Mansion Roof

By BRIAN BROWNING

March 27, 2008

With the completion of the upper roof, the Terrace Hill mansion is under a roof system historically and structurally appropriate to a building of its style and significance: copper and slate.
Sheet steel, coated with a lead-tin alloy referred to as terne metal, formed the original 1860s upper roof. Several roofs later, in 1990, white EPDM rubber was installed. By 2005, this rubber roof had reached the end of its lifespan and was leaking regularly.
New construction began on the mansion roof in July 2007. After the old roof was removed and new insulation installed, copper sheet was applied in long narrow panels joined together with vertical ridges in a traditional manner referred to as standing seam. Copper, although initially more costly than other roofing alternatives, provides a superior lifespan and was historically the metallic roof material of choice. This new upper roof complements the 2000 Raise the Roof mansard slates hung on copper nails, slate and copper, having a life expectancy exceeding 100 years.
The cost for the entire 2007 roofing contract, which also included new rubber roofing for portions of the carriage house, exceeded $1 million. Supervising architects Scotney Fenton and Scott Allen of RDG Planning & Design created drawings and specifications. Neumann Brothers, Inc., served as general contractors, with the Waldinger Corporation fabricating and soldering the copper. Continuing its stewardship of Terrace Hill, the Foundation contributed $150,000 in the form of a Save Americas Treasures federal grant. SAT grants, administered by the National Park Service, require National Historic Landmark status for eligibility. Terrace Hill was formally designated a National Historic Landmark on July 31, 2003, by the Secretary of the Interior.
Our new roof is expected to last well into the 21st century, and with proper maintenance, it may be the year 2100 before future caretakers of Terrace Hill again think about the need for a new roof.

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