmsted Falls, OH 44138. The now beautiful city of Olmsted Falls sits glorified in her beauty the steeple and cupola of Olmsted Community Church. This eight week restoration project included many trade variants; most work was done on site except the matching wood trim molding which was done quickly with nothing short than quality. On the steeple we removed windows in which were restored with some new glass and fresh glazing. We removed and replaced the walls and window openings in the lantern area using true dimensional redwood timber and shipped for longevity. A good portion of trim work was damaged from weathering as well as other past insufficient repairs, the birds eventually found their way to help the damage along. We carefully stripped all of the paint off of the spire and tier metal (originally copper but was historically registered with the copper painted) so we applied a protective coating system designed to outperform their past painting jobs. Medallions, crown molding and other architectural wood work was custom fabricated and installed to match existing wood workings thus to keep the original historical design. The entire steeple was cleaned, hand scraped, sanded and quality protective coatings were applied. Wood siding and apron flashing was removed and replaced on the cupola. We stripped the paint from the roof; glazed all windows; removed and replace the roofing around the base as well as installed a new copper counter flashing. From A-Z we did it right.
Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox - Campbell, Ohio
Archangel Michael Greek Orthodox 401 12th St, Campbell, OH 44405. The now beautiful city of Olmsted Falls sits glorified in her beauty the steeple and cupola of Olmsted Community Church. This eight week restoration project included many trade variants; most work was done on site except the matching wood trim molding which was done quickly with nothing short than quality. On the steeple we removed windows in which were restored with some new glass and fresh glazing. We removed and replaced the walls and window openings in the lantern area using true dimensional redwood timber and shipped for longevity. A good portion of trim work was damaged from weathering as well as other past insufficient repairs, the birds eventually found their way to help the damage along. We carefully stripped all of the paint off of the spire and tier metal (originally copper but was historically registered with the copper painted) so we applied a protective coating system designed to outperform their past painting jobs. Medallions, crown molding and other architectural wood work was custom fabricated and installed to match existing wood workings thus to keep the original historical design. The entire steeple was cleaned, hand scraped, sanded and quality protective coatings were applied. Wood siding and apron flashing was removed and replaced on the cupola. We stripped the paint from the roof; glazed all windows; removed and replace the roofing around the base as well as installed a new copper counter flashing. From A-Z we did it right.
Holy Trinity - Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Holy Trinity lutheran 31 S Duke St #1, Lancaster, PA 17602. Welcome to Lancaster pronounced'LANK-a-ster', Pennsylvania were we meet one of the oldest church steeples in the country; Built in 1766, this was one of the most solid, tallest and most utterly beautiful building we have worked on to this day. Towering at 200 feet enabled us to have blessed views of historical downtown Lancaster. Due to the nature and setting of Holy Trinity's steeple we had geared up to work thru the night to make progress as we went along. Carefully cleaning the entire steeple, lightly prepairing the surfaces as needed was what the project called for. With the help and guidance from the for staues of Saint John, Saint Luke, Saint Mathew and Saint Mark we safely primed, caulked and painted thru some of the best nights of summer. We removed all of the old gutter system and helped install new copper gutters and spouts.
First Baptist - Hendersonville, North Carolina
First Baptist, 312 5th Ave W, Hendersonville, NC 28739. We travel south to the beautiful town of Henderson, North Carolina to repair a leaking historical steeple. This was a multi task type of project which involved removing 180lb metal lattice; repairing the decayed metal; striping the paint off to bare metal and powder coating the surfaces to help preserve the historical significance. We removed all of the wood framing and replaced with true wood lumber as well as all outside corner post and wooden waynescott in the cupola. Next on the list we removed and replaced various crown molding, underhang and other miscellanious trim pieces to bring the steeple back to original condition. All exterior surfaces were hand scraped, sanded, prime coated, caulked (as needed) and finally painted use high quality exterior paint and materials. Large wooden columns were starting to delaminate leaving large gaps between the wooden planks (which make up the columns). To resolve this issue we customized each column to properly vent (thus not to trap moisture) and repaired the columns accordingly. Proper surface preparations was crucial to satisfy what was an eyesore and the results were like new again. The copper cladding was gone over and tightened up and a copper cross was fabricated and installed to complete this project.
First Presbyterian - Huron, Ohio
First Presbyterian Huron, Ohio 225 Williams St, Huron, OH 44839. We were contacted by First Presbyterian to repair a leaking historical steeple. Besides having a leak issue, in the past they had an inexpert contractor to install vinyl siding to most of the walls and base to help prevent the routine maintenance services of painting. Unfortunately the vinyl siding was retaining moisture and therefore the walls behind the siding was starting to deteriorate. To fix this issue it was suggested to put back the steeple to its original maintenance friendly condition. So we rigged the spire with block and tackle, removed all the vinyl siding, replace all the wood trim that was disposed of when the siding was installed, repaired holes cut into much of the exterior surfaces when the vinyl siding was installed, repaired and replaced wooden louver slats, removed and replaced some wooden shingles, thoroughly prepped the exterior surface by hand scrapping, wire brushing as well as mechanically etched the surfaces for sealant and coatings. Finally we prime coated all surfaces, caulked and sealed all joint, seams and overlaps and applied two finish coats of high quality paint.
Forest Hills Baptist - Raleigh, North Carolina
Forest Hills Baptist, 201 Dixie Trail, Raleigh, NC 27607. A complete steeple restoration of the one hundred seventy (170ft) steeple was what she was calling for, including window repair, wood trim repair, copper cladding repair, architectural repair, painting and a little of this and a little of that. We repaired the finial and weather vane and made sure in the end was weather tight, tightened down and pointing in the right direction. Some of the lead coated copper cladding on the spire had holes in miscellaneous areas from projectiles and or previous attempts to repair or maintenance. Columns and window sills we repaired and or replaced with new to match existing. All windows including the sash were repaired, restored, re-glazed and painted (interior / exterior), all tier metal was prepped, repaired, cleaned, etched and coated using a specialized elastomeric RPM “cool” roof coating. Deteriorated wood trim and siding was removed, replaced and all surfaces to be painted was thoroughly prepped, hand scraped to remove all loose and flaking paint, mechanically etched, primed and painted using (2) coats of high quality protective coatings.
First Congregational - Hudson, Ohio
First Congregational, 47 Aurora St. Hudson, OH 44236. When contacted by First Congregational (built in 1802), their spire had been having ongoing leak issues for some time. After removing and replacing the original wood shingles with a quality asphalt shingle 25 years ago, the steeple once again was in need of a new roof. To help them save on cost, we utilized minimal scaffolding provided by local mason contractors and rigged the steeple with block and tackle rigging to remove, repair and replace safely. It was suggested to go back to a wooden shingle due to the structural design of the steeple. However, FCC went one step further and decided to go with a modern copper shingle design. This type of application replicates the movement of wood or slate shingles allowing for proper flexibility as well as providing superior protection from the elements. We also made a few modifications to the apex of the spire to allow for a new copper finial to be securely installed and attached to the spire. We also re-designed the interior tension rods to accommodate the new copper shingle application and fabricated a new “Copper Clad” access door.
First United Methodist - Douglasville, Georgia
First United Methodist, 6167 Prestley Mill Rd. Douglassville, GA 30134. We were contacted by First United Methodist in Douglassville, GA to repair a leak from a steeple wrapped in architectural copper cladding. The spire was positioned high above the 12/12 sloped roof line and hasn’t been touch since she was positioned into place some fifty to sixty years ago. FUMC had contacted many roofers to help pin point and resolve these leak issues but after numerous tries the leak would re-appear. To resolve this particular steeple issue, we had to provide access to the interior by removing some of the copper cladding and wood walls from the base as well as a section midway up the spire. We removed old deteriorated tar from the bottom of the structural metal struts and then resealed them using a non cured butyl rubber. Then we removed the existing shingle roofing and flashing to discover an improper metal flashing system. To complete this project we fabricated and installed a copper metal counter flashing around the base then reinstalled the exterior copper cladding to original condition.
First Presbyterian - Columbus, Georgia
First Presbyterian, 1100 1st Avenue, Columbus, GA 31901. Our emergency service was called upon when First Presbyterian noticed one of the pinnacles on the bell tower was dangling high above. A this time our services was to remove the damaged pinnacle and evaluate the existing conditions for repair. CIS drafted a detailed scope of work to be reviewed and added upon by the trustees. A six week renovation included, removing the existing pinnacles, reinforcing each of them structurally, remove existing damaged copper roofing, reinforced a tie down for each of the pinnical mounting points, removed and replaced concrete footer, replaced all wood underlayment and copper roof with copper shingle roofing, removed and replaced the slate roofing, installed copper ridge caps, prepared all surfaces for coatings (including the clock faces on the large tower), primed, caulked and painted as needed. Due to the amount of handwork and extensive needs we utilized scaffold and a manlift to safely, properly and efficiently perform the much needed repairs.
St Mary’s Holy Protection Byzantine Catholic - Homer City, Pennsylvania
St Mary’s Holy Protection Byzantine Catholic Church Homer City, PA 15748 St. Mary’s Holy Protection Catholic Church needed to have their dome cosmetically restored they had a leaking issue as well. They contacted multiple roofing contractors to resolve this issue but the repairs did not last. We were able to detect the cause of leak and made the necessary repairs which included removing and replacing the lower tier roofing and underlayment as well as installing an appropriate counter flashing to prevent water from seeping around the perimeter. We also performed a thorough surface preparation, caulked and sealed all seams and joints as needed. Finally we applied our high quality UV protective and metallic coatings.
St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cathedral Diocese Of Parma
St. John the Baptist Byzantine Catholic Cathedral Diocese Of Parma, Cleveland, OH 44134. We were contacted by St John the Baptist Byzantine due to storm related damage that involved all three of their domes. High winds put pressure on the domes, the winds were strong enough to burst multiple sealed joints, allowing rain to enter and cause great interior and exterior water and mold damage. We had to design and construct working platforms inside of the large dome to remove all the damaged interior wood panel underlayment. These wooden panels were designed to help protect and reinforce the arched aluminum panels that make up the dome. We removed and replaced the wood underlayment and fabricated aluminum struts to replace the wood and help reinforce the panels as previously designed. We also sealed the joints between the panels using a specialized elastomeric sealant that will not only seal the panel but allow enough flexibility if and when this situation may again arise. The platforms were built stationary and will stay in place so that the upkeep of the bells, lights and the interior of the panels can be performed. The exterior of the domes needed to be addressed as well. On all three domes we had to remove the old and damaged metal seam tape and sealant, mechanically etch the surfaces, make various repairs to the metal base, as well as install new sealant. Finally we applied our high quality UV protective coatings.
Holy Virgin Romanian Orthodox - Carnegie, Pennsylvania
St Mary’s Holy Protection Byzantine Catholic Church Homer City, PA 15748 St. Mary’s Holy Protection Catholic Church needed to have their dome cosmetically restored they had a leaking issue as well. They contacted multiple roofing contractors to resolve this issue but the repairs did not last. We were able to detect the cause of leak and made the necessary repairs which included removing and replacing the lower tier roofing and underlayment as well as installing an appropriate counter flashing to prevent water from seeping around the perimeter. We also performed a thorough surface preparation, caulked and sealed all seams and joints as needed. Finally we applied our high quality UV protective and metallic coatings.