Beth Tfiloh Congregation Sanctuary Skylight Installation

Beth Tfiloh Congregation Sanctuary Skylight Installation was a technically complex restoration project led by Lewis Contractors to reintroduce natural light to the sanctuary while resolving long‑standing water infiltration issues. The original skylight, installed when the building was constructed, had leaked and was ultimately roofed over to protect the interior and avoid disruption to congregational services. Lewis Contractors was engaged to remove the temporary roofing and install a new custom, dodecagon‑shaped skylight positioned more than forty feet above the sanctuary floor.

The primary challenge of the Beth Tfiloh Congregation Sanctuary Skylight Installation was access and risk management. All work was executed without entering the sanctuary interior, requiring a carefully engineered exterior approach. Lewis Contractors installed scaffolding near the main entry, temporary walkways across the sloped roof, and roof‑mounted scaffolding systems to safely transport workers and materials to the skylight location.

Following selective removal of portions of the existing skylight assembly, Lewis Contractors constructed a temporary working platform on the existing steel compression ring that supports both the skylight glazing and the sanctuary spire. This platform served as a stable work surface while also acting as a debris‑protection barrier for the occupied space below. The approach allowed religious services, school activities, and community events to continue uninterrupted and kept the installation concealed until the final reveal.

A key technical decision involved fabrication strategy. Rather than removing the skylight to take field measurements and leaving the building exposed under temporary roofing, Lewis Contractors coordinated fabrication strictly from the design documents prepared by McClaren Engineering. This minimized roof exposure, reduced schedule risk, and allowed the new skylight to be installed efficiently once fabrication was complete.

The new skylight and roofing system were carefully integrated with the existing structure and roof assembly. Performance was validated almost immediately when the installation successfully withstood a major thunderstorm, confirming watertight integrity. The completed work restored a defining architectural element of the sanctuary, improved interior daylighting, and permanently resolved previous leakage—demonstrating Lewis Contractors’ ability to execute precision construction in sensitive, technically demanding conditions.