Seasonal Roofing Tips from Eric Salvesen

eric-salvesen

Senior Technical Services Representative Eric Salvesen

Have you ever wanted to call DaVinci’s technical department and ask a question about snow guards, nails or how to handle a tricky installation? Go ahead. Eric Salvesen is waiting for your call.

Salvesen, Senior Technical Service Representative with DaVinci Roofscapes, fields 25 to 75 calls each week from homeowners, roofers and distributors. Whether it’s a question on warranties, the need for training on a specific product or reassuring a homeowner that they’ve chosen the right roofing tile for a project, Salvesen is ready to take the call.

“We’re here to handle any question,” says Salvesen, who has been with DaVinci for 10 years. “There’s a team of us around the country that support all aspects of technical and installation for DaVinci. We’re here to make your life easier.”

From wind-resistant nails to retrofitting snow retention systems, Senior Technical Service Representative Eric Salvesen provide year-round seasonal roofing tips.

Hot Topics

With all the calls coming to the Tech Team members on a regular basis, Salvesen says there are some topics that are hot these days.

“Many homeowners are interested in adding solar panels to their roofs,” says Salvesen. “They want to know how they can either retroactively install them on top of their existing DaVinci roof or how to add them when having a DaVinci roof placed on their home. I just did an entire blog on this issue because it’s a topic that’s growing in popularity.”

When fielding questions from contractors, the topics sometimes become more technical. Many deal with installation tips and procedures. For example, Salvesen has been advising roofers on installation of one of the company’s newer products, Province Slate.

“This is an easy product to install,” says Salvesen. “There are installation instructions online plus we can walk you through it. One of the great things about Province Slate is that the tiles can be installed both left to right and right to left, making the process go fast and easy.”

In addition, he always reinforces that all DaVinci roofing tiles should be installed with double hot-dipped galvanized ring shanked nails. Stainless steel nails can be used in coastal areas where salt water is nearby. Generally 1-1/2″ in length for slate tiles and 1-3/4″ long for shake tiles. The length and type of nail is important to meet building codes and secure the tiles tightly to resist strong winds.

Cold Topics

How to retrofit snow retention systems is just one seasonal roofing tip Senior Technical Service Representative Eric Salvesen advises customers on.

One of the areas that both roofers and homeowners ask Salvesen about continually is snow retention systems.

DaVinci roofing tiles have smooth surfaces that don’t absorb water. When the snow piles up, the warmth from the attic space underneath can cause the snow to shed from the roof in large pieces. To help break up those pieces, snow retention systems are often installed on key areas of the roof. These can be snow guards, snow fences or other snow retention systems.

“If you live in an area that gets snowfall, then you should have snow guards or another snow retention system put in place when your DaVinci roof is installed,” says Salvesen. “Over the years I’ve heard from homeowners who didn’t want snow guards. Either they didn’t want the added expense or they didn’t like the look of them on the roof. Then they went into their first winter with our roof. We’ve had calls back from some of those people asking about retrofitting snow guards on their roof.”

While Salvesen says that roofers can indeed go back in and add snow retention systems to an existing DaVinci roof, it is easier and more cost efficient to do this when the roof is originally installed. And, as far as increasing the overall price of the roof, think of it as an investment. “We recommend snow guards as added protection for your property,” says Salvesen. “Your roofer is the expert. If they suggest snow guards for your area, then take the recommendation seriously.”

If you have a hot, cold or even lukewarm topic to chat with Eric about, reach out to him at 708-250-1132.