In July 2003, straight line winds of 100 mph took the roof off of this church sanctuary, windows were broken from flying debris and the EPDM roof on the education building was lifted and shifted from the tornado. Everything in the sanctuary was destroyed from either debris from the roof falling in or water from the rains that followed. The stained glass along the west side was also destroyed while the east side stained glass remained undamaged.
The sanctuary floor was an original hardwood floor that had been covered with carpet over the years and begun to severely buckle from the water. All pews, carpeting and 12" X 12" ceiling tile were removed and disposed of.
GTB immediately subcontracted a carpentry crew to finish removing the damaged section of the roof sheathing and the entire ceiling. With the guidance of a structural engineer we were able to rebuild the damage trusses in place since most of the roof damage was the tornado removing the sheathing and shingles. Rain water filtered through the sanctuary floor into the finished basement below used for Sunday school classrooms and the youth area destroying the drywall, finishes and VCT below. |
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The education wing EPDM roof have to be replaced in it's entirety and repairs made to the rooftop HVAC system. The three-story education wing sustained minor water damage from the roof leaks and window glass being broken.
Most of the work was in the sanctuary building which also contained the church offices. The church took the opportunity to lighten up the previously dark sanctuary. The exposed ceiling beams were wrapped in wood and painted white with new 12" x 12" ceiling tile inset between the exposed ceiling beams.
Since only one side of the sanctuary stained Glass windows was damaged we had to determine the glass manufacturer and colors in order to match the undamaged glass. After matching glass samples to the original windows, new windows were built only to find out that the color shades had changed over the years. We ended up sending in an undamaged stained glass window and the glass manufacturer made a special run of each of the colors, adding colors as necessary to match the remaining glass. New windows were built and installed with the special run stained glass.
The electrical contractor worked hard with GTB experimenting with different types of light bulbs in the existing hanging pendants and wall sconces to brighten the room and staying within the wattage limits of each fixture. The wood floor was dried out and repaired; underlayment was installed to help level the old flooring. Padding, carpet and the pews were installed reviving new excitement for the congregation.
This major rebuild was completed in less then six months from the date of loss.
