BANGOR, Maine — The Penobscot Judicial Center opened just 28 months ago, but the downtown building may already be in need of a new roof, according to the facility’s engineer.
Curt LeFebvre, who maintains the downtown building, said he noticed in July 2011 that the top layer of the roof — a rubber membrane that protects the foot or so of roof materials below — already was showing signs of problems.
“I’ve never seen this,” LeFebvre said Friday. “No one has really determined the exact cause of this yet.”
Sections of the membrane are delaminating from the rest of the roof layers in certain sections, leaving the roof below vulnerable to damage and the building at risk of leaks.
As a temporary fix, LeFebvre said workers put rubber tires and 5-gallon buckets of sand onto the sections of membrane that were peeling or bubbling away from the roof to prevent those areas from being damaged by the wind during winter months.
There haven’t been any leaks in the roof so far, LeFebvre said, but if the membrane isn’t repaired it could lead to problems in the future.
The Penobscot Judicial Center opened in November 2009 and was finished ahead of schedule and under budget at a cost of $37 million.
Consigli Construction Co. was the general contractor of the facility, with Roof Systems of Maine handling the roof construction, LeFebvre said.
LeFebvre said repairs are scheduled to start on May 4 and will last about three weeks.
Matthew Tonello, area manager for Consigli, said Friday afternoon that the company would cover the repair costs.
“We have a contractual obligation with the state, and we stand behind our work,” Tonello said.
The original roof cost about $500,000, but LeFebvre and Tonello said they weren’t sure how much repairs will cost. It largely depends on the area affected and whether moisture has damaged layers of the roof below, Tonello said.
Tonello said he wasn’t aware of any other Consigli buildings that had similar delamination problems.
Core samples from the roof are being analysed by a Massachusetts-based firm to find out how many layers of the roof are damaged, Tonello said.
“Logistically, it’s kind of a nightmare,” he said.
Representatives from Roof Systems of Maine did not return messages requesting comment on Friday afternoon.
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I think the contractor will be billing their subcontractor for the repair work.
Hmm, interesting but it looks like it being taken care of.
Curt Lefebvre use to Work for Rosa Scarcelli… Small World..
Sue the roofing contractor. A new roof should last a minimum of 20 years.
Why don’t we give the contractor a chance to fix the problem before litigating?
Insurance is probably already involved I bet. They all have to be bonded I believe.
Seems like the contractor has already stepped up and said they will fix it. Until they get into the job they wont know what caused it. Faulty labor, material, who knows. Now if they say they won’t stand behind their work and don’t repair it, then take them to court. Right now it seems like they are doing the right thing.
Flat roofs on tall buildings are a safety issue. Could you see what would happen if you were standing near one of these very large and tall building and have all the snow let loose. You wold be hurt of killed. Could you see how much taller a building would be to have a large pitched roof on top of it. Flat roofs with drainage systems are they only thing that makes sense.
Thanks for the details.
It’s also worth noting that the performance bond posted by the contractor at the time of construction is still in effect, so if the repairs aren’t satisfactory, the city has standing to pursue reimbursement from the bond.
my exact thought…wonder why they couldn’t be reached for comment…hmmmmm…
The -sub- was unavailable for comment. Probably standard procedure when the General is ultimately responsible and no fault has been determined yet. Design, materials, technique – all could play a role and no one knows anything yet except what matters – the General Contractor is backing the work.
People and things fail every second of everyday. You learn what they are made of when it happens.
“You learn what they are made of when it happens.”
True. And even more so by how they respond.
roof systems of maine is the worst roofing company in the country let alone maine. why contractors would even consider using this company is beyond me. I was a manager for a company that when they built there new building roof systems did the roof and the roof leaked from day one, they would send someone out almost any time it would rain and try to stop the leaks but were never successful.
Didn’t the contractor say they would pay for it? Why sue them?
Sue happy much?? When a company says they will step up and fix something, you give them the opportunity, you don’t just sue. Instant gratification is so out of control.
why would anyone put a flat roof on a building in Maine?
I keep asking, but never get a good enough answer…. Why do we have FLAT roofs in Maine? Is seems very, very short sighted to me…
A pitched roof on a very large building means a large snow dump area below. It would have to be walled or fenced off to keep people from getting hurt. I don’t know if this building has a melting system or not. I sort of like that feature. If the snow and ice builds up you just turn it on and run it down the drain.
Yup. I once worked in an office housed in the Olde Federal Building in Downtown Augusta, which has a pitched, slate roof. People did not park close to the building out back in the winter. One temp worker didn’t know this. Her car was nearly totaled when the snow and ice on the roof let go and crushed her hood and shattered her windshield. The snow/ice fell 4 storied onto her car. Good thing she wasn’t in the vehicle when it happened.
Paul, that is an assertion based on your short sited “assumption”. Even if it did have pitched roofs there are plenty of ways to get around the drainage and falling snow. But sadly you are an example of Mainers lack of vision and incapability of being logical. Also a roof doesn’t necessary NEED to be pitched if it is NOT flat… which I will not explain. I will just let you scratch your head and say “huh?”. ha ha ha
I KNOW- what’s up with that??
Ask no more, Paul answered your question.
It doesn’t make much sense on the surface, but a flat roof is the easiest way to cover a lot of square footage. With green field construction today, a very slight pitch is built into even flat roofs. The difference may only be 6 to 8 inches from one side to the other, but it’s enough to facilitate drainage.
I’ve lived my whole life in Maine and regrettably I see a lot of short sightedness and lack of vision here. Not to mention the state trying to often be something it’s not instead of embarrassing what is realistic. The only place in this entire state that looks promising is Portland.
The old Bangor Auditorium…a “V” roof! Mops and buckets were everywhere.
Most flat roofs have heated drains.
I think the company at fault should have to eat the cost of the repairs!!!
You didn’t read the story, did you?
I think that people that are going to comment should read the story first!!!!
The insulation could be the problem, maybe it is faulty and won’t hold the glue and not the membrane at all. Just a thought.
“Analysed”? I thought this was an American newspaper…
“analysed – past participle, past tense of an·a·lyze (Verb)” http://www.thefreedictionary.com/analysed
OK, I guess I need to spell this out: “Analysed” is British. “Analyzed” is American.
So long as a thought or idea is properly conveyed, spelling and sentance structure can be forgiven. When facts and logic is off, spelling and structure are bullets. In my opinion.
Maybe in speech or a blog, but not in a professional publication. Catching mistakes like this is one of the things the editors at the BDN are paid for.
I can in no way argue with your point.
True, but it’s such great fun to spot them after the issue’s gone to print. Ask me about my Morning Sentinel collection of goofs.
And to think there is a program, NIE (Newspapers in Education) helping to teach our students the wrogn ronwg…um, wrong way to spell.
Of course!
Some of the arguments in these comments are my favourite ever!
the paper is being outsourced to an oversea non English speaking country
Proper English actually. All depends how you look at it or what side of the Atlantic you’re on!
Gov. Baldacci’s chief fundraiser and then first appointee to the Maine Supreme Court had much to do with the design of the bldg. I wonder what he, a resident of Bangor, says now.
Way to go!!! You have managed to work in a political jab on a totally non-political topic! How much digging did you have to do to find this relationship? Anyone can hand off a basic design, then you hand it to an engineer to bring forth a compromise between your design, and what is both possible, and sound. Politics may mandate some aspects, but I doubt Baldacci caused the failure.
Baldacci? Come on man, it’s Obama’s fault!
Ha! I just saw a commercial for Roof Systems Of Maine during the Red Sox game.
We have a large building in downtown Bangor and have used Roof Systems on multiple occasions and have been very happy with their work. Not sure what could have gone wrong. Hopefully they will figure it out and the problem will be rectified.
I’m glad I haven’t had to have my roofer back on multiple occasions. But i’m glad your happy.
had to have roofer back on multiple occassions and you are happy, ok this must be how they stay in buisness, wow why or how coioukld you be happy to have your roofers back on multiple occassions.
Do they have a P235/65/R17 up there?
omg, I literally just bought 4 of that size off Uncle Henry’s. Too funny
Could be the materials which were the laminate, were not installed properly, or that the product was not mixed or manufacture of it was poor quality-controlled. I’d also agree with “PaulNotBunyan” on the heating system possibility, but would this work if there was snow on top of ice melting at -10 below? Check with some of our NYC building contractors and see how they control their flat roof systems.
Hack job by the roofing contractor
50/50 split until the works done then the general and sub will have their lawyers fight it out…..sounds to me like a air system problem.
I would bet that Ventilation is the most common problem with most structures. Folks tend to underestimate the importance of keeping moisture out of a building. How many of you readers’ homes’ have no bathroom vent? Or have one, but don’t use it? That is not just a fart puller. Turn it on when you take a shower! Moisture from within will destroy from the inside out. But I don’t agree with your assessment in this particular case.
Not only just during the shower, but 3 times the length of the shower when done. For example, after a five minute shower, leave the fan going for 15 more minutes.
It’s rare for an EPDM roof to not have any problems two years after application but this seems excessive. I’ve only done a dozen roofs or so, but in my experience insufficient adhesive is usually the culprit for such a problem.
Looks like a lot of roofs, in Maine, to me.
Roof Systems probably just tried a less expensive adhesive,and it didn’t fly…or did it? In any event, I’m sure they were bonded for the job and it will be taken care of. Another possibility is that the architect’s underestimated the constant wind velocity that comes off the river and funnels right up Exchange St. almost all the time. I’m no expert,but who knows for sure yet.
Must be all the rain we’ve been having lately.
We are gonna’ need a bigger Blue Tarp!
Whoever put the roof down probably used adhesive only, instead of using the special primer first, letting it dry fully, and then using the adhesive.
WHY SHOULD THERE BE ANY COST SINCE ITS NOT EVEN 3 YEARS OLD AT $500,000. !!!! IT MUST NOT HAVE BEEN DONE RIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE !!!!!
Did you read the article?
Sounds like a very professional company who is willing to stand behind their jobs and fix what needs to be fixed. This is the same company that is doing the renovation project of the federal building in Bangor also.