The Pinnacle Living (formerly Virginia United Methodist) historic Lydia Roper Home in Norfolk, Virginia was built in 1921 in honor of the late Lydia Roper for her dedicated service to ladies widowed by the Civil War.  Today the assisted living home provides the same welcoming and caring environment for older women as was originally intended when it was erected.  The Roofing Company has played an active role in preserving The Roper Home for many years, repairing slate, metal, chimneys, dormers, floors, gutters, and the porch area. This article features a recent project where we replaced a 100-year-old soldered internal gutter with copper.

The Roofing Company was first introduced to The Roper Home by a commercial roofing contractor for some Buckingham Slate roof repairs and internal gutter repairs.  Years later in 2014, there was suspicion of a leak in the laundry room.  A water test was conducted to recreate the leaks, the additional information from these tests proved the leak was a plumbing pipe and not a roofing leak.

The Roofing Company has continued to be The Roper Homes’ go-to contractor for several exterior projects, including a uniquely customized flat-lock soldered copper roof with a copper internal gutter system above the front porch. It’s quite remarkable considering the craftsmanship involved in such a project  – from specific tools, such as a soldering iron and dead-blow hammer, to each specific piece of copper custom cut to bend for a perfect fit on the roof.

The images below show the flat-lock and internal gutter system after 100 years and now in need of replacement.  See the pictures in the gallery of the fabulous workmanship completed by The Roofing Company team members.