TRA Snow and Sun Owner Works with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on New Tile Roofs That Are More …

Midway, UT (PRWEB) September 03, 2014

In the 1970's, the LDS Church studied which roofs would provide them with the best "life-cycle cost" and decided that concrete tile roofs was the best option. They incorporated a standard plan for meetinghouses nationwide that specified concrete roof tile which Terry Anderson assisted in designing and writing.

When the architectural specifications were finished Anderson recalls, "I thought it was the best tile roof spec in the industry."

The practice of specifying and installing concrete tile roofs continued until the mid 1990's and Anderson was a consultant on many of them. But, a system-wide roof warranty from tile manufacturers was not required on those projects (they warrant only product) and when roofs failed due to damage from sliding snow and ice, vandalism and original installations that did not follow architectural specifications, Church leadership switched over to asphalt shingles and other roofs that warranted the entire roof system.

In the last few years, there has been a new desire to offer other roof standards for Church meetinghouses including a system warranted concrete tile roof and Terry Anderson, who now owns TRA Snow and Sun, is once again advising the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on roofs of new meetinghouses.

Anderson is well known in the roofing industry for his expertise in concrete tile (i.e.: Bartile, Eagle Tile, Boral Tile) and for inventing the original Snow Bracket for tile. Anderson is best known for co-authoring the Concrete and Clay Tile Roof Design Criteria Manual for Cold and Snow Regions. He is a long-standing member of the TRI (Tile Roof Institute) and the Western States Roofing Contractors Association and also contributed to the content of the Moderate Climate Guide Concrete and Clay Tile Installation Manual for Moderate Climate Regions.

"I have always believed that tile roofs are the best choice if you want a good life-cycle cost, so I was frustrated the Church moved away from tile. As a general rule asphalt shingles on the churches have only been lasting about 17 years and then they have to be replaced. Most concrete tile lasts much longer than that if installed properly. I am happy to be helping the Church design new specifications and details and work with them to get a complete tile roof system with a system warranty."

The new LDS Church specification that Anderson is helping design is considered a "cold roof system." The new specification calls for a counter-batten system. This system allows air movement underneath the tile , which increases the life of the underlayment, cools the structure in the summer by allowing heat to escape, and keeping the roof an even temperature in the winter which reduces the risk of ice dams at the eave. Ultimately this will not just result in a longer life cycle for the roof, but also provide savings in energy.

Eagle Tile, of Southern California, and Bartile, of Centerville, Utah, are training installers whose certification they will stand behind, insuring that the on-site installers know exactly how to properly follow the church specifications. Both companies are currently working with the Church to provide warranties for not just their tile, but the entire roof system. This is possible due to detailed specifications, clearly drawn details, certified installers, inspections at key points in the construction process, and at completion, certification that the roof has been installed as specified.

Two roof projects in Utah with concrete tile roofs are being re-roofed using the new, improved concrete tile cold roof system. They are located in Midway and American Fork.

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TRA Snow and Sun Owner Works with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on New Tile Roofs That Are More ...