Property Types We Roof
National Guard Armory Roofing near Federal Way, WA
A superintendent on an armory job asks for the drill calendar first. He wants the weekends when the hall is full, the weeks when a unit is in the field and the days when the building holds only a few full-time staff. The roof sequence is built on that calendar, and the deck walk follows once the unit has confirmed which weekends are firm.
Camp Murray sits next to Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Lakewood and houses the Washington Army and Air National Guard headquarters along with the Washington Emergency Management Division. It was commissioned as a National Guard base in 1889. A typical armory or readiness center combines a tall drill hall, lower wings and a parking lot that doubles as a staging area, and the roof plan has to fit that mix.
What does the first walk of a drill hall roof show?
The superintendent walks the hall roof first, since it is the widest and the tallest. Cores at low corners and under rooftop units give the layers, and pull tests grade the attachment. He checks the wall joints where the hall meets the lower wings.
The lower roofs get the same walk. Offices, classrooms, storage and vehicle bays each have their own roof and their own consequence if water gets in. A roof condition report ranks them. A leak over a communications room or an arms room outranks a leak over a corridor, and the plan says so. A guard facility on or beside an active installation may also share a drive and a gate with the Army installation next door, which affects badging and delivery times, so we ask who controls each gate before the first truck is scheduled.
How are tear-off limits set around drill weekends?
Each day begins with the limit line painted on the roof. The big sections wait for the quiet weeks, and the hall roof stays sealed on drill weekends. A section opened midweek is dried in before the unit arrives on Friday evening.
If the schedule changes because of a training exercise or a call-up, the superintendent has a second section planned. A temporary seal goes on every open edge before the crew leaves, and the crew leader photographs it for the file. If the unit's training moves a weekend, the superintendent adjusts the next week's sections and sends the revised plan to the facility manager the same day. With about 40.8 inches of precipitation falling on roughly 155 wet days a year in Tacoma, each day's open area stays small in the wet months.
Where do the crane and lay-down yard go on an armory lot?
Armory lots hold vehicles, trailers and sometimes equipment. We agree with the facility manager on a yard away from the vehicle bays and the drill field. The crane pick is scheduled for a weekday morning, with fencing around the swing radius and a clear route for emergency vehicles.
Gate procedures vary. A state-controlled armory may need a call to the manager and a sign-in. A federal site adds badges, vehicle inspections and escorts. A federal site's specification usually points to the Unified Facilities Criteria for roofing, which also governs submittals. The crew list is submitted early on either type of site. We also ask which entrances stay open for the unit's own use, and keep the crane and the lay-down yard clear of them. Material for the next section is staged on the roof, not in the lot, so the vehicle bays stay open.
What is the order from tear-off to dry-in on a drill hall?
A section goes through stripping, deck check, substrate board repair, insulation, membrane or panel and an edge seal, in that order. A drill hall has long spans, so deck deflection is checked before new insulation goes down.
A standing seam metal roof sheds rain quickly and suits long spans. A TPO roof suits low-slope wings with many penetrations. Cover board goes down where crews walk to rooftop units. Each open section sits under a temporary cover until it closes. On a state-owned building the 2021 International Building Code, as amended in Washington, and the 2021 energy code for commercial buildings are the documents against which insulation values are checked before material is ordered.
How do you tie the hall roof into the wings and secure edges?
At the step down from the drill hall to a lower wing, water running off the high roof lands on the low one, which is why the wall flashing, termination bar and sealant are drawn out and a splash pad or diverter is set at the wall's foot. A failed flashing at that joint is the usual source of leaks into offices.
Edge securement takes its cue from the November 2024 bomb cyclone and its 74 mph at Enumclaw. Edge metal and the nailer behind it get pull-tested, and the results are filed. Vehicle bay door heads get the same treatment as a wing joint, since overhead doors sit directly below and a leak there lands on equipment.
How do full-time staff and drilling units keep working?
A few staff are in the building every day, and a larger group arrives on drill weekends. We give the facility manager a daily plan and a weekly look-ahead, and we keep loud steps away from training sessions and briefings. Interior protection goes up over equipment and records before tear-off.
The crew works the way military installation roofing demands: escorts where they are required, tools counted in and out, and a call to the building contact every day. A hall with vehicle bays follows the sequence for a military hangar and maintenance facility, with added attention to exhaust and door heads.
What goes into the closeout walk?
A last walk of the hall and wings brings the facility manager or the state inspector together with our crew leader. Seams, curbs, drains and edges are checked, and each open item is painted where it sits. At the end the file holds the roof plan, core cut locations, fastener patterns, product data and warranty forms.
A state that runs many armories benefits from one file format across all of them. An armory near Lakewood and one in another county end up with files that read alike, and the closeout package from one site helps the next committee plan the next roof.
Commercial Roofing Questions
Can roof work happen during drill weekends?
Quiet tasks such as inspection and small repairs can. Tear-off and heavy lifts are scheduled for weekdays between drills. The hall roof stays sealed on drill weekends, and we protect rooms below any open section before the unit arrives.
How do you protect arms rooms and communications spaces?
Those rooms get interior protection first and are ranked highest on the roof plan. The superintendent confirms access rules with the facility manager, and the crew stays out of restricted rooms. A moisture check follows any rain while a section is open.
Should we recover or tear off an armory roof?
The cores decide. Dry insulation over a sound deck makes a recover cheaper and quieter. Wet insulation across much of the field means tear-off is safer. The core results and a marked plan go to the walkthrough.
Does a state armory follow the same rules as a federal base?
The funding source and the owner set them. A state site may need only a sign-in, while a federal site adds badges and inspections. We ask for the specification early and plan for whichever applies.
What is the best time of year for armory roof work?
Summer, when sections dry in faster: Auburn's July brings 0.9 inches against 6.1 in November. Wet months mean smaller daily open areas and sealed edges before the crew leaves.
Send the roof plan and the drill calendar
Send the roof plan, the drill calendar and the facility's access rules. We will walk the sequence, staging and tie-ins with your facility manager before a number goes on paper.
