Mansard Roofing at Donges Bay Elementary School

When Roofing Consultants, Ltd. was brought in to make recommendations on improving the building envelope of Donges Bay Elementary School, one of their first thoughts was the roofing. The school, which houses 460 students, needed the replacement of both flat and mansard roofing.

“The mansard application was old cedar shakes, many of which were well past their prime,” says Eric Raatz, senior consultant with Roofing Consultants, Ltd. “Some of the cedar shakes were starting to curl. Water had run down this siding-type application for years, so there was also organic growth on the shakes. Overall, it was clear that improvements were needed.”

For the very visible mansard tile shake application at the Mequon, Wisc. school, the team at Roofing Consultants, Ltd. decided to specify multi-width composite shake tiles from DaVinci Roofscapes.

“We felt that a synthetic shake would last longer than natural shake and have some advantages for this application,” says Raatz. “Our team compared several types of synthetic shake tiles and the DaVinci product was remarkable.

“We were especially impressed by the fire rating of the product and the algae resistance. We took a torch gun to several products and the DaVinci tiles held up incredibly well. Add to that the authentic look of the simulated cedar shakes was great and the 50-year warranty was appealing for everyone involved.”

With five locations throughout the Midwest, Roofing Consultants, Ltd. offers engineering, architectural and building envelope specialists to support commercial projects. The licensed engineering firm includes many staff members who have earned credentials through RCI Inc., the Roofing, Waterproofing and Building Envelope Institute.

Raatz and his team specified EPDM (ethylene propylene dienete polymer) for the flat section of the roof for its durability. The synthetic rubber roofing membrane, which is unseen from the ground, served the needs of the project. For the more visible aspects of the school’s mansard roof, white sheet metal trim was added to accent the rich deep color of the DaVinci Tahoe Blend shake tiles.

“The finished product is tremendous,” says Raatz. “The look is great and we enhanced the durability of these synthetic shakes by going a step ‘above and beyond’ by recommending that ring shank stainless steel nails were used. This roofing application will last for decades!”

Before: Shake polymer shake :After