MyFixitUpLife Roof: One Year Later

DaVinci Slate with snow guardsGuest blogger: MyFixitUpLife

What a Difference a Year Makes: Our roof one year later

> White-out blizzards: Check.

> Thunderous downpours: Never seen more rain fall out of the sky at one time.

> Howling wind: Beeeeep…tornado warnings on the Weather Channel anyone?

> Searing heat and frigid temps. Yup. Need both a Gatorade and a scarf (not at the same time though.)

> Problems with our DaVinci Roofscapes roof: No, negative, not a one.

Theresa and I would be lying if we said anything other than the roof performs and looks as well as the day we finished installing it and has markedly improved our experience inside and outside our home.

Performance-wise, our DaVinci slate tiles look new. Nary a tile has curled, warped, deformed, come loose—nothing. The color is dead-on-money the same as it was a year ago. I can’t say that about every synthetic slate roof I’ve seen either. Boom: once and done.

The roof’s color scheme (Theresa selected DaVinci’s European blend) and shadow lines…well…let me think for a second. I was going to use some design jargon here, but the deeper reality is simpler. It makes us happy.

Our roof is now a destination for our eyes, rather than a feature we barely notice—or worse, try not to see (which used to be the case). As we drive up to the house or play with the kids in the yard, instead of the plain-gray-asphalt-wrapper the roof used to have on it we look up to see the color reflect and absorb natural daylight differently. The roof looks different on cloudy days versus sunny ones. The slate-on-slate hip detail gives the roof depth, mass, and texture. The colors slightly undulating between tones make it organic.

Thinking long-term, there’s a comfort pay-off as well. First, we have 49 years left on our warranty. To put that in different terms, our now 2 year old will be 47 when the warranty runs out. Second, for when the hail comes I’ll worry more about the roof window (skylight) glass than losing shingles or repairing holes. Third, I must digress for a minute. I’m writing this over coffee at my local diner and I can hear some gentlemen talking behind me. I hasten to add I couldn’t make this up if J.K. Rowling were helping me write this. They are discussing houses on a golf course. I swear to you one gentleman just said that the houses on a particular fairway he calls “slicer’s alley” have shingles and siding missing.

I’m not sure a few stray golf balls (even a hail storm of them) can wreak that kind of havoc on any well-installed building product—but he does! And that’s the point. if he’s looking to buy one of those houses, well, he won’t. And the homeowner selling it just lost a prospective buyer. How’s the money you may have saved on that commodity roof paying off now?

We don’t have that concern.

Hail, wind, heat, super-cells, six inches of sloppy snow, or golf balls…bring it.

We’re not worried. Indeed, we’ll look forward to not worrying for a long, long time.

MyFixitUpLife

MyFixitUpLife’s husband-and-wife hosts Mark & Theresa take you on an insider’s tour of the home improvement industry.

Together they design, renovate, and share DIY tips for national magazines, TV, books, on TV and video, and every week on the MyFixitUpLife radio show.