Tick Tock: Real Cedar Shingles Wear Out
Nothing lasts forever. And, for many homeowners with cedar shake shingles, they find that time runs out far too quickly on their roofs.
Real shakes simply don’t last as long as homeowners would like. That was the case at Regent Villas in Northfield, Illinois. After just 17 years, the cedar roofs above three buildings were already failing and started leaking and rotting, providing ideal conditions for insects to thrive.
Earlier this year homeowners in the community of 33 condo units decided enough was enough.Tired of the problems with their roofs and frustrated by the cost and life expectancy of a new cedar roof, they did their research. While the master association’s covenants required all roofing to be replaced with real cedar shakes, they found a better solution from DaVinci Roofscapes.
Homeowners got an amendment to the covenants and determined that an investment in Bellaforté Shake roofing in a Chesapeake-VariBlend color would be their best solution.
“The realistic appearance of the DaVinci tiles plus the 50-year warranty were very helpful in our decision making process,” relates Lee Flanagan, CMCA, AMS, vice president and property manager with Braeside Condominium Management, Ltd. “We’re pleased with the results of the reroofing and I’d tell any condo or homeowners association that wants to either create or preserve the appearance of cedar shingles that the DaVinci product is a valid option. The cost is somewhat higher, but the benefits are considerable in terms of pleasing aesthetics, longevity and durability.
“There’s another property I manage with 112 townhomes with cedar roofs. The roofs are in bad shape and we’re already considering the DaVinci synthetic shake as a valid material option.”
The team at D-Wing Construction tackled the re-roofing of the Regent Villas. “We tore off and removed the existing rotting cedar shake roof down to the wood deck,” says Keith Weber, commercial sales director for D-Wing Construction. “We rebuilt the substrate installation with multiple courses of ice and water shield, leak barrier membrane at all of the gutter edges, up through the valleys, along all walls and around all the roof penetrations, and covering the entire roof with an acceptable synthetic felt.
“The transformation was incredible — beautiful but subdued. Those roofs went from looking shabby to having a clean, up-to-date shake appearance that will last far beyond the life of a real new cedar roof. This was my first experience working with the Bellaforté product. Given the results, our client’s satisfaction, and that we have already received a referral through this project, I’m confident we will be using the DaVinci product again in the future.”
Learn how other multi-family communities gained by adding DaVinci composite roofing at Condo Community Chooses Impact- and Fire-Resistant DaVinci Polymer Roofing Tiles and Bellaforté Shake Roofs Top 207 Covington Creek Condos.