Installation

CMR Construction and Roofing, LLC knows roofs. The company is licensed in 20 states and has installed 29 DaVinci roofs nationwide in recent years.

"The DaVinci Roofscapes product has the beauty of natural slate, but with less cost and less weight, so it's extremely popular," says Kevin Smith, project leader for CMR Construction & Roofing, LLC out of Tulsa, Oklahoma. "Of all the synthetic slate products that have entered the market, DaVinci is the only one that has withstood the test and lived up to expectations."

"Many of its competitors fake slate and shake products exit within just a few short years in the market. It's the only product I recommend if a customer is looking for polymer slate products."

Smith believes the DaVinci lightweight roofing solutions are an especially good option for areas of the country subjected to hail and severe weather conditions. In 2010 he replaced the roof on the Imel home in Nichols Hills, Oklahoma after hail devastated the roof.

"The crew from CMR made our re-roofing experience a breeze," says homeowner Dean Imel. "I've personally been in the construction business for more than 30 years and know the difference between a good job and a mediocre one."

"Since I was at home during the steep slope roofing installation, I got to see them working every day. What impressed me was their attention to detail. CMR is a truly professional team that provided us with a top-rated roof that is unmatched in the marketplace. There simply is not another product out there that provides the durability, hail resistance and appearance that can touch the DaVinci roofing product."

 

Valleys are those areas on the roof where two slopes meet. They require a bit of extra care when installing slate roof tiles and shakes because you usually have to cut the tiles for them to fit. Before doing any reshaping and cutting of tiles, you have to decide upon the types of valleys you want for the roof. They can be either open or closed and both options have their differences.

Open valleys have a visible strip of metal flashing where the tile on both slopes ends.

Closed valleys (pictured) are closed where the metal is not visible. While there are some roof coverings that don't require metal flashing for closed valleys, DaVinci Roofscapes requires a self adhered membrane as underlayment, and copper, aluminum, or painted metal for open or closed valleys.

Costs can vary slightly for each type of valley, but the main difference may come down to appearance. If you would like a roof with an even, blended look, you may want to go with closed valleys as the tiles can appear to weave into each other. On the other hand, the right type of metal flashing in an open valley can provide a distinguished look to any home.

What type of valleys do you have on your roof? Tell us about your valley preference in the comments.

To learn more about the benefits of polymer roof tiles, email or call DaVinci Roofscapes at 1-800-328-4624.

 

You might have already read our Interview with Shawn Bellis of Epic Exteriors about DaVinci Roofscapes.  When I was interviewing Shawn, he kept comparing DaVinci to metal roofing, so I asked him if he would be game for talking about the metal roofing and DaVinci.  I was excited to learn about the differences from an an installer's point of view.  Please enjoy the interview below and let me know if you have any questions or comments by leaving a comment in the box below.

What is metal roofing like?  Is it a piece by piece application or does it come in sheets like asphalt?

Metal roofing usually comes in a 4 ft panel. There are different types of panels, including some that are ribbed on the back so that they are walkable.

The different types of panels are:

• Standing seam metal roofs,  which are usually used on commercial jobs and some rural homes. 

• Stone coated steel roofs. These are are compared to DaVinci the most because they are the same price point. A number of companies make stone coated steel roofs therefore there are a variety of different products - some that can be installed directly to the deck and others that have to be installed a batten. There are also those that look like an individual shingle that have to be applied to a solid deck with collapsible hinges.

What are some of the issues you've had as a roofer with metal roofs?

• Metal roofs are prone to cosmetic damage (whether they are standing seam metal roofs or stone coated steel roofs). While a 2 inch hail ball will not penetrate through the panel, it will still leave severe cosmetic damage.  So metal roofing manufacturers have hail damage/hail penetration warranties and in fact, some homeowner insurance companies make you sign a cosmetic waiver in order to get the discount for using metal as a Class 4 impact rated roof.

In other words, there is a big difference between a functional warranty and a cosmetic warranty.

• Walkability. Not all are are walkable.  If the metal is not walkable, then it is susceptible to denting upon installation.

• Repairability - It's tough to repair metal roofs because the ability to match the existing metal 5-10 years down the road is very hard.

• Maintenance is expected/required.  They used to, and sometimes still do, put metal roofs on top of 15-20 year old shake roofs. A natural shake roof is a breeding ground for mold, mildew, insects and you make that worse by covering it up with metal. By putting metal on top of shake you haven't eliminated your fire hazard.  In fact, I have spoken to fire fighters about roofs because when a house is on fire, one of the things they typically do is cut a hole in the roof to allow the smoke to escape. They really don't like metal roofs because cutting a hole is very difficult in the metal.

As far as performance is concerned, how do metal roofs stand up?

They are Class A fire rated with the right underlayment. You would have to check with your local municipality in order to know the exact requirements.

They can be Class 4 impact resistant, but again, that's only a functional Class 4, not a cosmetic one.

Freeze/Thaw Resistant - Yes

Maintenance Free - No

Color Fade Resistant  - Yes, unless no repairs are needed.

Lightweight - Yes.

_______

When it comes to lightweight roofing solutions, metal roofing and DaVinci are some of your best options.  However, Shawn prefers to install DaVinci over metal roofing because DaVinci has freeze/thaw resistance, color fade resistance, Class 4 impact resistance,  and Class A fire rating.  As well, DaVinci's green roofing options don't have maintenance expectations or requirements, nor do they have the issues with cosmetic damage that metal has.  Of course, Shawn also prefers the look of DaVinci and all the great colors that are available - so that if you have a repair or add onto your home, it is easy to match the roof many years later.

What are some of your questions about DaVinci vs. Metal Roofing?

There are various ways that home and building owners come across our lightweight roofing solutions.

Some people find us online, some people see the product on another house, while others discover it through their contractor or architect because they need a new roof for one reason or another.

Whatever your reason may be, there are several ways to go about finding a roofing contractor to install your DaVinci polymer slate roof or cedar shake alternative roof.

Here are 5 ways to find a roofing contractor:

1. Ask your neighbors and friends who they have used to install or repair their roofs And, more importantly, ask if they are satisfied with the work done by the contractor.
2. Ask your local roofing supply store who they recommend for specific products. They will know who is selling the most of a specific product and chances are, if they are selling a good amount of it, then they probably know what they're doing. There's no reason to accept that as fact so you will want to get testimonials/referrals from homeowners or building owners that worked with the recommended contractor.
3. Ask your Architect who they recommend.  Believe it or not, some architects are well connected and know about the work done by the recommended installer.
4. Ask your general contractor who they recommend.  More than likely, they have a roofing contractor or contractors that they use regularly.
5. Ask DaVinci if we know of a contractor in your area that has installed our product. You are welcome to email us or you can phone us toll free at 1-855-299-5301. If you are phoning internationally, you can reach us at 913-599-0766.

DaVinci does have a Masterpiece Contractor Program. This is not a certification program, as we don't require certification to install our products, but rather is a group of roofing contractors that are familiar with our products and have installed them several times.
 

DaVinci Roofscapes recommends the use of copper, stainless steel, or hot-dipped galvanized nails when installing DaVinci steep slope roofing tiles. The reason for the recommendation is that we expect our tiles to last for a very long time and we don’t want the fasteners to rust, become ineffective, and be the mode of failure of the roofing system.

A common form of nail for roofing not mentioned above are EG (electro galvanized) nails.  As a roofer I have seen EG nails and staples rust and lose their head or crown in 20 year or less. Admittdly I have seen these failures  in areas where there are periods of high humidity and moisture. While we know that it is oxygen that causes rust, without the addition of moisture, enough rust to cause nail  failure will take a long time.

Generally, DaVinci believes that stainless steel nails are the best fasteners for our luxury roof products. They can be gun driven and they will last a very long time.  We realize however that there are climatic regions where nail corrosion is not a factor in the long-term performance of the roof system. Therefore DaVinci Roofscapes allows the use of electro-galvanized nails and will support the DaVinci Limited Fifty-year Warranty when EG nails are part of the system. The exception to that is if the nails fail, any portion of the warranty associated with wind performance would be void.

No two roofs are exactly the same. They might come close in pre-fabricated homes that look like clones of each other but even then there are going to be subtle differences. Nevertheless, the roofs of most houses are typically one of a kind and this can present challenges to installation. Different degrees of slope and features such as turrets often call for specific types of tile. When one takes into account the planning required for placing tiles on a roof, first timers to the job can easily feel overwhelmed. Luckily, no matter how many angles and shapes a roof has, the job becomes far easier when working with composite roof tiles from DaVinci Roofscapes.

When you contact us, we will help you determine which product is best for your situation and help you pick out a color that will add a serious dose of beauty to your home. If you want to a hire a contractor to do the job, we also have an online request tool to quickly get you in touch with qualified contractors who live near you.

Have you installed tile from DaVinci Roofscapes on your home? Was it as challenging as you expected it to be?

Contact DaVinci Roofscapes by email or calling 1-800-DAVINCI to find the best roof tile solution for your home.

Anyone can appreciate the beauty of a tiled turret but roofers who have taken up the challenge of working on one of those cone-shaped projections have a special appreciation for the job. Unlike the easy-going way in which tile can be installed on other, flatter parts of a roof, turrets require massive amounts of time and ingenuity. The tapered aspect of the turret translates into manual labor done to shape each and every tile and can therefore be akin to a tricky, never-ending art project .

Nevertheless, roofers who don't want to spend huge amounts of their time in shaping and installing tiles on a turret no longer need to go that route. All they need to do is take four distinct measurements of the turret in question and send that information to DaVinci Roofscapes, along with a request for a turret package. The materials will arrive organized and with labeled starter tiles, numbered field bundles that are custom cut for each course. You won't find an easier means to make that turret look beautiful.

Have you tried out the turret package from DaVinci Roofscapes? Share your experience in the comments!

To get started on tiling those turrets, email or call 1-800-DAVINCI DaVinci Roofscapes  today.

 

If you have Googled the cost of a synthetic slate roof and have found this blog, you are probably looking for actual dollar amounts.  And while that is a fair inquiry for any budget, unfortunately because of the different varieties of roofs out there and also the different markets in which they exist, it's not easy to give a dollar amount.

If you are wondering about the cost of a DaVinci synthetic slate roof, there are some factors that you need to consider:

• Pitch of your roof
• Number of squares on your roof (this is something that your roofing contractor can figure out)
• Whether or not you want to lay the tiles in a straight or staggered pattern.
• Which of our 5 product profiles you are considering

Unlike other products, DaVinci does not charge extra for you to take advantage of one of our pre-collated color blends.  Many synthetic slate manufacturers charge more for different colors.

Other factors that will come into play when it comes to the overall cost of your roof:

• Labor cost
• Style of your roof:  if your roof has a lot of angles or is rather steep, then there will be more labor and time involved.
• Underlayment material cost
• Re-roof:  if you are re-roofing a home or building, you might have tear-off expenses and dumpster fees
• Location:  if your home is in a rural area or inaccessible for large trucks, then it might be more expensive to get the tiles to your home.

Do you have a DaVinci roof?  Where do you live and what type of roof do you have? Please share your story with us.

Since our lightweight roofing solutions are one piece roofing tiles, the majority of them can be laid in either a straight or staggered installation pattern.  The only exception, of course, would be our Bellaforté, which is laid straight due to it's interlocking mechanism.

But if you go with DaVinci Multi-Width Slate, Fancy Shake, Single-Width Valoré Shake, Single-Width Valoré Slate or Multi-Width Shake then you can choose to have the tiles laid straight or staggered.

Which one you go with really depends on 3 things:

1. What you want
2. The architectural style of your home
3. Your budget

Some homes, like Georgian-style homes, just call for a straight coursing roof whereas Tudor-style homes look great with a staggered coursing. Staggered coursings do require more material and therefore your synthetic roof cost will be slightly more.

Here's what a straight coursing looks like - all the tiles are aligned at the butt end.

Here's what a staggered coursing looks like. The tiles vary in alignment - they are staggered, in other words.

Are you a contractor looking for tips on how to install DaVinci lightweight roofing systems with a staggered installation?  You can learn some tips here about how to install a staggered pattern with chalk lines.

Has your customer requested something a little bit different than what our installation guide recommends? Of course, we are used to contractors experimenting with our tiles. Check out this funky stagger pattern that a DaVinci Roofscapes' Masterpiece Contractor in Colorado did.  Here's a double stagger in our DaVinci Multi Width Slate in Aberdeen blend - how fun is this?

Need further help?  Download our slate installation guide from our website to learn more about the details of straight and staggered installations.
 

Anyone working on a roof needs to be aware of some terms for key structural features. This helps with installation directions and gives a better understanding of how to turn your roof into a work of art. Although there are more parts to a roof than most people realize, some of the most important features include:

• Eaves: This refers to the part of the roof that extends out past the exterior walls at the bottom of the roof.
• Hip:The exterior angle formed by the junction of a  sloping side and a sloping end of a roof.
• Ridge:The apex of the roof where two slopes meet.
• Valleys: An internal angle where the bottom of two sloping roof panels meet. This term is appropriately named as this part of the roof resembles a valley.
• Dormers: The structure around a window that projects out of a sloped roof.
• Turrets: Cone-shaped parts of the roof that project upwards. It can be challenging to apply slate roofing materials to these structures although DaVinci Roofscapes greatly simplifies the process with turret packages.

To learn about the easy installation of quality slate roof alternatives, email or call DaVinci Roofscapes at 1-800-328-4624.

Recently, I sat down to talk with Shawn Bellis of Epic Exteriors in Kansas City to ask him about his experience as a Masterpiece Contractor and installing DaVinci products.

Thank you to Shawn for taking the time to do this interview. These interviews allow us to learn more about the installation side of our products and gain insight from the contractors that work with the home and building owners.

How'd you first discover DaVinci?

I discovered DaVinci through a contractor trade show in 2000. What caught my eye was the thickness of the product. Everyone likes the idea of a synthetic product because of durability - but when the thickness of DaVinci came out - it really met the expectations of the customer.

Also, DaVinci solved all the issues that we had with other products. The previous products had to be pre-blended and pre-collated. It was a mess and super time consuming.

I love that with DaVinci the factory does the collating and sorting - at the time I discovered it, and still today, it just blew everything else away. It also helped that it was local.

What do you like about DaVinci? Color blends? Shape of tiles? Performance?

All of the above and being local!  When your sole business is synthetic, like DaVinci and unlike other roofing manufacturers, you can really focus on making it the best product on the market by solving all the issues that the other products have. DaVinci is the best product.

As asphalt products continue to go up in price, it makes the sale of the DaVinci all the easier. In fact, I think that Bellaforté is going to make the asphalt market merge into the synthetic. 

When it comes to the color blends, there is nothing better. DaVinci has simplified the color collation process for the contractor. With other synthetic products, the contractor has to work with the homeowner and figure it out  how to collate the product, and sometimes that takes forever. Furthermore, with other roofing products, when you do have to pre-blend and sort the roof, it takes a lot of extra time on the job site too. 

I appreciate the care and service that is put into the delivery of the DaVinci product. The product collation and how it is shipped is all done with care.  

When it comes to the color blends, I love the selection. I'm not interested in being a designer and neither is the homeowner. I say leave the color stuff to the professionals at DaVinci, they are the experts at the color blends. If you start to complicate it then the job drags on. By streamlining the process for the homeowner, DaVinci gives the homeowner the right amount of choices.

I also love that it is Class A fire rated and the thickness of the material.

What's the biggest thing that homeowners say to you about DaVinci?

They love the way it looks.  Some people think that a DaVinci roof is a finishing touch to their home. In other words, DaVinci makes their home look they want it to look.

Why do you like DaVinci? 

They have the most authentic slate appearance among the synthetic varieties.  Other things I like about DaVinci include:

• Pre collated bundles
• Color blends already decided
• Ease of installation
• Final look and appearance
• Being local - we take advantage of DaVinci's recycling effort frequently.

Are there homeowners that you wouldn't recommend DaVinci to?

Yes, homeowners who are looking for the least expensive route. Homeowners that are going to move, sometimes don't want to spend the money, but that really depends on the price point of the home.  There are homeowners that know DaVinci will help sell their home, so they go for it.

What DaVinci products have you worked with? 

Valoré and Classic in both Slate and Shake.  I've been to jobs and seen Bellaforté go on, but have not worked with the product yet.  I really like the multi-width product.  I don't see a difference between if the multi-width is laid straight or staggered, it just depends on the look of the house.  The staggered application is more expensive, so homeowners tend to go with the straight for pricing purposes.

Which DaVinci products do you like? Do you have a favorite color blend?

I like the multi width the best.  I like the Mountain and Tahoe in the Shake color blends and the Aberdeen and Weathered Green in the slate color blends. Aberdeen is really period authentic - it most encompasses the turn of the century slate roof. In fact, I refer to Aberdeen as the pinnacle DaVinci application.

What other roofing products do you install?

Custom wood shakes, high-end custom asphalt re-decks.  All the traditional roof styles that you can think of.  We pride ourselves on premium applications. 

How long have you been in the roofing  business? 

17 years

Do you have a favorite DaVinci job? 

My favorite DaVinci job is a DaVinci Shake job we did in Overland Park, KS – the whole job just came together great and looks awesome on thes home! Many people have drooled over the look of the roof.  It's in a neighborhood that has all natural shake, so it keeps up with the look of the area.

The homeowner is an engineer and he has American Family Insurance - which is part of the reason he went with DaVinci. American Family said that if he went with a Class 4 impact rated roof, he could waive his deductible. 

The fact that our lightweight roofing systems are easy to work with makes roof areas that are tougher to tackle a little bit easier with our product.

For example, if you are working with a hip roof or just a roof that has some hips, there are a few ways to do a DaVinci roofing hip install.

• Boston Hips - in this blog post, Tim Gentry, Vice President of Technical Services for DaVinci, shows how you can install hips the Boston way.
• No Waste Hip Install - in this blog post, Tim Gentry explains how you can achieve almost no waste with our products - and shows how you can make the most out of your hip install.
• Installation Guides - in our installation guides, you will find a number of tips and suggestions that will help with your DaVinci hip installation.  Details for hips specifically are located on page 5 of the installation guides.

Here's a video of Tim Gentry installing the Boston Hips:

Do you have specific questions about how to install a DaVinci fake slate hip?  We can help.  Please don't hesitate to reach out to us about any questions you have about installing our products.  We're available at 913-599-0766 or 800-328-4624.

Are you a roofing contractor that has installed one of our roofs?  Do you have tips and tricks to share?  We would love to see them - please feel free to share photos as well as verbiage about what you did by submitting your story here.

 

 

If you live in an area where there is cold weather more than half the year, or even one third of the year, then you might be curious if there are roofing products that are able to be installed in cold weather climates.

Unlike a number of synthetics, DaVinci products are engineered so that the tiles remain flexible in cold temperatures can be installed in temperatures as low as 20 degrees F.  This is huge for a couple of reasons:

• Allows the roofer to work year around because they can install our products in colder temperatures, whereas with other products they have to wait for the weather to cooperate. 
• Allows for continued work on existing and new construction without slowing down the entire process.

Many manufacturers will not allow their materials to be installed when the outside temperature is below 40 or 45 degrees F.Being able to install our products in colder temperatures just reinforces the durability and longevity of our products.

What questions do you have about how to install our roofing products?  Please reference our installation guides which will give you not only tips, but also tricks when installing tiles.

Do you have a DaVinci roof?  How was the weather when your roof was installed?  We want to hear your roof story.

There are a few things I don’t know about roof ventilation:

1. Why is the amount of ventilation required by the International Building Code based on square footage of attic space not volume of attic space?  Shouldn’t a steep roof with a huge volume of air require more ventilation than a very flat roof with almost no volume of air?

2. As long as you have a modern HVAC system and proper outside venting of your clothes dryer and bathroom, etc., why is venting an attic in a warm humid climate a good thing?  Isn’t the most difficult job of an AC unit to take moisture out of the air, and if that is the case why bring in a constant flow of new moisture? 

3. If you have R49 as recommended by the US Department of Energy, in your ceiling and live in a mild climate, does it really matter if your attic is a little warmer than the weather outside?

If anyone can answer these questions for me I'm all ears.

There is one thing I do know do about attic ventilation:

If you make changes to an older home to make it more energy efficient and you live in a climate where it gets cold in the winter, you probably should make changes to the attic ventilation as well. Homes that were built before the energy crisis of the 1970's rarely had moisture ( and mold)  issues related to ventilation. Back when I was a kid houses breathed. There weren’t double and triple paned windows, weather stripping was rare, and homeowners didn’t shoot expandable foam into every nook and cranny. Take one of those old homes and tighten it up everywhere and suddenly there is nowhere for all the humidity that we generate from our showers, clothes dryers, dishwasher, boiling water, etc to go.  Well, I guess there is some place…your attic.

I think all of us, at least those of us in the South and the Midwest, intuitively know that warm air can hold more humidity than cold air.  You just have to go outside a couple of times in each season to figure that out. Now when warm moist air in your attic hits a cooler surface it condenses and turns to water. That is because the cold air that is adjacent to the cold surface can’t hold as much water as the warm air.  When the temperature and humidity differential is great enough you can have a very damp attic. Not only is this bad for the structure, it is also a perfect breeding environment for the "Dreaded Mold”.

 

 

The best way to prevent the "dreaded mold" is with proper ventilation. In the picture below we see radio talk show host Mark Clement installing a continuous ridge vent in a new Bellaforté by DaVinci steep slope roofing installation. You can see more helpful tips from Mark and his wife, Theresa, at www.myfixituplife.com

 

 

Checkout Bellaforté by DaVinci featured in the March issue of Extreme How-To. Mark Clement from MyFixitUpLife writes about his experience using Bellaforté on a 135-year old, Georgian style home.

When you are looking into green roofing options, like DaVinci Roofscapes, it is important to have an idea of how much it costs.

However, quoting a number is never simple when it comes to roofing because every roof is different.  For example, a new construction roof is easier and faster to roof than a re-roof because the new construction roof doesn't require tear-off, dumpster fees and more.

So if you are looking to calculate DaVinci Roofscapes Cost Per Square, here are some things that you need to know about your roof.  A local roofer that is experienced in laying piece by piece tiles (rather than asphalt sheets), will be able to give you a more accurate quote.

• Pitch of roof
• Exposure that you want the DaVinci tiles laid
• Whether you want a straight or staggered coursing (this also depends on which of our lightweight roofing systems you decide to go with)

When it comes to figuring out your overall roof costs, there will also be many other factors involved in the cost of the roof, including:

• Underlayments used
• Location of roof - is it easy to access?  Will the roofing distributor be able to easily load tiles onto the roof?
• What kind of flashing do you want?  Copper will cost more.

These questions only address a few standard situations - that's why we say that every roof is unique.

Another item you want to consider when investigating the COST of DaVinci is the long term benefits of going with a 50-year product that requires little to no maintanence.  You can read more about such savings through this blog post, Synthetic Slate Cost More Than Just the Price of Roofing Tile. Want to learn more about the cost of DaVinci?  Check out these blog posts:

• DaVinci Roofscapes Cost Per Square
• Why Less Weight Matters in Lightweight Roofing Materials

Do you need help finding a roofer in your area?  Fill out this form to locate a contractor in your area.  

Are you a DaVinci roof owner?  How much did your DaVinci roof cost you?  Can you give us more details about the job itself?  Please share your DaVinci story!

I have a confession.  I love the blog posts that Tim Gentry writes on our blog.  Why?

Well, for one, you've gotta know Tim Gentry.  He's delightful, smart and funny.  So when he writes a blog post like, Baby it's Cold Outside, you want to read it.

You can also pretty much guarantee that by reading Tim Gentry's blog posts that you will learn something about roofing that you didn't know.  He is great about including images that help explain what he is writing about.

For example, check out this post on Ice Dams.
As a second generation roofer, Tim Gentry is well versed on every kind of roof - not only our lightweight roofing solutions.  So we have an advantage in that he can look at roofs from a more educated position.

He also has been long in charge of our product testing for certifications, so he knows a lot about the capability of our shingles.  Here's an example of his expertise, Class A Fire Rating.

You've also gotta love his ingenuity and ability to make our product more efficient and workable and therefore, giving roofers everywhere more green roofing options.  Check out what he does to save on waste in his blog post, Installing DaVinci Tiles With No Waste.

Do you have a question or inquiry for Tim Gentry?  Feel free to reach out to him or a member of our technical team through this on-line form.

This is the time of year I’m most grateful that I work for DaVinci Roofscapes and spend most of my day in a nice toasty office. For many years I spent my winters outside installing roofs and don’t remember those days with fondness. I don’t think anyone likes to work outside when the temperatures are sub-freezing. The problem is the mortgage company doesn’t care if it’s cold outside and the family still needs to eat.

Putting physical comfort aside for a moment, special care needs to be used when working with steep slope roofing materials in freezing temperatures. Self-adhering membranes sometimes don’t stick, underlayments are hard to roll out or crack, caulking is impossibly stuck in the tube, and shingles become brittle and crack. Many manufacturers will not allow their materials to be installed when the outside temperature is below 40 or 45 degrees F. This is a big problem for roof installers throughout the country during the winter months. For those roofers who work in high mountain country where temperatures can reach 45 F at night in August, it is a big problem year round.

Thankfully DaVinci Roofscapes solves at least one of the problems. Our engineered resin system is designed so that the tiles remain flexible in cold temperatures and can usually be installed in temperatures as cold as 20 degrees F. When installing DaVinci Slate and our composite Shake in cold temperatures you must make sure that the tiles have been stored flat and are flat when installed. You must make certain that the space between tiles is at a very minimum 3/16”. If using a pneumatic roofing nail gun make sure that the pressure isn’t set too high.

I know as an old roofer I probably shouldn’t be quoting Friedrich Nietzsche, but, when you’re out there in the cold and your feet feel like stumps and you can’t feel your fingers anymore remember, “ That which does not kill us makes us stronger”. 

A lot of homeowners and building owners love the look of natural slate, however, most roofs are not set up to hand the weight of natural slate.  So in order to solve that problem, many roofs are beefed up with trusses and more.

However, our lightweight roofing solutions are not only a better solution for your time, but also your money.  You do not need to beef up your roof for our slate lightweight roofing systems.

Here's why:

• DaVinci Slate per square = 240+ lbs
• Natural Slate per square = 1200+ lbs

In other words, DaVinci slate is less than 1/4th the weight of natural slate.

Because of this drastic difference in weight, you will also find that our synthetic slate cost is considerably less. 

The reason why less weight matters:

• Less fuel needed to transport it
• Less labor to haul it to the roof
• Less expense in transporting it
• Less material needed for your roof structure

Are you a roofer that likes to install our imitation slate shingles because they are so lightweight?  If so, we would love to learn more reasons why less weight matters when it comes to roofing.  Please feel free to leave a comment in the section below or please contact us directly.

While do it yourself projects can be a fun family project, there are some tasks that are better left to professionals. While our DaVinci lightweight roofing materials are easy to install, it is always best to use a professional roofer for proper roofing installation of our polymer roofing.
If a roofing professional carefully installs the roof according to the DaVinci Roofscapes Installation Instructions, the home or business owner can be rest assured he/she will have great looking roof that performs well.

While DaVinci doesn’t require installers to be certified, property owners will want to use an experienced roofer for this important project. When it comes to finding an experienced roofing contractor, your local roofing distributor is a good source for finding roofers for our composite slate or shake tiles. Distributors have an understanding of how roofers in your area are doing in the marketplace, and whether they are paying their bills. If a roofing company pays their bills, it is a usually a good indication they are reliable. Home Improvement Helpers offers valuable tips online about what to ask a roofing contractor when receiving an estimate.

Something that every property owner must do when using a roofing installer is to require a certificate of liability insurance and workers compensation insurance coverage. Should the contractor subcontract out the work, you will want to also make sure that your roofer is added as an additional insured to the subcontractors policy so that whether the roofing contractor or subcontracting crew have an insurable event, you will be protected. Both contractors and subcontractors will supply certificates of insurance on request so make sure they are in hand prior to starting installation.