Nugent Builders had, however, recently done exterior restoration work on a similar church in a nearby town. Sobie says a major factor in that project’s success was a relatively new, high-tech material called cellular PVC, which has earned recognition for weather-resistance from builders and architects over the past dozen years.
Rick Kapres is vice president of sales and marketing for Versatex Building Products LLC, the company that manufactures the materials selected for the St. Patrick’s project. He explains, “People think of PVC as plastic pipe, vinyl siding or lawn furniture, but this is an infinitely more sophisticated product. It’s developed specifically for exterior architectural applications.
“For one thing, that means it’s formulated with a cellular structure that makes it as workable as wood. It’s very stable, and it’s easy to cut, rout or fabricate into built-up shapes. And—if you choose—you can paint it.
“In addition, it’s completely unaffected by the elements. Moisture, mold, insects or sunlight won’t damage it, so it can perform well and retain its appearance indefinitely, with no maintenance at all.”
When the Nugent Builders team replied to the parish’s RFP, they presented the building committee with sample components milled from PVC. They were prepared to discuss aesthetic concerns about the use of a 21st-century material to restore an all-wood landmark. But, to their relief, the pastor and parishioners readily approved the PVC.
The Rev. Mark Peacock is the pastor at St. Patrick’s. “As long as we were able preserve the tower’s original design, we felt we were respecting the church’s authentic character,” he says. “And there was a practical side, too. We recognized that, by choosing this material, we could spare the parish many years of expensive maintenance. This is a solution that will outlive us all.”
Sobie’s demolition crew swing into action, making multiple trips with the lift to remove 1,280 square feet of weather-beaten pine. The fragments were trucked to the Nugent fabrication shop to be carefully measured and photographed. No drawings had survived from the building’s construction, but components rescued from the tower’s four sides yielded all the information needed to replicate each design element in PVC.
Thanks to CNC machining technology, old-school details such as trefoils, each 10 feet on a side, were crafted to 1/16-inch tolerances. The raw material—extruded cellular PVC in sheet and board form—came from Standard Supply & Lumber Co. in Grand Rapids.
Although fabrication went smoothly, installation was a painstaking task. The lift could only accommodate two carpenters at a time, and had to be repositioned as the work advanced around the tower’s four 18-foot–tall faces. For safety, the workers came down when the wind rose above 25 mph. “And we had a lot of wind,” says Sobie.
Work also ceased for an hour each morning during daily Mass, and for occasional funerals. “Between the weather and the need to keep the church open, the whole process took a bit longer than we expected,” he says.
Both of the church’s bells remained in place throughout the project. The unexpected reconstruction was the final phase in a seven-year renovation campaign, and was completed in July 2014. An auction of salvaged original millwork fragments helped defray the cost of the restoration.
Parishioners pronounced the installation virtually identical to the original bell tower’s appearance in its heyday. A local historian said he was “overjoyed” with the results, citing PVC’s ability to capture the intricate details that lend character to the local landmark. “It’s as beautiful as it was the day they put it up, more than a hundred years ago,” says Fr. Peacock. “Over all, we’re thrilled.”