Maintaining the million-plus pieces of slate that make up the roof of the Empress Hotel isn’t a job — it’s a calling for the father-son duo who have been on duty since 1990.
“This is our life’s work,” said Korby Grist, 42, whose father, David, is 66 and still going strong.
The annual bill for re-roofing comes in between $200,000 and $300,000, depending on what needs doing beyond the slate tiles, such as all dormer copper roofs, flashings, fixtures, dome tops and other items also undergoing replacement this year.
Korby Grist was in the final days last week of replacing slate tiles 60 metres above the street on Humboldt Tower — the hotel’s highest point, added in 1929.
The complex château-style roof totals 90,000 square feet, said Grist, a certified sheet metal journeyman experienced in slating techniques specific to heritage buildings.
The relationship between the hotel and Grist Slate and Tile Roofing dates to 1967 and currently involves four craftsmen.
The Grists and crew have worked on the Empress roof for six to eight months a year for all but three of the past 25 years, said hotel operations director Cole Millen.
“Eventually, there will be a point where it is finished, but that’s still a few years out,” Millen said.
Working hours are generally 9 to 5 because hotel guests aren’t keen on waking to the sounds of nails being pounded in at dawn.
The slate tiles, originally sourced from Spain, have long been ordered from a Quebec quarry and are among the best quality in the world, Korby said.
“There’s no question of the difference between the old and new tiles,” Millen said. “You can see it from the ground.”
The re-roofing adds “a tremendous esthetic value for the hotel,” he added.
