Rutland Architectural Blog - turret

Copper Roofing - Custom Copper Work

Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:42:39 GMT

The stunning copper roofing turret featured in today's architectural blog article is fashioned from custom diamond shaped copper roof tiles and is topped with a spear shaped copper finial turret roof cap. This lovely turret copper roofing graces and enhances this beautiful new home undergoing final stages of construction. Additional custom copper work includes copper flashing, half round copper gutters, round copper downspouts and copper leader heads adorned with copper lion head castings. Radius round copper gutter encircling the base of the copper turret roof is planned.

Beautiful Palatial Home with Custom Architectural Copper Work

Copper Roofing on Turret with Custom Copper Roof Tiles

Close-up of Copper Roof Turret with Copper Finial Roof Cap

Round Copper Gutters and Downspouts - Copper Leader Head

This custom metal and copper work is being installed by Shelby Roofing & Sheet Metal Inc. from Brampton, Ontario who services the greater Toronto metropolitan area. Shelby is a full service residential and commercial roofing, siding and custom metal contractor. They reroof old style tar & gravel or install latest environmentally friendly TPO flat roofing and sloped roof materials include asphalt, cedar, slate and metal. Shelby works with all metals from painted steel to pure copper and zinc. Their custom metal working and copper work includes standing seam panels, wall siding, dormers, fascia, soffit, flashing, gutters (eavestrough), downspouts (downpipe), chimney caps and bay roofs. All photos above are courtesy Shawn Power at Shelby Roofing (www.shelbyroofing.ca)

Rutland welcomes and appreciates pictures from all of our clients including builders, contractors, architects, designers, renovators or remodelers of new construction or renovations, whether completed installations or work in progress which feature one or more of Rutland's many roofing accessories, gutter supplies, custom metal fabrication, architectural copper work and our custom copper home decor accents, copper kitchen accessories and garden sculpture products to feature in one of our blogs. Rutland customers with architectural pictures from either residential or commercial projects please send them to us via e-mail with narrative describing your project and pictures.

Naples - Ft Myers - Seamless - Gutters - Copper - Work - SW - Florida

Thu, 07 Oct 2010 21:42:04 GMT

Today we share a few pictures of some wonderful seamless gutter system installation, copper roofing and other types of copper work in the South West Florida coastal area including Naples and Ft Myers. The corrosive salt air environment being right on the Gulf of Mexico makes copper gutter systems and other architectural copper work the longest lasting and best solution due to copper's excellent corrosion resistance, durability and weatherability. Copper is also a very green building material and all the copper can be recycled 100% at the end of it's up to 90 plus year lifespan.

The home in the above pictures has a very nice installation of half round copper gutters, round copper downspouts, round copper goose neck elbows, decorative copper gutter and downspout brackets and copper leader heads shown mounted inline on the downspouts directly below the gutters. The copper gutter system has already developed a warm reddish brown patina which blends in beautifully with the clay tile roof and house trim work.

The residence in the picture directly above, also has half round copper gutters including a graceful radius or rounded copper gutter curving around the edges of this lovely copper roof positioned above the entryway porch.

This two story sun washed residence shows some nice closeups of the copper half round gutters and round copper downspouts which are a fairly new installation, as you can tell by the more shiny pure copper gutter and downspout appearance. The bottom picture shows the symmetrical downspouts looking somewhat like a performance car's dual exhausts. A lovely and intricately detailed copper railing can also be seen on the 2nd floor balcony in the top picture.

The house above has an extensive array of elegant copper work including a conical copper roof on top of the distinctive protruding turret to the front right. There is a copper roof deck railing or widow's walk which can be seen on top of the home. There are also copper balcony railings and copper window shades - shutters. And of course there are also round copper gutters and downspouts to coordinate nicely with the other copper work, roof and trim.

Painted K-Style Gutters and Corrugated Downspout

Painted Half Round Gutters and Round Downspouts

The two homes in the pictures above show painted gutters and downspouts. The top picture shows painted common K-style gutters with conventional corrugated downspouts, albeit in two-tone brown gutters and white downspouts as specified by the builder. The contrasting bottom picture shows attractively painted galvalume half round gutters and round downspouts, along with decorative gutter hangers and downspout straps which enhance this home's gutter system. Aluminum and galvalume represent two of the lowest priced materials for gutters and downspouts with approximately 30-40 year lifespan providing they have a quality paint coating like Kynar. Galvalume optionally may also be left uncoated with a medium grayish appearance that weathers well and still lasts about 30-40 years. Aluminum oxidizes quickly and should be maintained with a quality coating.

All seamless gutter installations and copper work shown above were performed by the SW Florida Rutland Guttering team. They can install any kind of gutter system including half round, k-style (ogee), box, quarter round and custom styles of gutters. Their downspout options include seamless round, smooth square, round fluted and rectangular corrugated styles. Gutter and downspout material choices include copper, aluminum, galvalume, stainless steel, galvanized steel, zinc and lead-coated or zinc-coated copper (with grayish appearance). They are experienced with any size and scope of residential and commercial guttering projects and architectural copper work. You may visit their website Rutland Guttering - Architectural Copper Work to view additional pictures of their extensive residential and commercial work, also to obtain more information and get contact details. Rutland Guttering provides a comprehensive lifetime warranty on all of their residential gutter system work.

Radiused Copper Rain Gutters

Finials

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:51:42 GMT

A finial can be thought of as an architectural finial, which simply is a decorative or ornamental architectural piece usually mounted at the apex or very top of any architectural structure. Finials can also denote the decorative ornaments, knobs, balls, terminations or tops to posts, poles, rods, furniture or lamps. In typography, finials are the curves terminating type font strokes. This blog concentrates on architectural finials which may be placed on top of a roof, gable, tower, turret, pinnacle, steeple, spire, arch, dome, gazebo, canopy, cupola, chimney cap, wall, garden structure or other architectural device. Finials are used decoratively to emphasize the apex, peak, ends or corners of these architectural structures. Finials also provide heightened architectural interest, flourish, elegance, majesty and provide the crowning touch to distinctive architectural structures, fine homes and distinguished buildings.

Copper Finials - Outdoor Roof - Garden Finials

Finials are usually thought of as the ornament or decorative piece mounted at the very tip of related architectural structures which are all taller than wider, such as pinnacles, turrets, spires, steeples and towers. These various architectural structures are somewhat similar or related, primarily differing in size, scale, location, shape or historical context. Often one of these structures is placed on top of another and the transition between them may either be obvious or be fairly seamless. Finials mounted at the very peak of these structures have historically been a cross, star, ball, spear, cone, needle or may have been something more elaborate or ornate. Tall finials fitted with an extension and insulated may also be utilized as a lightning rod. Architectural devices such as finials have sometimes been scaled up in size to where some finials start to resemble and perhaps becomes a small spire or pinnacle.

Octagonal Finial Spear - - Hexagonal Finial Ball Aluminum - - Scrolled Copper Finial

Pinnacles are simply defined as small decorative turrets or spires historically located at corners of a roof, parapet, buttress, tower, pier, gable or elsewhere. Pinnacles are largely an ornamental structure, usually round in shape like most turrets or else tapering like a spire and are terminated at their peak by a pyramid, small spire or finial. Pinnacle is also described as an architectural ornament forming the cap or crown of a buttress or small turret and used on parapets at the corners of towers and other locations. Pinnacles while decorative also help promote the loftiness or towering majesty of a building structure.

Finials - Octagonal - Pyramidal Base with Finial Balls - Finial Cones

Spires are simply any slender, pointed architectural structures on top of buildings or other structures such as towers. Spires can be conical, pyramidal and octagonal in shape terminating in a point or else have a decorative finial perched on top. Many centuries ago, spires originally were a simple, four sided, squat, pyramid shaped roof capping on top of church towers. Spires evolved towards ever slimmer and much taller forms with a more organic connection to the tower below. Early spires had crockets or steps at their edges for ease of maintenance by steeplejacks. The word spire is derived from the Anglo Saxon word for spear. In fact many modern spires can be even more pronounced spear or needle shaped than their pointy predecessors. Spires may convey several symbolic attributes. Pointing at the heavens, they can have a celestial or religious connotation which is why they were popular on top of cathedrals and churches. Spires provided a spectacular visual culmination to churches while being a symbol of heavenly aspiration. Spires also connote the religious order's or building patron's wealth and prestige. A spire's spear shape can also be symbolic of martial power, might and strength or in public buildings of civil power and hope. Reaching to the skies, spires can also be symbolic of aerospace, outer space and the future. Modern spires include the Space Needle in Seattle and the extremely tall spires located on the tallest buildings or skyscrapers in the world. The planned Freedom Tower in New York will be topped with a spire. Spires are never out of fashion and continue to be used in modern architecture. At the very top of spires you often will find a decorative or ornamental finial. Modern day finials have taken on many forms or shapes with unlimited designs and the pointy, spear shaped finial designs are reminiscent of spires. Some pointy finials have increased in size and scale and are perhaps considered smaller spires and called spires by some.

Finial Square Tapered - - Pineapple Finial Copper - - Octagonal Finial

Steeples are tall mostly ornamental towers usually topped with a spire and finial. Steeples usually comprise a series of stories, each typically diminishing in size and topped off by a small pyramidal roof, cupola or oftentimes a spire. Steeples are very common in Christian churches and the use of the term typically connotes a religious structure or church steeple. Steeples may be free standing towers or else are incorporated structurally into the entrance or center of a building, such as a church or temple. Steeples usually taper towards a point at the top, are surmounted or topped by a spire, or are themselves simply a large spire. Steeple design was possibly originally influenced by obelisks and pillars dating back to ancient Egyptian architecture. Obelisks are simply four sided tapering towers or pillars ending in a pointed or pyramidal top. Obelisks were historically monolithic, meaning carved out of a single stone and were used as monuments placed at the entrance to temples.

Cathedrals with Turrets, Spires, Pinnacles and Finials
(photos courtesy Aleister Crowley and Georges Jansoone - CC by SA)

Turrets are simply small attached towers or tower shaped projections from a building. Typically most turrets are round with a conical or other pointed roof though sometimes a domed roof. Some turrets are square or octagonal in shape. Turrets are usually topped with a pinnacle, spire or decorative finial. Turrets are always smaller structures attached to the edge of a building compared to towers which are larger and invariably start from the ground. Turrets can extend out from the sides or corners of a building via corbels or extend up from the roof top effectively adding another story. Rounded turrets also provide contrast to angled lines of a building.

Assorted Turrets - Copper Finials - Conical Octagonal Copper Roof

Towers are slender buildings characterized by great height, always much taller than their width or length. Often very tall towers taper from story to story towards their top and often terminate in a pyramidal roof or pointed spire, usually octagonal or conical. Many church towers and public building towers were designed to incorporate a spire. Towers symbolize prestige, supreme power, authority, majesty and might, similar to what steeples and spires convey.

Roof Top Finials - Copper Domes with Copper Finials (weathered)

Modern day finials come in all shapes, designs and sizes to enhance any style of current architecture. Finials add a decorative, crowning touch to most any architectural structure including roof peaks, domes, turrets, towers, steeples, spires, chimney caps, cupolas, gazebos, canopies, landscaping - garden walls and posts. View 50 different finial designs including weathervanes, pineapple finials and ornate finials at Rutland's Copper Finials webpage. Rutland also provides CAD design drawings and specifications for all of their standard finials, located on each individual finial model's webpage. Rutland finials come in many different sizes; many of Rutland's larger finials are 3 to 6 feet in height and still larger finials and spires may be constructed. Rutland's architectural copper work and metal fabrication craftsmen will fabricate any of Rutland's standard finial designs in a number of different sizes, different base shapes and will also custom manufacture finials and spires to your own architectural design and exact specifications.

Cupolas with WeatherVane Finials and Copper Ball Finial

Finial Assorted Base Shapes (may be specified for any Rutland Finial Design)

Chimney Caps with Copper Finials

Copper Finial Video on YouTube