Bellaforté Roofing Stands Up to Rough Calgary Weather
Rugged weather takes a heavy toll on a home’s exterior in Calgary. On the edge of Alberta’s Hailstorm Alley, and with winter temperatures often below 20 degrees for several months at a time, people here are extremely cautious about the products they select to help protect their homes and their families.
When it was time for Chad McDonald to replace the worn-out pine shake roof on his Alberta home, he decided on Bellaforté Shake roofing tiles from DaVinci Roofscapes. Backed by a 50-year warranty and designed to resist both fire and impact, the polymer roof provides McDonald with a reliable solution for protecting his suburban home.
“I struggled with my options for replacing my roof until I was shown the Bellaforté Shake,” says McDonald. “The qualities of this product are impressive, and it’s definitely the most authentic looking product I’ve seen — and I’m in the building products business.”
McDonald, the operating partner of Monarch Siding, Exterior and Roofing Centre in Canada, learned about the DaVinci synthetic product from his roofing manager, Rob MacCannell. “We decided to use my personal home as a demonstration project to showcase the Bellaforté roofing product to roofers and contractors in our area,” says McDonald.
“Many contracting firms came by during the installation and now that the roof is complete. The ones I’ve spoken with expressed the same reaction that I did on seeing this man-made roofing product — they’re pleasantly surprised by the authentic reproduction of the shakes. Several of these contractors are now quoting home re-roofing projects in our neighborhood and are including the DaVinci products in their offerings.”
McDonald selected the Espresso blend for his roof, featuring four shades of Tahoe brown to create a realistic look. He also chose Sunik Roofing to remove his old pine shake roof and install the new polymer cedar shakes.
“This was the first time we installed a Bellaforté roof,” says Nick Sims, president of Sunik Roofing in Calgary. “We were impressed by the appearance of the tiles and how it’s a great imitation to cedar shake. Plus, unlike real wood, there are color choices for homeowners, and we didn’t have to worry about grading of the product. Each piece was consistently perfect which helped speed up the installation process.”
The 12-inch Bellaforté Shake tiles feature multiple profiles that enable roofing contractors like Sims to create a staggered appearance that simulates a natural rough hewn wood shake roof. The product’s patented features, which include a leading edge tab and a self-aligning ledge, help reduce the installation time for the Bellaforté Shake product. A square of Bellaforté Shake (with 100 pieces per square) weighs just 190 pounds. This lower tile weight helps reduce installation time and transportation costs. Just as with other DaVinci products, the Bellaforté Shake tiles are 100 percent recyclable and come with a 50-year limited warranty. The roofing tiles come in 49 standard colors and a selection of five color blends, including Abruzzo, Espresso, Tuscano, Verona and Harbor Gray.
“My wife and I love this roof,” says McDonald. “We’re proud that people stop and ask us about the polymer tiles. Our area is dominated by shake roofs, so now we’re working to educate homeowners, roofers and contractors on the benefits of this product.
“Monarch Centres is 21 years old and we like to consider ourselves a leading distributor of new and innovative products. Showcasing this high performance DaVinci product on a home is the best way to introduce it to our marketplace. Now we have a permanent show piece facing real-life Calgary weather conditions to highlight the beauty and reliability of these polymer tiles.”
DaVinci Roofscapes has manufactured award-winning synthetic slate and shake roofing since 1999. The polymer roofing tiles are virtually maintenance free and far more cost effective than the natural product. DaVinci leads the industry in tile thickness, the tile width variety and the greatest selection of subtle earth-toned colors. Company products have a 50-year limited warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. DaVinci proudly makes its products in America and is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the National Roofing Contractors Association, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council. For additional information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit our website.