In the Miami suburb of Boynton Beach, Fla., an exclusive community is currently under development that will take luxury living to a whole new level. Nestled in a pristine countryside setting, the 280-acre Equus Community is an elegant estate home community that features over 5 miles of uninterrupted horse trails, two 10-acre ponds, a 60-acre wildlife preserve and a 7,000 square-foot clubhouse that offers residents all the amenities of a world-class resort.



With a beautiful backdrop and some of the most luxurious homes in south Florida, Equus Community offers unlimited possibilities for homebuyers in search of a relaxed, traditional lifestyle.

In the Miami suburb of Boynton Beach, Fla., an exclusive community is currently under development that will take luxury living to a whole new level. Nestled in a pristine countryside setting, the 280-acre Equus Commu-nity is an elegant estate home community that features over 5 miles of uninterrupted horse trails, two 10-acre ponds, a 60-acre wildlife preserve and a 7,000 square-foot clubhouse that offers residents all the amenities of a world-class resort.

While the unspoiled surroundings make Equus the perfect place to settle down and relax, what truly makes this community such a unique place is the European-style homes that populate its tree-lined streets. With a beautiful backdrop and some of the most luxurious homes in south Florida, Equus Community offers unlimited possibilities for homebuyers in search of a relaxed, traditional lifestyle.

Construction

The construction of the multi-million dollar homes that make up this luxurious community began in 2003 with more than 115 already built and occupied. By 2010 Equus Community will be home to 280 of south Florida’s most delicately crafted estates, each with its own lake or wildlife preserve view.

To speed up the development of this one-of-a-kind community, three homebuilders are working around the clock to construct the distinctive, multi-million dollar homes. One of those builders, Ecclestone Signature Homes from nearby Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., is slated to build 70 homes within the community, nine of which have already been completed. Ecclestone is offering two styles of homes within the community, the Windsor and Versailles II, both from its Portfolio of Dreams’ collection.

Like all of Ecclestone’s model and custom homes, the 5,000-plus square-foot Windsor and 7,000-plus square-foot Versailles II are constructed with the most premium building materials and come standard with luxurious master suites, formal dining rooms, a library, private gardens, in-ground pools and a spa. Both models serve as an impres-sive presentation of the expert craftsmanship and manor-style design that homebuyers expect from Ecclestone and the Equus Community.

Features

One of the most distinctive and recognizable features on the Ecclestone homes is its steep, 8:12-pitched roofs, which feature a beautiful, concrete shake tile. The concrete tiles offer a classic shake profile that enhances the old-world appeal of the elegant homes, while the steep slope provides an unrivaled architectural appearance.

In charge of installing the tile roof systems on all of the Ecclestone homes is Roof Concepts, Inc., a local contrac-tor from nearby Port St. Lucie, Fla. Due to safety concerns associated with the severe pitch of the Ecclestone Home roofs, local building codes required the use of a self-adhesive, waterproofing underlayment underneath the concrete tiles.

Understanding that quality and performance are essential components of the Equus Community, Roof Concepts chose to install Polystick™ TU Plus, self-adhesive underlayment manufactured by Polyglass® U.S.A. Polystick TU Plus is a homogeneous rubberized asphalt waterproofing underlayment, glass fiber reinforced, with a high-strength polyester fabric on the upper surface.

“Everything that goes into developing the Equus Community is of the highest quality and the roofing un-derlayment should be no different,” said Dan Mattia, project manager at Roof Concepts. “We chose Polys-tick TU Plus because we know Polyglass makes a premium product that has proven itself time and time again.”

Designed specifically for tile roof applications, Polystick TU Plus utilizes Polyglass’ ADESO® technology - a patented dual-compound formula applied in a factory-controlled setting that eliminates the need for torches or mops on the rooftop.

“Although they are somewhat dangerous, hot-mopped waterproofing systems are very popular in this area,” said Mattia. “Polyglass’ self-adhesive underlayments are easier and faster to install and they eliminate the danger associated with the hot asphalt kettles. On steep-pitched roofs like those here in Equus, self-adhesive products like Polystick TU Plus are essential.”

The processes behind ADESO technology gives Polyglass the ability to manufacture underlayments utilizing a true APP, SBS and TPO modified bitumen compound on the top surface, and an aggressive self-adhesive com-pound on the bottom surface. The strong self-adhesive underside bonds instantly to the roofing substrate, mak-ing the installation of a Polyglass underlayment safe, fast and efficient.

Along with a hassle-free installation, the self-adhesive Polystick TU Plus provides excellent waterproofing protection and ensures superior performance of the tile roof system. “We have so much faith in Polyglass and all of its underlayments that they are the only self-adhesive waterproofing membranes we install,” stated Mat-tia.

Plywood Roof

Before Roof Concepts could adhere the Polystick TU Plus, they had to install 5/8-inch plywood roof decks on the newly constructed Ecclestone homes. After the plywood was nailed to the roof trusses, Roof Concepts laid down a 30-pound felt that provides additional protection to the recently installed roof deck.

After the felt was rolled out and nailed to the deck, Mattia and his crew adhered the Polystick TU Plus di-rectly to the felt. The Polystick TU Plus was installed horizontally across the roof. Roof Concepts began at the bottom and worked their way up, maintaining the proper overlays with each new membrane. By work-ing from the bottom up, Roof Concepts ensured that any water that seeped behind the tiles would easily shed off the roof without getting under the Polystick TU Plus.

An additional benefit of Polystick TU Plus, and all of Polyglass’ SA Self-Adhesive underlayments, is Poly-glass’ innovative lapping system that consists of SEALLap®. SealLap is a patented feature that enhances sealing at the side seams making tight seals at the seams and faster end laps.

Another reason Roof Concepts chose Polystick TU Plus was because of its non-slippery, top surface. Polys-tick TU Plus is available with a skid resistant top surface that made working on the steep-sloped roofs safer and easier. The skid resistant surface is just one of many Multiple Surfacing Solutions (MSS) offered on Polyglass’ SA Self-Adhesive underlayments.

An integral part of the ADESO technology, Polyglass’ MSS are the result of a flexible manufacturing process that facilitates the application of a variety of customized surfaces and provides a wide selection of roofing solu-tions. The available surfaces range from skid resistant, UV resistant, energy efficient and non-abrasive, and all surfaces provide long-term exposure along with excellent aesthetics.

“Safety was a major concern here at Equus because of the steepness of the roofs,” said Mattia. “We didn’t want to have to worry about slipping and falling because of a slick underlayment. We were tied down during the en-tire installation, but the skid resistant surface on Polystick TU Plus made a dangerous job a little bit safer.” According to Mattia, Roof Concepts always uses Polyglass SA Self-Adhesive underlayments because they stand up to long-term exposure to exterior elements. Polystick can be exposed to the weather for several months, a reassuring property considering the constant threat of rains, and worse yet hurricanes, in south Florida.

Contractors

The development of a community such as Equus also requires working very closely with many different con-tractors. It could be weeks from the time an underlayment is installed until the roof is completed because of the work schedules of HVAC or electrical contractors just to name a few. The ability to be exposed to exte-rior elements for long periods of time make Polyglass SA Self-Adhesive underlayments ideal for projects where tiles may be stacked on rooftops for extended periods of time.

“In the construction industry things do not always work out according to plans,” said Mattia. “Because of the schedules of other contractors, it could be a long time until we cover the Polystick TU Plus. It’s reassur-ing to know that these houses will remain in the dry even without the tiles in place.”

After the Polystick TU Plus was adhered, Roof Concepts had to install 1-inch by 2-inch battens over top of the underlayment. The 10-foot long battens were installed across the entire roof surface, providing a place to fasten the concrete tiles while helping to maintain the slope of the roof.

Installation

To install the battens, Roof Concepts simply nailed them into the plywood deck, through the Polystick TU Plus under-layment. Because Polystick TU Plus features a self-healing property it easily formed around the protruding nails without compromising the waterproofing integrity of the roof system.

Roof Concepts finished the roof installation by mechanically attaching the concrete shake tiles to the battens and into the plywood deck, again puncturing the Polystick TU Plus. Manufactured by Hanson Roof Tile, the Chalet Shake tiles offer a distinctive appearance unrivaled by most roofing products.

Because of the beautiful surroundings and the estate-like homes, people from south Florida are lining up for the chance to get into Equus Community. By utilizing Polystick TU Plus, Roof Concepts is doing its part to fill the de-mand for this one-of-a-kind community.

“It’s only taking us four days to install the roofs on these houses and three of those days are for the tile,” said Mat-tia. “The Polystick is so easy to work with that it only takes us one day to install.”

For more information, visitwww.polyglass.com.