Price the sanctuary and the fellowship hall as two separate roofs, because they are. The steep roof over the nave and the low, flat roof over the hall behind it fail for different reasons, cost different amounts and belong in different years of a building committee's budget. Both carry the same 60 psf design snow from the city. After that the numbers split. Send the plans, and we return a base scope for each roof, the alternates on their own lines and a schedule that keeps Sunday free.
The call: split the bid and fund the worse roof first
A church campus usually has a tall pitched roof with valleys, a ridge and sometimes a steeple, plus lower roofs over classrooms, a hall or a kitchen. The tall roof is expensive to reach and cheap per square foot to replace once the crane or lift is in place. The low roofs are cheap to reach and expensive per square foot, because they hold drifts, drains and rooftop units.
Bid them apart. A committee that sees one lump sum cannot tell which part is urgent. A committee that sees two numbers, with a core result behind each, can fund the roof that is actually leaking and hold the other for next year. That is a clearer decision and often a lower first-year cost.
What it costs: access, steeple work and the lift
Access drives the sanctuary price. A steep metal or shingle roof needs fall protection, roof jacks and often a lift or a crane. The steeple, a dormer or a tall valley can add a day or two each. Put the access equipment on its own line, so the committee sees it and can compare it against another bid.
On the low roofs, the cost is in the details: parapet flashing, drains and the curbs for the heating and cooling units that serve the hall. Those line items are small each and add up. We list them, give a price and let the owner decide which stay in the base and which go to alternates. A worship building often has a kitchen exhaust, a bell tower vent or a skylight over the nave, and each of those is another curb or flashing that needs its own price. Leave none of them as an allowance. An allowance is where change orders start.
What the code sheet says: 60 psf, 115 mph and ice barrier
Twenty inches of wet snow on a flat hall roof is a heavy load, and the city sheet pairs its 115 mph wind design with severe weathering and a 24 inch frost line.
On a steep roof, snow slides, and the load question becomes a safety question. A sheet of snow coming off a metal nave roof can land on an entrance. Snow guards above doors and walkways are part of the design in this climate, not an upgrade. Ice barrier goes at every eave and valley, because refreezing meltwater is a leading source of leaks on pitched roofs in this climate. The barrier is a sticky membrane under the roofing, and it costs little compared with the interior repair after a failed eave.
For the low roofs, we run a design check on drifts. A hall roof that sits beside a tall nave wall collects snow that slides and blows from the higher roof. That drift pocket can carry far more than the open field. We flag it and price any added framing before the bid is final.
Where it fails first: valleys, hall parapets and tall ceilings
Valleys fail first on pitched roofs: two slopes dump into one line and ice builds. Next, the step flashing where the nave wall meets the hall roof. Then the drains on the hall, which freeze and back water against the wall.
A leak above a tall nave ceiling can run a long way before it shows, so a stain on a plaster wall is usually far from the opening. We trace it with a moisture reading and a hose test, and we start at the highest point that could feed the stain. Roof drains and scuppers on the hall roof get a fall check, because that is the cheapest fix on the campus.
Alternates: standing seam, snow guards and a new hall membrane
Price the long-life option next to the standard one. A standing seam metal roofing system on the nave costs more up front and sheds snow, though it needs guards over every door. A shingled or membrane option costs less and needs more upkeep. For the hall, a white single-ply sheet is common, and a cover board adds hail protection.
The committee picks with numbers in front of it. If the budget is tight, we phase: the leaking roof this summer, the second roof next year, with the core results held in the file so the second bid starts from facts. A board that answers to a congregation is a lot like the board of a government building or a senior living community, where the people inside also have a say in timing.
Schedule and snow window: weekday tear-off, Sunday dry
Tear-off moves to weekdays, and the roof is dried in by Friday so Sunday services run normally. Noise during weekday office hours is the trade-off, and the pastor decides what is tolerable. Booking in winter for a June start locks crew and material. Every roof on the Rathdrum Prairie, from Hayden to Post Falls, draws on the same short dry window, so the crew calendar fills early.
Wind is part of the schedule. A tall nave roof with a half-open edge is exactly what a windstorm finds. We price temporary tie-ins and do not leave a ridge open overnight. A loose edge is the first thing a gust finds, and a ridge cap that lifts over a nave lets rain and snow straight into a space nobody wants to close for a week. That is why wind damage roof repair starts at the perimeter.
Closeout: a roof file the next committee can read
Committees change. The roof file should not. It holds photographs of every drain, flashing and seam, the core results, a roof diagram and the punch list. A new treasurer can open it and see what was done and when. A fall visit clears the drains. A spring visit checks for ice damage. Nothing fancy, and it works. The same file works for a church in Hayden or one in Coeur d'Alene.
Commercial Roofing Questions
Why bid the sanctuary and the hall separately?
They fail for different reasons and cost different amounts. Separate bids let the committee fund the roof that is leaking and delay the other.
Do we need snow guards on a metal nave roof?
Over doors and walkways, yes. A sheet of snow sliding off a steep metal roof is a safety problem. Guards break it into small pieces.
Can services continue during the reroof?
Yes. We dry in every day and finish by Friday, so Sunday runs normally. Noisy phases stay in weekday hours. Weather days push the dry-in, and we tell the pastor by Thursday if Sunday is at risk.
How do we trace a stain on a tall plaster wall?
Start at the highest roof point that could feed it. We take moisture readings, run a hose test and follow the water down. The stain is rarely under the opening. Photographs of the underside of the deck help us follow the water.
What does ice barrier cost, and is it optional?
It is a priced line item, and the city design sheet marks it required. It goes at eaves and valleys where meltwater refreezes.