Warning: The new public library in Springfield has a roof detail you should check out

I was there last Thursday picking up a book for my kid and I looked up. The whole entryway has this standing seam metal roof, but the way they flashed it into the brick facade is super clean. They used a custom bent piece of copper that's maybe 8 inches wide, tucked under the last seam and then mortared into a cut groove in the brick. No exposed fasteners, no caulk bead. It looked like it was poured in place. I've been on roofs for 12 years and I've never seen a transition that tidy on a big public building. Has anyone tried a similar method on a residential scale, or is that overkill for a house?

3 comments

3 Comments

haydenj902mo agoMost Upvoted

Try that copper detail on a dormer.

noah_davis2mo ago

Yeah, that's the real test. Saw a place over on Maple where they did it, and the patina against the slate roof was perfect. Makes a standard dormer look custom.

tarac161mo ago

I've got a buddy who tried something similar on his craftsman bungalow two years ago. He used a pre-weathered copper piece on the roof-to-dormer transition and it came out looking like it belonged to the house originally. I was skeptical at first because copper is expensive and you have to cut the brick just right, but he took his time and it really paid off. The patina blends with his slate roof now and you'd never guess it was added after the fact. It's definitely not overkill for a house if you plan to stay put for a while. That level of detail just makes the whole property feel more solid and cared for.