The basic concept of converting flat roofs, with ponded water and all of the associated problems, to slightly pitched roofs is very well received by school board members and school superintendents.
“You can’t do that.” That was my response to Jim Shoemaker in early 1979 when asked if I could convert a portion of his flat roof to a pitched metal roof. Jim was president of Bennett Metals, Wilmington, Ohio. I had just completed an addition to his flat-roofed concrete building using a single-sloped metal building with a metal standing-seam roof system. Jim’s request came because he was continually moving finished products out of the existing building area, where they were being damaged by water from roof leaks, into the new metal building, where the interior space was being kept dry by the new metal standing seam roof.
After many more requests from Jim, I finally agreed to at least look at the possibility of adding pitch to an existing flat roof. In October 1979, I signed a contract with Bennett Metals to add pitch to a 40-foot by 40-foot roof area and install a new metal standing seam roof. The work was completed in early 1980 and Jim Shoemaker now had a dry area in his existing building where he could store finished product.