Close
SEARCH
CONTACT
1-800-699-5695 E-MAIL: /contact-us
PHONE HOTLINE: 1-800-699-5695

Private Residence (CW)

St. Louis, Missouri

This historic Tudor-style residence, on a private street and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was among the hundreds of St. Louis properties damaged by the 2025 tornado. The homeowner first called on Renaissance for emergency work to protect the house while the insurance claim was resolved, then selected Renaissance to restore the natural slate roofs on both the main house and the carriage house, along with all of the copper work and low-sloped roofing.

Work Included

Main House

  • Complete tear-off and replacement of the natural slate roof with 18" x 10" Vermont Unfading slate, installed with traditional "shadow line" coursing
  • New self-adhering underlayment at eaves, valleys, hips and penetrations, with high-performance underlayment over the remaining roof surfaces
  • Custom 20 oz. copper gutters matching the original shape, size and configuration, with 4" smooth round copper downspouts and custom collector boxes
  • 20 oz. copper valleys, gutter aprons, mitered hip pans, custom ridge caps and dormer parapet wall flashings
  • Multi-piece 20 oz. copper chimney flashings and pocket flashings fitted to the contours of each chimney
  • Copper wall-to-roof flashings at the dormers, with the half-timbering, stucco and slate cladding carefully detached and reset
  • New Vermont Unfading slate on the slate-clad dormer walls
  • New low-sloped membrane roofing over R-30 continuous insulation, with 20 oz. copper perimeter flashings
  • Lead plumbing vent and chimney tie flashings with copper plumbing vents
  • Complete replacement of the slate roof with Vermont Unfading slate, including saddle-style slate hips on the lower hipped roofs
  • Full-coverage, high-temperature ice and water underlayment for the low-pitched slate areas
  • Salvage and reinstallation of the original Laclede double slant clay coping caps, supplemented with matching reclaimed pieces
  • New copper gutters, gutter aprons, ridge caps and chimney flashings
  • New low-sloped membrane roofing and termination flashings

Carriage House

  • Complete replacement of the slate roof with Vermont Unfading slate, including saddle-style slate hips on the lower hipped roofs
  • Full-coverage, high-temperature ice and water underlayment for the low-pitched slate areas
  • Salvage and reinstallation of the original Laclede double slant clay coping caps, supplemented with matching reclaimed pieces
  • New copper gutters, gutter aprons, ridge caps and chimney flashings
  • New low-sloped membrane roofing and termination flashings

THE CHALLENGE

The owner had consulted several out-of-town contractors after the storm but had doubts about the quality and completeness of their proposals. Some offered piecemeal or temporary repairs that did not take the home's historic designation, or the level of craftsmanship it required, into account.

The scope was extensive. Two structures needed full slate replacement, and the main house featured dormers where Tudor half-timbering, stucco and slate cladding were installed directly over the original step flashings, so they had to be carefully removed and reset to properly flash each wall. Original details, including the shadow-line coursing on the main house and the Laclede clay coping caps on the carriage house, had to be preserved or faithfully recreated.

THE RENAISSANCE SOLUTION

Renaissance documented the storm damage in detail and developed a complete restoration plan that respected the home's architectural character while meeting modern performance standards. The team worked with the insurance carrier and supplied documentation to support a full and appropriate scope of work.

On the main house, the original slate was replaced with Vermont Unfading slate, and the headlap was increased from 2" to 3" in line with National Slate Association and Slate Roofing Contractors Association guidelines for a longer-lasting roof. To recreate the home's distinctive look, our crews installed a new starter course and cant strip every five courses. This "shadow coursing" technique produces a horizontal relief line across the roof and adds visual depth while keeping uniform slate color and texture.  

Every flashing, valley, hip pan, ridge cap and gutter was custom fabricated from 20 oz. copper, and the chimney pocket flashings were built to Copper Development Association specifications.

On the carriage house, the headlap was matched to each roof's pitch, and full-coverage ice and water protection was installed beneath the low-pitched slate. The original Laclede double slant coping caps were salvaged and reinstalled in their original locations, with matching reclaimed caps replacing any that were damaged. Low-sloped areas on both structures were re-roofed with new membrane systems, and the main house's low-sloped roofing was built over code-compliant R-30 continuous insulation.

THE RESULTS

The home and carriage house have been restored to their historic character, with slate, copper and clay details that reflect the original design. Upgraded headlap, underlayment and flashings mean the property is better protected against future storms, and the homeowner can move forward confident that the residence received the care and craftsmanship it deserves.