The roof is completed! Come see it!
The Roof Project Fund has reached $108,015 as of October 27. Thank you, this is a tremendous response to our request. Unfortunately, the repair costs have also increased to $185,000. To see more photos click here.
Repairing and replacing the sanctuary roof is a large and costly job. The roof bearing timbers are are 187 years old–some of them were showing their age and needed bracing. The brace work with individually crafted iron supports has been completed. Insulation is going in. The old roof will be torn off in the next week if the sunny weather continues and the new one will go on. The masonry work removing two chimneys and repairing the exterior wall above the choir loft has been completed.
Below is the letter that has gone out to the community of Stockbridge and the church:
Dear Members and Friends of The First Congregational Church,
We need to tell you that our beloved 1824 Church is in need of major repair. A recent study has revealed significant problems in the sanctuary roof area.
The Trustees’ initial thought was to merely replace the old worn asphalt shingles on the sanctuary roof. In preparation for this work, however, we discovered that the roof problems were much more extensive than anticipated. There are two layers of shingles on the roof now that must be stripped before we reshingle. The 177 year old wood sheathing supporting the shingles sags, and in places is rotten or missing, making it necessary to replace much of it. In addition, Ted Randolph and Jack Sobon, architect and timber frame building expert, have uncovered several instances where the timber roof structure has pulled away from the support plates at the top of the side walls, or has rotted at the base of the rafters. These timber repairs can only be done while the roof is opened up.
While the roof is off, there are three masonry concerns that must also be addressed. One is an inoperative chimney that once vented a wood stove used for heating the Church. Since this chimney is no longer needed, we plan to remove it to below the roof line, eliminating points where future roof leaks might occur. Second, an inspecting mason is concerned about loose bricks ad mortar in the gable wall above the choir loft. Finally, the chimney currently used to vent the sanctuary furnace must either be repaired, or the furnace itself replaced with a direct-vent model and the chimney torn down.
We will be soliciting quotes from qualified contractors to do this work. In the meantime, our architect has estimated the total cost at $100,000. While we do have the recently established Historic Property Fund, it is our hope to use these monies only for annual maintenance items. We need this fund to go on into the future, and using the Historic Property Funds to underwrite this project would essentially empty it out. Therefore we feel compelled to fund this as a stand-alone project. Your support is needed. You can play a big role by making a contribution to the roof project.
We expect the work to be completed during the current construction year.
Please mail all donations to First Congregational Church, P.O. Box 825, Stockbridge, MA 01262, drop off at the Church office or leave in the Sunday collection plate. Please indicate in the memo area of your check “Roof Project”. In the Sanctuary and Jonathan Edwards room there are signs with donation envelopes for you contributions anytime.
A great big thank you goes to the Church Service League who are donating $4,000 to the Sanctuary Roof Project which brings us to a total of $20,000 in donations.
Sincerely,
Stuart Benedict, Trustee Chairman
Work Nov 2, 2011 on sanctuary roof