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RURAL
BUILDER
cover story
B Y
S C OT T
TA P PA
Making the best of a
situation
Post replacement
can extend
useful life
of post-frame
buildings
L
inc Rinkenberger started his career
in the rural building industry with
FBi Buildings, working in the
company’s service department. He handled customers’ warranty claims, negotiating settlements for steel or fasteners
that needed to be replaced. He also
replaced posts that had rotted to the
point of concern, but was never quite
pleased with the ultimate solution. “We
always stuck wood back in the ground,
and it looked kind of shabby,” he says.
“At the time, that was the only fix.
Today we have another avenue.”
About a 1-1/2 years ago,
Rinkenberger took a job with Meyer
Building Corp. in Craigville, Ind.,
looking to move closer to the Fort
Wayne area where he grew up. He also
was looking for a chance to work with
a different type of post retrofit product that keeps wood out of the
ground, the Perma-Column. “It’s
26
The post replacement process, step by step: Rotten posts are located, siding detached, and
skirtboard removed (above). An auger is used to drill a hole next to the face and sides of the
rotten posts (above right). PERMA-COLUMN PHOTOS
totally transformed the post changeout,” he says.
Post changeouts keep Rinkenberger
and his retrofit crews plenty busy. He
says he has seen rotted posts in buildings erected by just about every major
company that builds in the Midwest,
and the building owners most often
seeking him out are farmers.
The customers
“Post-frame has really taken off
in commercial applications in the
last 10-15 years,” Rinkenberger
says. “But where we’re seeing the
problems is in the ag buildings,
they’re the focus of a lot of the
changeouts. I feel that back (when
the buildings were erected) there
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Trusses are supported with a 20-ton hydraulic
bottle jack and a brace/column comprised of
three 2x6 pieces of SYP (left).
were issues with the amount of wood
that was treated, and how it was treated. From what I’ve heard wood treatments were skimped on, especially back
in those times.”
Rinkenberger says most buildings
that are candidates for post changeouts
are between 20 and 30 years old. The
issue, in Rinkenberger’s view, is the
treatment of choice used to treat posts.
“My take is the posts treated back in
the ’60s with creosote, those posts seem
to be holding out real well,” he says. “In
the ’70s, they switched treatments,
especially with the salt treatment, that’s
a critical thing right there. I have not
yet seen any 0.6 or 0.8 (pcf) CCA posts
RURAL BUILDER ❙ MARCH 2006
rotted off, that came in during the
mid-’80s.”
When building owners call
Rinkenberger, they are more disappointed than angry. “They’re a little bit
surprised, because they were told these
posts would last forever, or at least 40
or 50 years,” he says. “They’re not up in
arms or going crazy, but they’re concerned. They want to know how they
can fix the problem, and make it a lasting fix.”
The search for a lasting fix resonates
more with farmers than with other
post-frame customers, Rinkenberger
says, because farmers tend to own
buildings for multiple generations,
rather than leave them every five years
or so like the typical homeowner.
Replacing the posts is a more costeffective solution than putting up a
new building. “If you’re looking at a
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A chainsaw is used to cut the rotten post off
at ground level (above). No measuring is necessary at this point. With the truss supported, workers remove the rotten portion of the
post and clean out the hole to provide a
level, compacted base for the concrete pad.
(above right).
new building, it can be anywhere from
$10-$15 per square foot, maybe higher
or lower,” he says. “On an average post
changeout you’re probably looking at
$200-$250 a post. You do have to
replace skirtboards and do things like
that, but for the most part it’s simple.”
The process
Simple, but time-consuming and
labor-intensive. Like any building project, a proper post changeout requires a
great deal of advance planning and
coordination among crew members,
28
STORY
and skipping steps in the process is not
feasible.
Tools necessary for a post changeout
are by no means exotic, and should be
accessible to most rural builders. First
and foremost, says Rinkenberger, is a
skid-steer with an auger to help remove
the posts — “You can dig them out by
hand, but it’s time-consuming and it’s
not fun.” Also needed is a nail puller, a
20-ton bottle jack, and a saw capable of
cutting the post, either a chainsaw or
an 8-inch minimum circular saw.
The process starts when
Rinkenberger gets a call from a building owner who thinks his building has
rotted posts. Rinkenberger visits the
building and digs down beside the
post, about a spade’s worth, and it is
usually obvious whether or not significant rotting has occurred. Other tests
include sticking a prod or pounding a
16-penny nail into the post at ground
level.
“From the ground level up 2 inches,
down to about 10 inches or so below
grade, that’s where we’re seeing the
bulk of the problem,” he says. “Not
every post in the building is rotted, it
kind of jumps around here and there.
For the most part, I would say half to
two-thirds of the posts are showing
signs of decay or are in serious need of
help.”
Rinkenberger uses no scientific
analysis to determine the state of the
posts. “It’s a judgment call on behalf of
myself and the customer,” he says. “If
the customer doesn’t want to do it, it’s
no sweat off my back. But if the building were to go down, it’s going to be a
big mess, and instead of spending a
couple hundred bucks a post, they’ll
have to spend several thousand to build
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it back.”
The changeout begins by using a
laser or transit to mark every post at
about 1 foot above grade. “I hesitate to
say it’s exactly 1 foot, it depends on
whether there is solid rock under the
building and other variables,”
Rinkenberger says. “We shoot for a foot
of Perma-Column out of the ground.
When we mark the post, that is our target as to where to make the final cut.”
Detaching the siding and skirtboard
from the posts is the next step. A big
key here is to take off only as much
skirtboard as can be reattached at the
end of the workday. “I don’t recommend taking the skirtboard off all the
way around the building,” says
Rinkenberger. “If you do that, and a
windstorm comes through, there are
some negative possibilities there.”
Clearing out the rotted post comes
next. For a building that does not have
STORY
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a concrete slab floor, workers can come inside the buildings
and dig right in front of the post. A 24-inch diameter auger
can punch a large enough hole in which to operate. “If the
post is still attached, great; if not, you have room to work and
clean out around the post so you can get down there,”
Rinkenberger says. “If there’s no pad underneath the post, we
recommend you put a concrete pad under there.”
While two workers dig around the post, others work securing the truss with a jack. Rinkenberger’s crew uses a jack comprised of a 2.5x2.5 quarter-inch piece of steel welded to the
bottom of a 20-ton bottle jack. The crew takes three SYP 2x6s
to the site and assembles a makeshift three-ply column with
Existing posts are marked and cut to the desired clearance of the new
Perma-Column installation (left). The new concrete posts are positioned
and installed (below).
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the center ply removed a foot or two
down. They then jack the truss up about
a quarter-inch.
Once the truss is secured, the post is
cut off at the ground level, the stub
removed, and the hole cleaned and
prepped. Cutting the stub can be accomplished in different ways. Some crews
use a chainsaw, others a circular saw.
Rinkenberger’s crew assigns two people
to hold back the metal siding while
another uses the saw to cut the post.
Then it’s back to step 1: determining
how much of the Perma-Column will
stand above grade to ensure a uniform
appearance throughout. Some holes will
have an extra 6 inches to fill; the crew
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Perma-Columns are then positioned
and installed.
Once the new posts are in place,
skirtboards need to be attached. Since
most pre-existing skirtboards on these
projects also have rotted, they need to
be replaced with new materials, and
current regulations stipulate these be
treated with a wood preservative other
than CCA. When using a skirtboard
treated with a copper-based preservative, Rinkenberger recommends wrapping it with a barrier membrane so
steel does not directly contact wood.
Typically, the entire post will not
need to be removed. Rinkenberger says
several times he has seen posts rotted
16 or 18 inches above grade, and one
time removed an entire post, but those
New skirtboard is installed and siding reattached, completing the changeout. The
process typically costs $200-$250 per post.
are the exceptions rather than the
norm. Still, he says, “The best advice to
anyone doing it is to be thorough.
When I go to a jobsite I check every
post. If you do an inside-outside
inspection, you’ll be able to tell. Knock
on the post, run some nails in.”
The labor
“We have five or six guys on a crew,
and we have a system down,” says
Rinkenberger. “They split up into two
three-man crews sharing the Bobcat,
with the driver in one area punching
the posts, the other guys prepping.”
Rinkenberger says if a crew gets in a
rhythm, changeouts take about an
hour-and-a-half per post, although
with the number of variables involved,
from the skirtboard to the condition of
the post below grade, it can take longer.
“It’s an easy job to do, but it’s a lot
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Taking the place of backed-out fasteners
L
evi Fisher works with builders in
Pennsylvania, and a few years ago
he noticed a problem with poultry facilities in his area. They were
leaking, and he knew just what to
blame: the fasteners.
“People were running 1-inch screws
into 2x4s, and they seemed like they
were in good shape, but the roof leaks,”
he says. “The expansion and contraction of the metal works the screws out;
then the dew settles on the roof
overnight, and it runs down the holes.”
To help rectify the situation,
Fisher’s company, Levi’s Nails &
Screws, makes a replacement fastener
that fills the holes left by backed-out
screws and nails. The #12 retrofit screw
comes in 1-1/2- and 2-inch lengths,
which Fisher says is essential for prop-
er holding strength. “Putting the metal
on with 1-inch screws into 2x4 purlins,
that’s a no-no,” he says. “That’s not
long enough. Expansion and contraction work those screws out.”
Fisher tells the story of one building where 1-inch screws were used to
fasten metal panels to purlins. “It
looked like one guy had a batch of
twist-outs, and overtightened all the
screws he put in, which stripped the
threads,” he says. “He left them in
there, and four years down the road,
every screw that guy put in backed out
or rusted in the hole. Every one standing up is rusty, and the roof leaks. I say
put a #12 in, every contractor should
have them.”
Fisher concedes that #12 screws cost
twice as much as the standard fasteners
his customers use, but says one builder
uses #12s for overlaps on long pieces.
Livestock facilities are more susceptible to screw backout because they are
often clad with aluminum panels.
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Giving an old metal roof a ‘hug’
N
building feels more solid, it’s tighter. That’s
othing lasts forever, including
the hidden advantage of this system. If you
some metal roofing systems. Many
lay wood down on top of the existing roofcontractors are finding the best
ing, it will wobble. It’s not an attachment
solution for large low-slope projects is
to the structure.”
another metal roof, and they install that
In 2004, Roof Hugger paid for engineernew metal roof without tearing off the old
ing and testing of its product. Results
one. Products like the Roof Hugger make
showed that the notched and nesting subit possible.
purlin enhanced the existing capacities by
Millions of square feet of retrofit metal
averages of 1.2 to 1.46 of the rated capacity
roofing have been installed over the Roof
of 35 pounds per square feet of roof. The
Hugger in the last 15 years.
average added dead load of a new roof over
Austech Roofing Consultants of Austin,
the Roof Hugger is 1.25 to 2 pounds per
Texas, has been a part of several commersquare foot; the data showed an increased
cial and school projects with the Roof
capacity of 7-15 pounds per square foot,
Hugger.
depending on the web height of the
“It’s worked extremely well,” says Ken
notched sub-purlins used in the tests.
Olinger of Austech. “Obviously, there are
David Eglinger is a surveyor and analyst
some structural issues you have to deal
for Crowther Roofing and Sheet Metal in
with. A structural engineer should help
Fort Myers, Fla., and often works in high
determine how the structure is affected
wind zone areas. His job is to make assesswhen you’re adding weight because the
Interstate Panel of Hamilton, N.J., installed
ments of the roof structure and wind uplift
structure has to be strong enough to sup9.75 miles (51,500 linear feet) of the Roof
required for a retrofit project, if a retrofit
port it.”
Hugger for a military project in Dover, Del.
Andy Anderson of Interstate Panels in
Roof Hugger spacing in the field of the roof system is a solution. Eglinger says using the
Roof Hugger increases the wind uplift valHamilton, N.J., has been using the Roof
is every 5 feet on center. Spacing on the
ues of the overall roofing system.
Hugger for almost 10 years and reports no
perimeters is every 2-1/2 feet on center. A
“There are two other benefits,” he says.
problems. The Roof Hugger is a nesting Z
2-inch isocyanurate board insulation was
installed between the Roof Huggers. The
“First, you don’t have to tear the roof off
sub-purlin system that attaches to the
project called for more than 28.7 miles
and expose the business underneath to the
structure through the existing low slope
(210,000 square feet) of 22-gauge Ultra
elements. Second, you don’t have to tear off
metal roofing panels. The sub-purlins are
Seam US200 mechanically seamed panels.
part of the roof to replace or add purlins
custom manufactured to “hug” or fit over
BALLARD BUILDERS PHOTOS on the perimeters. The economic impact
that profile. The new roofing panels are
on the business may be greatly reduced if a
attached to the Hugger and to the framing
tear-off of part of the roof is not necessary. Also, the liability
below the old roof.
involved with the exposure to what’s underneath is almost
“The key is documenting the profile, either sending in a
eliminated.”
piece of the (original) roofing panel or getting real accurate
So it’s important for the building owner to realize the overmeasurements of the roof panels,” Anderson says. “It can be a
all cost of the project, taking into consideration what precaureal problem even if it’s off by 1/8-inch. You can’t stretch those
tions have to be taken if all or part of the roof is torn off, as
things out on big projects.”
well as the potential loss of revenue if the roof is gone.
Anderson knows a thing or two about big projects.
“The Roof Hugger is a fairly lightweight system, and what I
Interstate Panel is currently installing a retrofit metal roof
like to do when we’re installing a new metal system over an
with the Roof Hugger on a project in Dover, Del. The project
old one is put insulation in that cavity,” Olinger says. “Adding
calls for about 210,000 square feet of roofing and 51,500 linear
insulation doesn’t add too much weight and the benefits are
feet of Roof Hugger. “It took them a week to make that for
obvious.”
us,” Anderson says.
Olinger says there are alternatives to the Roof Hugger or
There are less expensive options than the Roof Hugger and
similar systems, but most have their drawbacks. Covering the
Anderson says it has been suggested to him to lay wood slats
metal roof with a membrane roof carries a comparable cost,
in the old roofing and attach the new metal roofing to that.
but changes the aesthetics of the building. “Another option is
He says that simply isn’t as good. “The Huggers add structure
to take off the metal panels and go back with a new metal
to the roof,” Anderson says. “You can feel the difference within
panel system,” Olinger says. “But with a Roof Hugger, you
the building before and after. We’ve had customers tell us the
34
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Miller Roofing of Lafayette, La., installed 16,700 square feet of roofing over 9,200 linear feet of the Roof Hugger on the Aviation Maintenance
Technology Building at Louisiana Technical College. The panels, manufactured by Architectural Building Components of Houston, were 22 inches wide
ARCHITECTURAL BUILDING COMPONENTS PHOTOS
and 101 feet long.
don’t really expose the interior of the building, and that’s a
benefit.”
Olinger says it is important to know why any retrofit system is necessary. In other words, some sort of failure must
have occurred to cause the building owner to inquire about a
new roof. “You must be diligent about surveying the old roof,”
he says. “There must be problems. Has the roof allowed water
into the building? Is the insulation wet? In most cases, you
have to do some demo work, removing and replacing damaged materials.”
Architectural Building Components in Houston is one of
the largest installers of the Roof Hugger and actually has private labeled it. Charlie Smith of Architectural Building
Components says the Roof Hugger offers the option of using
fixed and floating clips to direct thermal movement.
“We do a fair amount of re-roofing with the Roof Hugger
and intend to do a lot more,” Smith says.
For the contractor as well as the building owner, using the
Roof Hugger offers a profitable solution.
“Obviously, I’m trying to make recommendations, taking
into consideration what they can afford,” Eglinger says. “We
can build the Taj Mahal if they want, but it doesn’t do them
much good if they can’t afford it.” ■
—By Jim Austin, associate editor
For more information on the Roof Hugger, circle reader service number 35.
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