Celebrating Synthetic Shake Roof at Biltmore Winery!
Photo Courtesy of The Biltmore Company
Let’s raise a toast! To Biltmore Winery and its new DaVinci synthetic shake roof overhead!
Part of the famed Biltmore® in Asheville, N.C., Biltmore Winery is situated within the 8,000-acre mountain estate. Once an original dairy barn on the property, the state-of-the-art winery produces a wide selection of delicious award-winning wines, offers tours and has tasting rooms.
The winery was opened in 1985, within Antler Hill Village® on the estate. Back in 2017, when Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate was constructed just steps away from the winery, the goal was to keep the hotel’s appearance similar to the older structures in place. That’s one reason why DaVinci synthetic shake tiles were specified and installed on the hotel roof.
Now, six years later, with the real cedar shake shingles failing on the winery roof, DaVinci shakes were again requested. In both cases, the Biltmore® team relied on the experts at Benton Roofing to tackle the challenging roofing project.
Returning to DaVinci
Once they arrived on site to evaluate the existing roof, it quickly became apparent that the real cedar shakes were past their prime. “The shakes were curling and splitting,” says Rob Walsh, a superintendent with Benton Roofing, Inc., located in East Flat Rock, N.C. “They had deteriorated to roughly 50% of their original thickness. That’s a bad situation to get into with a roof.”
The Benton Roofing crew wasn’t worried though. They had the experience of installing the DaVinci synthetic shakes previously on both the Village Hotel on Biltmore Estate and on the Amherst at Deerpark™ Event Center.
“We chose the DaVinci shakes because of their close match to natural cedar shakes,” says Brent Merrell, director of engineering services at Biltmore. “These composite shakes have the durability we’re looking for. In addition, we appreciate the extended lifespan they offer compared to natural cedar shakes.”
From the perspective of Benton Roofing, it’s been clear that the Biltmore team is impressed with the DaVinci product. Each time a building needs a new or a replacement roof, they’ve requested DaVinci shake in a Tahoe color.
“The Biltmore team likes the unified look the product brings to the property,” says Caleb Benton, CEO of Benton Roofing, Inc. “And they value how the DaVinci product mimics the real cedar shakes. You truly can’t tell the difference when you’re looking up at the roofs.
“From a practical standpoint, the DaVinci product also provides the Biltmore team with a low maintenance product. That’s important to any commercial property. In addition, these products resist fading, impact and fire. Plus, there will be no insects, algae growth or severe weather concerns with the DaVinci product. Add in the long-term product warranty and that’s a very worry-free roof!”
Here’s to Benton Roofing!
Completed in April of 2023, the Biltmore Winery roof was finished ahead of schedule by the Benton Roofing team. While they faced logistical challenges of moving product in amongst a busy operational estate with lots of pedestrian traffic, the project flowed smoothly.
“This was a well-planned project and because of that we had no major issues,” says Biltmore’s Merrell. “Benton Roofing is a very professional team. They deliver on their promises and commitments. The company provides good quality work and addresses any issues immediately. Most importantly for us, they understand the potential impression of guest experiences while roofing is being installed. They work diligently to ensure minimal guest impact and have created another great roof at Biltmore!”
Let’s raise that wine glass one last time. To Benton Roofing, for making the DaVinci roofs at Biltmore look so good!
Photo Courtesy of The Biltmore Company