LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Meeting the requirements for durability and aesthetics, a standing seam metal roof from Drexel Metals tops the new Oak Farm Vineyards wine and hospitality facility in Lodi, Calif.

“Metal was really the only choice for this project,” said lead designer John Vierra of Delta Building Inc. of Acampo, Calif. “Metal was a nice contrast to the rest of the facility, which is mostly wood. Metal was an economical choice as well. It’s durable and available in a wide variety of colors.”

The Panella family, owners and operators of Oak Farm Vineyards, chose Colonial Red for the winery … 20,000 square feet of 24-gauge Galvalume in a 1-1/2-inch snap-lock profile with striations to mitigate the appearance of oil canning. The panels are 19 inches wide and up to 26 feet in length on an 8:12 pitch.

 “It was steep and tall,” said Richard Pruden, owner of roofing installer Pruden Roofing in Stockton, Calif. “We carried every panel up a ladder. We had to be extra careful.”

The wine and hospitality facility, built by Nickell Construction of Galt, Calif., includes a 360-degree tasting bar, floor-to-ceiling vineyard views, a private room for wine club members, two indoor and two outdoor fireplaces and a covered terrace.

A central plaza connects the tasting room with the winery, which includes a tank room, laboratory and barrel room – complete with chandeliers – for tours and special events.

In addition to the steep roof pitch, the design of the building included 16 time-consuming valleys, a job made easier once Drexel Metals arranged for the delivery of a SnapTable HD from Swenson Shear. “Initially, it took me and three guys four hours to install panels on one valley,” Pruden said. “Once we got the SnapTable, it took us an hour, so it saved us a lot of time. It cut panels, hemmed them and notched them for us. I think it’s safe to say it paid for itself with this one job.”

The SnapTable HD features an adjustable table width to accommodate panels measuring 12-22 inches, a notching station equipped with a slope-calibrated ruler that allows for 29-inch notching offset and a slitter that cuts a 33-inch maximum angle. 

Pruden says his company recently has seen an uptick in commercial business in its area and now manufactures and installs about 50 percent residential roofing and 50 percent commercial roofing. A new DM-ARM (Drexel Metals Association of Regional Manufacturers) member, Pruden was able to take advantage of Drexel Metals’ engineered metal roofing systems and equipment and custom fabrication services. The DM-ARM program allows manufacturers and installers better control, more efficiency and the ability to provide “metal roofing on-demand.”

“Drexel Metals is the ‘back office’ support for the contractor, providing technical support, submittal information, warranties and a national presence to allow all parties to feel comfortable with our products and industry-leading warranties,” said Ken McLauchlan, regional manager for Drexel Metals. “For the Oak Farm Vineyards project, being a DM-ARM member allowed Pruden Roofing access to running panels and trim through Starr-light Designs, a DM-Arm Fabrication contractor. Phil Starr and his crew provided onsite panel forming and fabrication of all the trims for the project, including the custom penetration flashings.”

McLauchlan pointed out that having panels and trim produced onsite eliminates damage during transportation and greatly reduces waste.

Drexel Metals Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., with locations in Philadelphia, Baltimore, Tampa, Denver and more than 60 DM-ARM Authorized Fabricators throughout the U.S. Drexel Metals also has sales offices located throughout the country. For more information, call 888-321-9630 or visit www.drexelmetals.com or www.residentialmetalroof.com.