When Bellevue’s Glendale Country Club faced decisions about a deteriorating roof on the clubhouse and resulting water damage, the members, with some reluctance, agreed to a special assessment for repairs.
“Unfortunately, the required timing of this project coincided with the very challenging economic environment,” explained Mo Zareh, Glendale’s president.
Now, after nearly nine months of work, the $2 million project is drawing rave reviews for its aesthetics, expected paybacks and for being completed under budget and ahead of schedule. Many of the improvements are invisible to members and guests, but two obvious enhancements are the roofs.
Because of the terrain where Glendale is situated, the parking lot is at a higher elevation than the clubhouse so on arrival, members have a bird’s eye view of the rooftops for the clubhouse and pro shop/club storage building.
Now, instead of gazing upon deteriorating wood shakes, they’re welcomed with a new grand entry and colorful 4,000-square-foot green roof as the centerpiece. A high-performing metal roof replaced the worn shingles on the clubhouse. Both roofs are low maintenance with additional benefits of energy savings for heating and cooling.
Along with re-glazing the gable style dormers to the clubhouse, other eye-catching improvements included trellises, a new concrete stairway and hardscape.
The green roof, believed to be one of the larger ones in the Greater Seattle area, consists of seven layers, including waterproof membranes, a filter mat, specially engineered growing materials and a variety of carefully selected plants. Many of the plants, sedum, groundcover and grasses are drought-resistant and provide a palette of colors that change with the seasons.
A pleasing appearance is only one of the benefits Glendale is reaping from its renovation project.
While the timing during an economic downturn posed a financial challenge for some members, it presented significant opportunities for the club to save on labor and materials.
Club president Zareh said the economic climate enabled the club’s building subcommittee and project manager to negotiate favorable terms on several “out of scope” work items. Among the add-ons were a modernized HVAC and domestic hot water system, reglazing the dormers with double pane glass, a larger, more efficient gas meter, and some replacement siding.
Zareh said the expenditure for the HVAC and water system is expected to yield $30,000 in annual energy savings, resulting in a three year payback on the investment. Similarly, the club noticed immediate savings and comfort from upgrading to the double pane glass in the dormers.
Upgrading the gas meter, which involved work performed by Puget Sound Energy at its cost, is netting operating efficiencies and an expected savings of more than $30,000 in natural gas expenses.
Although the construction project created inconveniences and frustration for members (who temporarily lost their club storage facilities and had to navigate around construction fencing and contractors’ trailers and equipment), the enjoyment and praise were immediate when the work concluded.
Zareh credits the dedicated volunteers on the building subcommittee, who met weekly to monitor the project, and their contractor partners as keys to the project’s success. In particular, he praised them for their careful planning and cooperation that enabled Glendale to be fully operational while repairs were performed and throughout the construction phases.
Charter Construction, with offices in Seattle and Portland, was the general contractor. Project management and overall design review was by Bristal Design Group of Bellevue.
Glendale Country Club was established on its current 148-acre site in 1956. It is the only private golf course in Bellevue. The club was established in the 1920s, originally as a nine-hole course in Burien known as Glen Acres. Earlier this year, Glendale hosted the Washington Open Invitational.
