Listening to Roofers

by Kathy Ziprik, Staff Writer

As a builder, you deal with subcontractors and specialty installers on a daily basis. And, you most likely appreciate their insights into their areas of expertise.

Not every builder gets up on the roof to install a roof. That's why you have trusted roofers.

If you could gather a group of professional roofers in a room and ask them about synthetic shake and slate roofing tiles, what would they tell you?

We're saving you the time and effort. Below you'll find comments from professional roofers who share their experiences installing composite roofing. Read on for their expert advice.

"Natural slate and cedar shake shingles can be increasingly difficult to maintain over time in the Pacific Northwest environment. When homeowners see the advances of man-made polymer roofing tiles they get almost giddy with the idea that they'll be spending much less of their valuable time and money on maintenance to remove unsightly moss and algae from their roofs.

"We're seeing that more and more customers want long-lasting and low maintenance features in their roofs. The Bellaforté roofs we're installing offer those advantages plus the look is very realistic. The beauty of these tiles coupled with the lifetime limited materials warranty are features that homeowners in our area are very excited about."

Jordan Eades
President
HOPE Roofing & Construction - Washington

“The quality and authenticity of the DaVinci Roofscapes product matched with its affordability has allowed us to carve out a successful business niche in our area. This product has helped increase our sales while providing homeowners with a premium impact-resistant roof that helps protect their home from severe weather."

Nathan Barbuto, Jr.
Owner and President
Nathan’s Roofing, Windows & Siding - Virginia

“We’ve done numerous re-roofing jobs with slate and shake profile tiles from DaVinci Roofscapes. When we’re bidding on a job, we showcase these products because they look great when properly installed, offer an excellent warranty and have a Class 4 impact rating which is very important in our area.

“Part of educating our clients is making sure they understand that this roofing product is a smart investment for their home because it adds value and helps protect the home in severe weather conditions. In particular the shake products are appealing to our customers because they so accurately replicate the look of real cedar shake roofs.

"We make sure to remember that each home has the potential of being a masterpiece when finished. Our dedication to using quality products and accurately installing each project brings us strong referrals each year.”

Mark Bloyer
Owner
Bloyer Roofing - Kansas

"Polymer shakes are perfect for this geographic area. Traditional wood shakes 'hold' the water from melting snow. Those saturated shakes weigh more and cause the freeze line to be a part of the shake. With the DaVinci product, the water is not absorbed into the tile, so snow melting is faster and more efficient. This can also help reduce the ice damming effect in many locations."

Taylor Greene
General Manager
Bruce Olson Construction - California

"After a microburst, the majority of concrete tiles sustained very serious damage, with many others demolished. Of the three DaVinci Roofscapes composite roofs we installed in this community, one home had zero damage. Another home had one missing ridge cap. The third home needed approximately ten feet of ridge replaced. That's absolutely nothing compared to the devastation that all the other homes in that neighborhood experienced.

"The look and durability of these imitation slate and synthetic shake shingles is simply incredible. For our geographic area—and any part of the country that can get severe weather—the impact resistancy of the polymer products is a tremendous asset. In the many years I've been installing DaVinci polymer roofing, we've never had one of their roofs totaled by hail.

"Nothing will protect a home from Mother Nature if a tornado is sitting right on top of you. But if you're on the outskirts and just getting pounding hail or strong winds, at least a man-made polymer roof will give your home a fighting chance."

Mike Heiland
President
Heiland Roofing and Exteriors - Kansas