If you're hungry, you've turned the calendar page to the right month. The culinary August observances for those with a rumbling tummy include National Panini Month, National Peach Month and National Goat Cheese Month. But, don't stop there.

It seems like every food is stuffed into a specialty day in August. Start the month on the 2nd with National Ice Cream Sandwich Day, and keep going through the week with Watermelon Day on the 3rd, Chocolate Chip Cookie Day on the 4th and Oysters Day on the 5th. You can overindulge on the 13th with Filet Mignon Day or on the 14th with Dreamsicle Day.

At DaVinci Roofscapes, while we love to eat (especially on the 10th which is National S'mores Day), we really get a kick out of August 28th because we spend so much time on our computers.  That day has the privilege of being both "Crackers Over the Keyboard Day" (to encourage people to be daring and eat cookies or crackers right over their keyboards) and "Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day" ... which seems hard to do with all those cracker crumbs flying around!

Overall, given that August is such a quiet month of celebrations, we're pleased that our friends at Fypon ave launched National Curb Appeal Month starting August 1. This gives us more opportunities to share details with you on the important impact that polymer roofing has on your home's curb appeal. See Add "Curb Appeal" and Value to Your Home During National Home Improvement Month for ideas!

Want to get true feedback on what industry professionals think about DaVinci Roofscapes polymer roof tiles? We thought so ... and so, check out the quotes we have below from roofers and contractors who have worked with our imitation slate and composite shake roofing products over the years!

• “I’ve primarily installed asphalt shingle roofs in the past, but given my experience with the DaVinci product, I’m definitely ready to sell and install synthetic roofing tiles. The Bellaforté product was easy to install and is a great, cost-effective option for homeowners looking to protect their homes with a durable, aesthetically-pleasing roofing product.”  ~ Donny Dewey, owner of Superior Roofing of Oklahoma.

• “Our installation team was very comfortable installing the DaVinci tiles and the finished look is outstanding. I’ve been recommending this product to everyone I speak with because I believe it has long-term benefits for both residential and commercial projects.”   ~Mark T. Clark Sr., chairman of the board of Tolberts Roofing


• “In Colorado, there’s always pressure to get roofing projects finished before the snow starts. This project required 400 squares of DaVinci synthetic slate tile. We began installation in late August and the project was completed in October. Both the Design Review Board at Beaver Creek and the homeowners association for the town homes had to approve the product choice and the color before we could begin. There’s a standard six-blend ‘Beaver Creek style’ throughout the village area that DaVinci was able to match up perfectly.”  ~ Mark Belitt, owner and vice president of Arapahoe Roofing and Sheet Metal, Inc.


• "I’ve been installing roofs for 28 years and the authenticity of the DaVinci synthetic roofing tiles we used is one of the best advances I’ve witnessed in this industry.”  ~ Chris Boyd with CM Boyd Authentic Design

 

Want more insights? Check out DaVinci Roofs Crown Condo Communitiesand DaVinci Roofscapes Get A+ in the Classrooms.

Happy National Curb Appeal Month! That's right ... August is the official month to evaluate and improve the curb appeal of your home.

How do you start this process? At the top --- on the roof! National color expert Kate Smith recommends using the "top down" method for evaluating your home exterior.

"The roof plays a major role in creating curb appeal because it can be up to 30 percent of what you see as you approach a home," says Smith, president of Sensational Color. "Homeowners should make a conscious effort to blend the color of their roofing material with other elements of the home exterior to create an overall cohesive look."

Smith, who has authored the free online FRESH Home Exterior Colors and FRESH Color Schemes for Your Home Exterior guides, spends a good deal of her time advising homeowners, remodelers and builders on selecting the perfect colors for the exterior of the home.

"For curb appeal it's all about creating 'top down' color by working from the roof down through the different elements of the exterior such as siding, windows, trim and doors," says Smith. "For example, a colonial style home with a warm Autumn Blend composite shake roof could be ideally matched with a home exterior in a neutral stone color. Then, for adding 'pops of color' for curb appeal, chocolate brown frames could be added on the vinyl windows, shutters and trim around the home. A stand-out color like pine green or marine blue could be added to the entry door to add personality to the exterior.

"However, it's important to remember that it all starts on the roof. When you're working 'top down' to create a luxury roof with unlimited color options from a company like DaVinci Roofscapes, you have an open palette for designing the perfect home exterior."

Need more polymer roofing color tips? See Adding Color to the Exterior of the Home.

August is the perfect month to enjoy your outdoor living spaces. It is also National Curb Appeal month so while you are outside it would be a great time to be thinking about your fall home improvement projects.

To help your home make a great first impression I put together Curb Appeal ROI and My Top 10-Tips For Creating "Top Down" Curb Appeal. These two tip sheets are designed to make sure your home grabs the right kind of attention and that you know how to get a good return on your investment of time and money. 

Click This Link To Download Both PDFs Now

This information is also available as an infographic for you to view and share.

1. The roof plays a major role in creating curb appeal because it can be up to 30 percent of what you see as you approach a home. Blend the color of your roofing material with other elements of the home exterior to create an overall cohesive look.
    
2. Window frames can either blend in or standout; it all depends on the color you choose. Selecting a green, chocolate or bronze painted frame can add a powerful punch to your home's curb appeal.
    
3. Add color to trim and decorative millwork to call attention to architectural details and enhance the design appeal of your home.
    
4. Update the color of your shutters for big curb appeal results. Rather than black, try inky blue, chocolate brown or deep forest green. Consider soft gray or taupe to replace white.
    
5. From classic and conservative to punchy and playful, the color of your front door tells the world something about the people who live inside. Think about what the color of your front door say about you.
    
6. The front door offers you the most flexibility in color choices and is a great place to add a "pop of color" to a home's overall neutral color scheme. Think out- of- the- box and consider a pumpkin orange, nautical blue or harvest gold color for your front door.
    
7. Draw attention to the front porch by adding bold hues. A colorfully-painted ceiling or new outdoor furniture can update your porch. Pillows and cushions in a mix of colors and prints create a welcoming tone.
    
8. Replace rotting or peeling wood porch rails, columns or porch posts with low-maintenance polyurethane or PVC pieces for a clean, attractive look.
    
9. Garage doors are a prominent feature of many homes, taking up 30 percent of the front view of the house. Replacing old garage doors with fashionable new doors can instantly increase your home’s curb appeal.
    
10. The colors of your home's exterior and landscaping should complement each other. Choose colors for your plants with the same eye for design you use when selecting accessories for your interior.
      10 More Tips For Creating Curb Appeal
11. Broken, loose, discolored or damaged shingles give a negative impression about the overall condition of your home. Repair your roof or replace with a colorful polymer slate or shake roof with a 50-year warranty.
     
12. Windows with energy-efficient glass packages and low-maintenance vinyl frames keep a home comfortable and help save on energy bills.
     
13. Replacing a standard window with a bay or bow window can add character to a home's exterior and make the interior feel larger.
     
14. Cover any wear and tear with a fresh coat of paint. Power wash the entire exterior and repair any areas that are outdated, rotted, or rusted before applying paint. Investing sweat equity can dramatically increase your curb appeal.
     
15. You don't need to go wild with color to get noticed. A home with neutral siding can make a statement with color on the front door, shutters or trim.
     
16. An easy-care stained or painted fiberglass door creates a focal point for the front of your home. Surround the door with decorative trim -- such as pilasters and a crosshead -- to make a powerful statement.
     
17. Add window boxes, accent pots or hanging baskets filled with colorful flowers and plants to draw the eye and make people smile.
     
18. Downplay garage doors by painting to match the main color of the home and adding complementary trim elements, like a trellis over the opening.
     
19. Surround your home with colorful shrubbery and plants with landscape lighting. Invest in hiring a professional to help plan your landscaping for the maximum impact.
     
20. Bushes and plants surrounding the base of your home add color, soften the transition between the lawn and house, and hide the foundation.  Fill in any bare spots and tame any overgrown areas.

Your next step is to go outside and use this information to focus on ways you can add more value and design appeal to your home's exterior. 

These 20 tips will get you started. Then here are a few other articles to give you great ideas for creating curb appeal--

Color From The Top Down Gave This Home $5,000 In More Curb Appeal

How To Give Your Home Personality

Your Home Is Telling You What Exterior Colors To Use. Are You Listening?

At DaVinci Roofscapes, we're fortunate to have the dynamic duo of brothers Bryan and Mike Ward on our team.

Bryan started with us in 2004 as the Injection Molding Manager and is now Vice President of Operations at company headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas, overseeing our polymer roofing manufacturing departments and warehouse functions. His brother Mike (one of three Ward brothers) joined DaVinci as the Eastern Regional Sales Manager in 2009. Today he's heading up the national sales effort.

What do these talented brothers bring to DaVinci? According to Bryan, "Mike is passionate and extremely competitive in everything he does. This is important in sales and Mike is the most competitive, driven, customer-focused sales person I know."

From his side of the country in New Jersey, Mike also has praises for his little brother. "Bryan is smart and completely dedicated to manufacturing the best high-performance composite roofing product in the industry. He's inventive (his name is on several DaVinci patents to prove it!) and never tires of working to continually improve operational efficiency and quality control."

Both Ward Boys have their favorite aspects of their jobs --- and of projects involving the company's lightweight roofing systems.

"Our Multi-Width Shake roofing is on several buildings at Camp David, our U.S. presidential retreat," says Mike. "It makes me proud to be the chosen synthetic slate roof tile for such a significant national landmark."

Bryan has his own favorite. "We had a homeowner that wanted a custom blend to match their paver stones for their Victorian-style home," says Bryan. "This dedicated couple came to our plant so we could develop the custom Bellaforté Slate VariBlend product while they were there. The wife was so pleased she literally hugged the shingles we had produced!"

For the last 15 years we have made it our mission to make the most authentic polymer slate and shake composite roofing tiles on the market. You know you've succeeded when time and time again you send homeowners, contractors, and architects out to see the products installed on a nearby home or business and their response is, "I drove right by it! It looked like natural slate and I was looking for a plastic slate." Or when you're standing in a tradeshow booth and people absentmindedly stop and touch the material, and end up blown away because it didn't feel like the slate or wood they were expecting to feel. 

I recently received this picture from a member of our DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor Program (Featured Project to come!) and had to share. With the copper gutters and flashings, these Multi-Width Slate tiles in the European Blend have the authentic look that people seeking a roof in our category require. If you were driving by and saw this roof, what would you think? 

Happy Friday, Architects!

"I'm looking at your Multi-Width Slate webpage and I see the color Castle Gray, but I want to order it in Bellaforté, can I do that?" This is the type of questions that our Project Specialists field every day from homeowners who are interested in putting DaVinci's plastic slate roof tiles on their homes. The answer is YES, all the standard color blends offered in Bellaforté were actually inspired by the color blends offered in our flagship product, DaVinci Slate.

This project, installed by Dynasty Roofing out of Fort Worth, is a beautiful example of Bellaforté in the Villa Blend. Villa was inspired by Castle Gray in Multi-Width Slate. Because the tiles are all the same width (12") we can make an entire order off one machine using our VariBlend Technology which creates a continuous color variation from tile to tile. 

DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor Program Member
Dynasty Roofing
817-423-0880
www.dynastyroofing.com 

That’s right … YOU can win a prize package worth $25,000 of durable and beautiful Bellaforté Shake or Bellaforté Slate roofing tiles. And, you have three chances to win!

Enter The Great TOH Giveaway sponsored by This Old House magazine for the chance to win more than $727,000 in prizes. Three of those top prizes are $25,000 packages of DaVinci Roofscapes composite roofing tiles!

There are two ways to enter. Simply purchase the August 2014 issue of This Old House magazine, scan the pages using the Blippar free app available on iTunes and you’re entered into the drawing. Or, visit www.thisoldhouse.com/win to enter online. And, you can increase your chances to win your luxury roof by entering every day through September 1st!

Just imagine ... you get the call this autumn that you have the winning entry. Then your roofing headaches just dissolve. First you get to decide if you'd like composite shake or composite slate roof in the Bellaforté family. Then you choose a color or color blend. After that, find an installer and get that designer roof up on your home!

Don’t miss out … this is THE coolest contest to enter this summer!

Last month we profiled the traveling technical lifestyle of Zach Stopyro (visit On the Road with DaVinci's Zach Stopyro) so this month our focus shifts to Eric Salvesen, Central Technical Services Manager with DaVinci Roofscapes.

Just like Zach, Eric spends about half of each month on the road holding polymer roofing training and installation sessions. He focuses almost 75% of his time on Bellaforté because of the growing popularity of the imitation slate and composite shake tiles.

"Depending on the job, our Bellaforté Shake installs up to 40% faster than real cedar," says Eric. "And, with Bellaforté we've found that contractors are able to figure their jobs with less of a waste factor than they would using real shake or slate."

What can installers expect from a training session with Eric? "First we cover the full spectrum of DaVinci from our company's history to our product specifics," says Eric. "After that we review installation procedures for our products, with special attention to the Bellaforté line. Then we work on actual installations and focus on how important it is to create a comprehensive, sound roofing system."

Looking for a preview of some of Eric's favorite "tips of the trade" for installing DaVinci luxury roofs? Here you go!          

• Save cut pieces to use on different areas of the roof. Pay special attention to where you can use cut pieces (as opposed to discarding them) and you can save 3% or more on jobsite waste.

• For every 100 feet of valley, figure an extra square of lightweight roofing materials.

• Use an upgraded fastener. Ring shank stainless steel works really great. If you're using screws, they must be non-corrosive 5/16" pancake head type screws. Any fastener must penetrate all the way through the deck at least 3/16".

• Factor in roughly 2% transition tiles when ordering products.

Want to meet the rest of the team? See DaVinci Roofscapes Tech Team --- At Your Service!

At DaVinci Roofscapes, we're fortunate to have the dynamic duo of brothers Bryan and Mike Ward on our team.

Bryan started with us in 2004 as the Injection Molding Manager and is now Vice President of Operations at company headquarters in Lenexa, Kansas, overseeing our polymer roofing manufacturing departments and warehouse functions. His brother Mike (one of three Ward brothers) joined DaVinci as the Eastern Regional Sales Manager in 2009. Today he's heading up the national sales effort.

What do these talented brothers bring to DaVinci? According to Bryan, "Mike is passionate and extremely competitive in everything he does. This is important in sales and Mike is the most competitive, driven, customer-focused sales person I know."

From his side of the country in New Jersey, Mike also has praises for his little brother. "Bryan is smart and completely dedicated to manufacturing the best high-performance composite roofing product in the industry. He's inventive (his name is on several DaVinci patents to prove it!) and never tires of working to continually improve operational efficiency and quality control."

Both Ward Boys have their favorite aspects of their jobs --- and of projects involving the company's lightweight roofing systems.

"Our Multi-Width Shake roofing is on several buildings at Camp David, our U.S. presidential retreat," says Mike. "It makes me proud to be the chosen synthetic slate roof tile for such a significant national landmark."

Bryan has his own favorite. "We had a homeowner that wanted a custom blend to match their paver stones for their Victorian-style home," says Bryan. "This dedicated couple came to our plant so we could develop the custom Bellaforté Slate VariBlend product while they were there. The wife was so pleased she literally hugged the shingles we had produced!"

Standing tall on the banks of Lake Milton in Ohio sits the new 6,000-square foot home of Ann Marie and Joe Blumetti. Their dream retirement home is a rustic two-story log and stone structure that includes a lower level guest and entertainment level.

Following a lifelong passion for design, Ann Marie created the blueprints for the hybrid log home herself. When it came time to topping off her creation, she turned to DaVinci Roofscapes for a colorful composite shake roof.

"We first heard about DaVinci Roofscapes while researching (and researching and researching!) designer roof options at a local roofing supplier," says Ann Marie Blumetti. "We chose this cedar shake alternative primarily because we wanted a unique roofing product that is both beautiful and above average in functionality."

What sold Ann Marie on the synthetic shake was her ability to get exactly the roofing colors she desired to complement the stone, log stain and copper accents they had chosen for their home exterior.

"I selected four subtle, earthy colors from the Bellaforté blends of Mountain-VariBlend and Tahoe-VariBlend to create our own custom roof," says Blumetti. "The DaVinci folks welcomed our desire to personalize our luxury roof. Their team members offered us lots of encouragement. We felt they were as excited about the roof as we were!"

Now that the Blumettis have settled in their home and are enjoying their first summer at the lake, they're receiving complements on their home design --- from both land and lake. "It's fun to sit on the deck and watch boaters pointing at our house as they go by," says Joe Blumetti. "We get positive comments on the roof all the time ... from people on the lake and those that drive by in the neighborhood!"

Looking for more lakeside success stories with composite roofing? Then check out DaVinci Polymer Shake Roof Blends in with Lakefront Home 

This is National Curb Appeal month and a great time to think about how you can give your home more curb appeal! To help you get started I put together this Curb Appeal Infographic packed with tips and information that show you how to make sure your home makes a great first impression and that you get the best return on your investment of time and money.

If you'd like to share this infographic, you will find the embed code here.

Click this link to download both Curb Appeal PDF's

Enjoy the infographic and tips sheets. I'd enjoy hearing from you as to what you found most helpful. Please leave a comment and let me know.

For even more tips about creating curb appeal, visit 20 Sure Fire Ways To Create Curb Appeal, Homeowners and Their Love of Curb Appeal and The Most Important Factor In Creating Curb Appeal.

Theme parks generally rely on "off season" time to do major renovations, including roofing projects. But, what happens when the down time in mid-winter features almost a dozen days of below zero temperatures and more than 60 inches of snowfall? Getting up on the roof can be a cold, challenging activity.

"One of the reasons polymer Bellaforté slate roofing tiles from DaVinci Roofscapes were chosen for the Hotel Breakers re-roofing project was because the installation could be done in cold weather without having to warm the roof tiles before installation," says Jim Carson, vice president of A-STAR out of Macedonia, Ohio. "The hotel is at Cedar Point theme park on the shores of Lake Erie. That's a challenging situation, especially since we experienced the worst Cleveland winter in 30 years right in the middle of the installation!"

Carson and the team at A-STAR relied on coordination of the project and clear direction from John G. Johnson Construction Company, building moisture consultant Felice & Associates, and Kary Project Management. "Given all the details and considering this was the first time we installed Bellaforté tiles, the challenges on this very difficult and high profile project were minimized," says Carson. "These teams were great to work with and it also helped significantly to have skilled technicians from DaVinci provide on-site training on the proper installation of Bellaforté tiles."

Backed by a 50-year limited warranty, all DaVinci polymer roofing products are designed to remain flexible at extreme temperatures, making it possible to install synthetic roofing materials during all types of weather.

Opened more than 100 years ago, the Hotel Breakers is the original on-property Cedar Point hotel. Situated on the Cedar Point beach and just a two-minute walk from the theme park, the hotel interior features rich architectural details including original Tiffany glass and a beautiful rotunda.

"There are 650 rooms and suites in this large property, so we used about 425 squares of a custom Milano blend of Bellaforté imitation slate in our first phase of the re-roofing," says Carson. "The combinations of gray and purple tones in the roof sets off the hotel beautifully.

"Once the park closes this autumn the same Bellaforté synthetic shingle will be used to re-roof the second phase of this project, which will be even bigger since it will use up to 700 squares."

Want to learn more about Bellaforte slate roof alternatives? See Roofer Admires Weather Resistancy of Bellaforte Roofs.

When you are working with 49 individual colors it can become pretty easy to overcomplicate things. Typically, the quest for finding your perfect custom color blend starts on our color designer, or with a set of our synthetic shake or slate color chips. While some have a great eye for color and can easily sort through and put together something that looks amazing, the rest of us are stuck on where to even start. In the context of possible blend customization, I often get asked if somebody can take a standard blend and just tweak it. Recently, an architect and I worked together to take the European Blend (which consists of Light Gray, Medium Gray, Dark Gray, Light Purple and Dark Purple in multi-width slate) and change it into something that the client wanted, which was essentially European with just a little less purple. By removing just the Light Purple from the blend, it turned out to be exactly the color blend they needed. Not every custom color blend story can be this easy, but often starting with something already created can help you and your clients know what needs to be added or removed. 

Happy Friday Architects!

                 The European Blend                                 The European Blend minus Light Purple 

We have a 1972 house that needs a little TLC on the outside. Want to keep the original style but update it. Thinking if going white windows and trim. Need help with Shake and siding colors. Also thinking of rocking by the front door and changing front door out.

Krista
Denver, CO
Product: Staggered shakes

*****************************************************************************************************************************************

Dear Krista,

For your home, the DaVinci Single-Width Shake in the Abruzzo blend is most similar to your existing roof. This would still be a good choice. If you go in this color direction and want to keep the brown trim, I would suggest finding a color that is less chocolate and more toned down or grayed to blend with the new roofing color. Going away from the chocolate brown will also update the look of your home.

I would also paint your front door in a contrasting color rather than in a color that matches the trim. If possible also paint the trim around the outside of the windows to match the door rather than contrast with it. As for colors many could work- deep green, dark red or rich teal would all be good choices to draw attention to the entrance and make it the focal point on the front of your home.

An alternate color would be to go with gray tiles. Going with multi-width tiles will also change the look and would work with either gray or brown tiles. Either of these would be a more noticeable change however the brown trim would not work with the gray roof. A medium to dark gray would work or you could go to a light neutral or color that is slightly grayed. Then using the same idea as above choose a color for the entry doors that will welcome people to your home.

I like the shake style although if you wanted to change to slate tiles the same thinking about the colors would apply.

Sincerely,

Kate Smith
DaVinci Roofscapes Color Expert

Hanging out during hot summer days just got cooler for visitors to Buckroe Beach in Hampton, Virginia. A large central shelter pavilion and three smaller structures within the city park were all updated earlier this year and now have synthetic slate shingles from DaVinci Roofscapes roofs overhead.

The bay front park features almost a mile of clean beaches where kayaks and paddleboats are available for rent. The free-use picnic structures feature grills and tables, with a children's playground and restroom facilities located nearby.

The new synthetic slate gray roof tiles on the shelters replace roofs that were worn out over time by salt air and sea spray off the Chesapeake Bay. The shelters also receive harsh exposure to high winds and relentless sun, which is why simulated slate roofing from DaVinci Roofscapes was selected.

Both Bellaforté Slate and Single-Width Slate composite slate roofing were used on the shelters. The roofing tiles resemble classic traditional slate tile found on upscale residences and commercial projects throughout the world, but requires none of the maintenance. Modeled after actual slate, the synthetic slate roof shingles are backed by a 50-year limited warranty and resist fire, impact, moisture, curling, cracking, fading, mold, algae, fungus and insects!

The easy-to-install lightweight roofing tiles are made with a non-porous material, so the beach shelter rooftops won't absorb water. And, state-of-the-art ultraviolet and color stabilizers help protect the rooftop from color fading. For more details on impressive sustainable roofing products from DaVinci, see Check Out Polymer Slate Roofing Options.

Wander around Europe --- or even the New England states --- and you'll see some beautiful red slate roof tiles. But, you won't see many. Why? Because natural red slateis extremely limited and not widely available.

Long valued for its scarcity and prestige, in the United States natural red slate roofing shingles can only be found in Washington County, New York. According to the National Slate Association, "unfading red" is a dense, very hard slate that can be dry and brittle when quarried, making the rare slate very expensive to produce.

Fortunately for homeowners wishing to add a bit of red to a roof (or who wish to create an entire imitation slate roof of one stunning red color!), DaVinci Roofscapes offers a cost-effective alternative with our imitation slate shingles.

Our experts at DaVinci can create a custom color or custom color blend for your designer roof quite easily. Send us a sample of the red you're interested in --- whether it's a tube of red lipstick or a swatch of red fabric--- and we can match the color. That's because we have some of the most advanced color matching capabilities in the industry to help you accent your designer roof with fire engine red highlights or cover the entire roof in a soft mottled wine red blend.

So, if you'd like to capture the prestige of red in your lightweight roofing tiles (or any other unique color), contact us for all your roofing options! And, for more information on custom colors and blends, see Bring a Little Custom to Your Blend and Rainbow of Roofing Colors.

Do you feel lucky? Martha Zechman of Galloway Township, New Jersey certainly does! She's one of the winners of a free designer roof from DaVinci Roofscapes in the 2013 Great TOH Giveaway sponsored by This Old House magazine.

As a prize winner, Martha was able to receive up to $25,000 of free Bellaforté synthetic slate roofing, which she chose in a Castle Gray color for her 40-year old English Tudor style home.

"The new composite slate roof is beautiful," says Martha. "It truly looks just like a natural slate roof. The 50 year roof warranty makes it a great investment, in addition to the fact that it has the reputation of withstanding the elements of weather better than asphalt roof shingles."

Now it's YOUR TURN to win! Enter the 2014 Great TOH Giveaway by September 1st and you could have a new synthetic shake or imitation slate Bellaforté roof on your home by this time next year!

There are two ways to enter. Simply purchase the August 2014 issue of This Old House magazine, scan the pages using the Blippar free app available on iTunes and you’re entered into the drawing. Or, visit www.thisoldhouse.com/win to enter online. And, you can increase your chances to win your luxury roof by entering every day through September 1st!

Don’t miss out … there are only days left to enter to win! For more details ... see $75,000 of FREE Bellaforté Roofing!

The use of solar panels on residential properties is slowly increasing, mainly because over the last decade the cost to manufacture and install them has started to decline. Occasionally I speak with an architect who is working on a project where solar panels will be used, and he or she is investigating shingles or tiles to use in conjunction with these panels. It has been established that solar panels can be used on almost any type of roofing material, DaVinci's polymer slate and shake tiles included. Recently I received some photos of Bellaforté Slate installed on a house with solar panels. The photos do a great job of showing the finished product of a residential roof pairing solar panels and our products.

Happy Friday, Architects!

What type / color of material would you suggest on our roof?

Thank you,

Heidi
Omaha, NE
Product: DaVinci Slate

**************************************************************************************************************************************************************

Dear Heidi,

For your home I like the Bellaforté Slate profile. It's size and pattern will work well for your home.

At first glance I thought you brick leaned brown but a closer look revealed that it is more gray than brown. If this is the case I would go gray on your roof with either Bellaforté Slate Gray or Villa Blend. Slate Gray would be my first choice because the overall color has less variations than Villa. You already have color variation in your brick so don't need to add pattern to your roof, too. However the variation of tones in Villa is subtle so if you like that look, it would work well, too. If in fact the brick is more brown use this same thinking but with a brown-based blend.

Once you make your final color for your roof, I would consider finding a neutral for your garage doors rather than leaving them white-ish. The color around the vent on the garage could be a possibility but I think you will find that painting the doors once you have your new roof on your home will make it really stand out.

I hope that helps you to make a final decision about the color for your new roof.

Sincerely,

Kate Smith
DaVinci Roofscapes Color Expert