Disappointing Cedar Shake Roof Leads to Composite Shake Replacement
After just 16 years atop his home, the cedar shake roof on Terry Goedken’s house needed replacement. Deeply disappointed in the poor performance of the real wood shakes, Goedken decided to invest in composite shake roofing from DaVinci Roofscapes.
“Our cedar shake roof had been damaged in multiple hail storms over the years,” says Goedken, a resident of Mundelein, Illinois. “I had a roofing company inspect the roof earlier this year and suggest I put in an insurance claim. They put the burden of moving forward in my hands … and frankly, I procrastinated.”
Then came the knock at the door that made life easier for Goedken.
“Liberty Restoration Group was working in the area on another home project,” says Goedken. “They stopped by and asked to inspect my roof. They found that it was profoundly deteriorated in many areas. In some spots the shakes had completed eroded away and only the felt underneath was exposed, putting our home at great risk.
“After the inspection Liberty immediately asked if they could call my insurance company with me to make a claim. They took charge and handled all the paperwork and permits.
“The Liberty team was very professional from start to finish. From the initial insurance work to recommending the Bellaforté Shake roof to professional installation to daily clean up on the job site. We couldn’t be more impressed!”
Handling Insurance Carriers
The VIP treatment Goedken received is “business as usual” for the team at Liberty Restoration Group. They deal extensively with insurance carriers with the goal of making life easier for their customers.
“We operate under the rule that if we can’t get the work paid for by a homeowner’s insurance carrier, then our fee is zero,” says Ron Kim, field representative for Liberty Restoration Group, out of Des Plaines, Ill. “We don’t charge for failed attempts. In almost every instance our clients are only required to pay their deductible. After that we work it out so that the insurance companies foot the bill.”
Composite Shake Beats Real Thing
Another philosophy the team at Liberty Roofing uses is to recommend the best product possible for replacement roofs. In most cases that means composite shake roofing from DaVinci.
“These days the cost of real wood shake is higher than the simulated cedar shake from DaVinci,” says Kim. “It would be insane to put real wood shake on a home and watch Mother Nature destroy it again.
“With DaVinci products our clients get a far better value proposition than real shake. The composite product is easy to maintain, has an authentic look and is backed by a Lifetime Limited Materials Warranty. That’s the kind of quality product we like to recommend.”
Goedken certainly recognized the attributes of the composite shake product for his home.
“The Bellaforté product resists hail, high winds, fire and impact,” says Goedken. “It has a similar look to real cedar shake but offers us more longevity with no maintenance. That’s a win-win for any homeowner.”
Fooling the Neighbors
For the Goedken home, the team at Liberty Restoration Group expertly installed 70 squares of roofing material on the steep roof, including a wide assortment of valleys, rakes and ridges. They tackled six different turrets and installed copper flashing on the entire roof. Finally, snow guards were added to finish the project.
With the new roof overhead his classical early American style house now complete, Goedken says his home blends in with the neighborhood.
“We love the look and texture this composite shake roof adds to our home,” says Goedken. “During installation a neighbor walking by asked what we were putting on our roof because the Mountain color on the Bellaforté Shake looked so much like natural aged cedar shakes.
“The day the Liberty team knocked on our door was a lucky one for us. They simplified our lives and the entire re-roofing process.
“And, we’re very grateful that they recommended the DaVinci product. Our new composite shake roof adds curb appeal to our home and gives us peace-of-mind that we won’t have to worry about our roof again for many decades.”