Marin County Mansion Finally Leak-Free
Inverness, CA – A century-old mansion- turned-retreat center in Marin County was not only preserved, but modernized due to spray foam and an impressive work of ingenuity by Wedge Roofing.
The stunning building, built into a secluded, tree-topped hillside in Inverness, serves as a retreat center for the nearby St. Columba’s Church.
Built in 1930, the structure obviously was not constructed with insulation principles in mind. The major trouble was stemming from the mansion’s chimney, which had leaked ever since it was built.
“One of our clients, an architect, was a parishioner at the Church,” explained Gary Harvey, General Manager for Wedge Roofing and also a Certified Green Building Professional (CGBP). “Basically, their choice was to tear down this beautiful rock chimney, or side it with wood, because it was impossible to waterproof. I spent some time pondering it, and came up with this solution.” His solution was spray foam.
But multiple hurdles had to be jumped in order to turn planning into action, the least of which was determining how to spray the top of the chimney. The majority of the work was done from a bosun’s chair, a device used to suspend a person via rope in a (semi) comfortable seated position from which to work.
“The equipment and the hose were belayed from the ground,” Harvey said. “We used mountain climbing gear, and attached it to a bosun’s chair, which in turn was suspended from a worklift called a paus hoist.” Harvey went on to explain that a paus hoist is an OSHA-approved ladder and scaffolding device, and an aerial lifting device. “We extended it out over the area we were working, and then belayed our applicator from that,”
Once the Wedge Roofing team has assembled the proper equipment, the application began. “We used a combination of products, because the work began 60 feet up at the top of this chimney, and transitioned down over a concrete walking deck, and further down over a foundation wall,” explained Harvey. First, the team applied 2 inches high-density roofing foam to the entire exterior surface of chimney, walking deck, and foundation wall followed by a protective Roof Coating.
For the first time since the mansion was built the chimney is leak-free.
