10-Story High St. Mary’s Catholic Parish Gets New DaVinci Slate Roof
LENEXA, KAN. – Third-generation steeplejack Tony Stratton loves a challenging church roof project. So, when he was contacted to install DaVinci Multi-Width Slate roofing tiles on the 110-foot tall steeple on St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Independence, Missouri, he jumped at the chance.
“We’re an ‘old school trade’ with one foot in the past and one foot in the future,” says Stratton, owner of Inspired Heights out of Rockford, Illinois. “We combine the techniques of long-ago with the technologies of today. This allows us to offer a less invasive, more affordable restoration for church roofs and steeples.”
The non-intrusiveness of Inspired Heights is exactly what appealed to Rev. Matthew Bartulica. “We didn’t want scaffolding or a crane to obscure the steeple during the re-roofing,” says Rev. Bartulica of St. Mary’s. “Inspired Heights did it the old fashioned way — they used pulleys and ropes. That saved on our budget and just ‘felt right’ for this project.”
According to Stratton, this was the first time his company had used DaVinci Roofscapes® polymer roofing tiles for a church project, but it won’t be the last.
“We’ve installed real slate on lots of churches and found that it’s heavy and awkward to mount,” says Stratton. “The DaVinci slate product has a natural slate look, plus it was lighter in weight and came in different widths, adding to its natural look, unlike other comparable products. We were grateful that we didn’t have to worry about the tiles ‘curling’ like other synthetic tiles because the ridging in the back of each tile helped keep it more stable.
“We’re impressed with the DaVinci roofing and hope to use it again in the future. It’s a great example of what we like to refer to as matching up modern technological advances for products with our old school steeplejack trade.”
New History at Saint Mary’s Parish
While Inspired Heights installed the multi-width faux slate tiles on the steeple, another roofing company tackled the massive installation of the main roof on St. Mary’s church. DaVinci Single-Width Slate was selected to replace hail-damaged roofing shingles.
Now that the new roof is installed at Saint Mary’s, the installation has become another part of the church’s unique history. Founded in 1823, the church is one of the oldest in the Dioceses of Kansas City – Saint Joseph. The current church was constructed in 1865, with the impressive steeple added in 1900.
“Our church history includes many notable milestones,” says Rev. Bartulica. “One of the most popular pieces includes how Father Kennedy harbored an injured outlaw in the church in the 1860s — Jesse James.
“Now we’re starting a new chapter in our history. Our old, deteriorated roof is gone and now we’re very pleased to have the DaVinci roofing products overhead.”
The experienced team members at DaVinci Roofscapes develop and manufacture industry-leading polymer slate and shake roofing systems with an authentic look and superior performance. DaVinci leads the industry in the greatest selection of colors, tile thickness and tile width variety. The company’s reliable products have a limited lifetime warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. All DaVinci high-performing roofing products are proudly made in America where the company is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the National Association of Roofing Contractors, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council. For information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit www.davinciroofscapes.com.