Having a hard time picking a color as they seem to look different on paper than they do on the website. Could you look at our picture of the house and recommend a color or color blend. I am liking the blend of dark mountain, dark tan, but could really appreciate your suggestion for this style of house.

Janet O'Brien
Whittier, CA
Product: DaVinci Slate Single-Width

 

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Dear Ms. O'Brien,

You are on the right track with the color blends you like for your home.

I recommend that you look at DaVinci Roofscapes Multi-Width Shake in Mountain and Tahoe. The Mountain blend is darker and more brown/gray. The Tahoe is slightly lighter and more brown. The Tahoe will be closer to how the roof currently appears to me in your photos.

Either color blend will work well on your home. Look at the colors against your home in the light and determine which you prefer with the main and trim color of your home as well as which you think fits in best with the natural surroundings.

Sincerely,

Kate Smith
DaVinci Roofscapes Color Expert

Smokey the Bear is not a happy camper. Incredible drought conditions on the West Coast mean many woodland areas are suffering from wildfires.

For many homeowners with cedar shake roofing, the threat of flying embers from those wildfires that could ignite their cedar roofing is a constant worry during summer months. Fortunately for homeowners, DaVinci Roofscapes offers Class A Fire Rated synthetic shake roofing that looks just like real shake roofing, but resists fire.

"More than fifty homes burned in our area during one wildfire," says Dan Baer, a California homeowner. "If the winds had been stronger, our home would have been included. Our old shake roof was a tinderbox waiting to ignite. Our new Bellaforté polymer tiles are rated Class A for fire retardance, which gives us tremendous peace-of-mind.”

In Nevada, homeowner Mary Katherine Hirsh feels the same way. After she was evacuated from her home in 2011 due to a firestorm sweeping through her Reno neighborhood, she decided her old wooden cedar roof shingles had to go.

"The idea that a stray cinder landing on my roof could ignite the entire home was scary,” says Hirsh, a Nevada resident. “I immediately started researching roofing options and focused in on fire-resistant polymer roofing tiles from DaVinci Roofscapes.”

For more information on synthetic shake shingles, see Playing with Fire.

Kansas residents are no strangers to severe weather. Located in Tornado Alley, most homeowners understand that their state is subject to unusually strong weather during the course of the year. That's why many people, like the residents of Harbor Isle I, seek out durable building products to help protect their homes and families.

"When constructed about 18 years ago, our community had wood shake and cement tiles used for roofing," says Dee Manning, president of the Harbor Isle I homeowner association of 59 homes. "As the years went on, the wood shakes were wearing out and, at the same time, they became harder to get insured. We wanted an alternative that was realistic looking but lightweight enough to be installed over the existing roof trusses of the homes in our community.

"We did our research and DaVinci Roofscapes offered the most realistic alternative to natural cedar shakes. Our community started offering DaVinci products three years ago as an option for homeowners looking for replacement roofing. After the microburst in April, that interest level quickly accelerated and now there are at least 10 homes ready to commit to the DaVinci polymer tiles to replace their destroyed cement tile roofs."

Made of 100 percent recyclable virgin resins, DaVinci synthetic shake shingles and imitation slate shingles are engineered to resist fire, impact, insects and algae. The company's products are Class A Rated for fire retardance, have achieved a Class 4 impact rating and passed the TAS-100 certification test for wind driven rain. The durable composite roofing products have also passed the maximum of 110mph in the ASTM D 3161 Standard for straight line winds and achieved very high design pressures in TAS-125, a test to demonstrate wind uplifts and acceptability to be installed in High Velocity Hurricane Zones.

See also Invest in Your Roof for smart ideas on having green roofing materials on your home!

If you are wondering about the best way to choose colors for your home exterior then I have some great news for you. I've taken my years of experience choosing colors for hundreds of homes and put it into easy to follow steps for you to download for FREE in the DaVinci Roofscapes Color Designer. 

In my first ebook FRESH Home Exterior Colors: 5 Steps for Finding the Perfect Hues for Your Home I introduce you to my FRESH approach for picking your colors in five steps.

In the second ebook FRESH Color Schemes for Your Home Exterior I provide step-by-step color guidance for seven different home styles. You will see how I use a “top down” approach, giving you insights on adding eye-pleasing color palettes to your home exterior starting with the roof, then working your way down to consider your siding, window frames, front door and trim. As you see how I create these looks you will quickly learn how to do the same for your home.

Here is an example of selecting a color scheme for the European-style home you see above rendered with the suggested colors. Just as you will do for your own home, I considered each part of "FRESH", the homeowner's like and dislikes, their personal style and vision they had for their home. These are the steps I took for this home. You can see examples of the other six styles in FRESH Color Schemes for Your Home Exterior.

The existing polymer slate roof is the Brownstone blend, which has a range of light to dark tones of brown. Copper accent roofing over three windows on the home complements the Brownstone blend and starts to bring color down the home’s exterior.

A mix of fixed features such as stone and brick are often found on European-style home. This home has Antique White Old World Ledgestone and Nassau Full Range Brick. Both have a reddish brown colorcast.

When an exterior has several textures and patterns as this home does, the main color usually looks best if it is in the same tones as the fixed features rather than in a contrasting color. Antique White blends with the features rather than competing with them for attention.

Good designs do not give equal importance to every element. Instead the designer focuses attention on one or two features and allows the other elements to provide support. Think of your home exterior in the same way as you choose your colors and materials. Plan your colors so that one or two of the best features stand out.

Use this same philosophy when selecting window or trim colors. Unless you want to highlight the windows or trim look for a color that adds to a cohesive overall look. For this home Chocolate Brown vinyl windows and Barista Brown painted urethane trim were the perfect choices to extend the color of the home throughout the exterior.

Often European-style homes sport a rustic, stained or painted door with prominent hardware. In staying with the natural feel created by the stone, brick and stucco, a door stained Mahogany was a good fit.

Finally step back and ask yourself, "Is Any Other Color Needed?"

Look carefully at your home. Make note of which of the colors you have selected will be applied to each architectural detail of the exterior. Is there an area of the exterior that you haven’t chosen a color for? On a European style home the many textures and tonal variations often complete the look without the addition of accent or other colors. Once you've looked at the entire home and selected the colors for each element following my FRESH approach, congratulate yourself...

Now you see how easy it can be to find the perfect colors for your home exterior. If you haven't already downloaded the download for FREE ebooks in the DaVinci Roofscapes Color Designer go do that right now. Then make sure to stop back here over the next few weeks as I share more of my experience and insights on choosing exterior colors.

Cool off this summer ... and EVERY summer ... when you invest in a DaVinci Roofscapes Cool Roof.

Our EcoBlend polymer roof tiles are specially engineered to be energy efficient. These-hardworking imitation slate and synthetic shake tiles help reduce the cooling load for your home with their higher emissivity and reflectivity rates. They're also ENERGY STAR® rated, so they help increase the overall efficiency of your sustainable roofing.

How do they work? DaVinci EcoBlend composite roofing tiles reflect heat and light from the sun away from your home or business to help reduce the amount of energy it requires to keep your building cool.  As a result, our products are considered green roofing materials that last a long time AND help the environment.

DaVinci green roofing options have achieved a Cool Roof Rating by the Cool Roof Rating Council. Qualified colors include Weathered Gray (in Medium, Medium Light, Medium Dark, Light and Dark) and Gray (in Dark, Light and Medium). These tiles may help you save 7 to 15 percent on cooling costs by reflecting light away from the home instead of absorbing it, thus avoiding adding extra heat to your home.

Need more details on creating an environmentally friendly roof with DaVinci products? Then see Sunscreen for Your Designer RoofandFrom the Architect's Corner - What is EcoBlend?

From residential to light commercial, seeing a project similar to what you are working on is always helpful. Here is a round up of some projects I recently featured on the blog, all completed by members of the DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor Program. 

Featured Project - Hopkins, MN

Snow guards in July? Who knew? Click here to read about this project and why you should consider using snow guards on your projects. 

Featured Project - Cloverdale, BC

Today's consumers are extremely educated, thanks to blogs and websites like ours. Click here to read how this roof has the owner's neighbors talking. 

Featured Project - Irving, TX

Does your client need help finding a contractor? Click here to read about how we can help. 

Featured Project - Fort Worth, TX

What is Bellaforté? Click here to read more about this type of polymer roof tiles. 

Happy Friday, Architects! 

Multi-Width Slate was the first profile launched by DaVinci Roofscapes more than a decade ago, and is the flagship product of our now 7 profile product line. This classic look comes in 5 widths - 12", 10", 9", 7" and 6" sizes and come to the jobsite pre-mixed for the color blend ordered. Final Touch Roofing out of Little Rock recently installed the Brownstone blend on this very steep sloped roof. This roof not only adds color and dimension to this home's largest fixed feature, but will stand up to the hail and strong winds that blow through the area year after year.

DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor Program Member
Final Touch Roofing, Inc
501-525-4200
www.finaltouchroofs.com

Our Neighborhood Association just approved DaVinci for the 17 homes in our development when the roofs are replaced. All homes currently have wood shingle roofs of varying ages. My neighbor and I will be the first to replace our existing roofs. We need help selecting the specific product, installation pattern, and color, which will most closely resemble our existing roofs, and look best on our homes. I've attached 3 pics of my home (front and rear) as well as 2 pics of neighboring homes. Thank you.
Craig
Omaha, Nebraska
Product: Multi-Width Shake or Bellaforté Shake

    

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Dear Mr. Hergott,

It is great news that your Homeowner's Association (HOA) has approved DaVinci Roofscapes products for all homes. As one of the first to select your roof type and colors you will be an example for your neighbors to refer to as others in your neighborhood replace their roofs so it is important for us to guide you on making a great selection.

I looked at all of the pictures that you sent of both homes in the development. It looks like the original cedar have changed in color as they have aged to brownish gray and the shakes are not as even as they once were. With the DaVinci product these are two concerns you will not have in the future. The color and look will remain basically the same for the life of the roof.

Since that is the case if you like the look of the aged shakes over how they looked when they were brand new then that is the look you will want to go for. I prefer the aged look for the homes in your neighborhood over the new cedar because it appears to me that the new cedar would not have enough contrast to the color of the bricks. Worry less about matching the existing color per se and more about finding a color that has a similar feel that you can love for many years to come.

My first thought is to go with either a Multi-Width or Bellaforté tile in Weathered Gray. This color has the warm look of aged wood. The Bellaforté has a bolder texture where the Multi-Width can be installed straight or staggered depending on the amount of texture/pattern desired. 

If you prefer a deeper tone on the roof then a second option is Tahoe. Tahoe is darker and more brown in color than the weathered gray. It would give you more contrast between your roof and main color of the home(s) but it would still blend into the surroundings nicely.

In either case you will want to view the actual colors in outside of your home to get a true idea of how they are going to look before making your final decision.

Sincerely,

Kate Smith
DaVinci Roofscapes Color Expert

Jordan Eades, president of HOPE Roofing & Construction in Washington, has some insightful opinions about her experiences with polymer roofing and DaVinci Roofscapes. She's sharing those thoughts with you today!

Q: What have you experienced as some of the benefits of synthetic roofing material?

A: Because they are lightweight tiles, DaVinci polymer roof tiles place less stress on the structure of a home. From our perspective, the product is easy to install when compared to natural slate and cedar shake roofing. Another benefit is less waste, as the eco friendly roof products are of consistent quality. These features combined benefit both the contractor and the client with cost savings.

Q: What about the look of synthetic shake and composite slate from DaVinci?

A: Because we service an area with many historic homes, our customers are looking for roofing products that have the look and feel of natural slate and shake. DaVinci products deliver this authentic look. The company offers a wide range of choices that our customers appreciate.

Q: How are you "selling" DaVinci composite roofing to your clients?

A: DaVinci products sell themselves! More and more, we hear our clients asking for products that will withstand climate conditions in the Pacific Northwest. They are looking for roofing products that are more resistant to weathering, are low maintenance in terms of upkeep, offer a lifetime warranty and improve the curb appeal of their home.

Inspired by castles visited during a trip to Germany, Brecken Bang and his wife decided to incorporate turrets into the architectural design of their new Utah home in 2014. The stunning custom home looks like a mini castle itself with a unique stone/rock overlay on top of cast-in-place concrete.

"Everyone who sees our Bellaforté Slate roof thinks it is a real slate roof and they love it," says Brecken Bang.

In reality, the simulated slate roofing atop the home is manufactured slate from DaVinci Roofscapes.

"We wanted our house to have the real slate roof look, but with lower maintenance concerns," says Bang. "One big factor for us selecting DaVinci was the wind rating. It can withstand winds up to 110mph. We did not want to lose any roofing in the strong winds we can get here. An added bonus was that we could create a custom gray and black color blend to add depth and a bold look to the roof."

All of the structural walls and floors in the home are concrete and steel, which is not surprising since Bang is co-owner of Bang Concrete, which creates custom concrete walls.

"The home was built to last and we also wanted a designer roof that would last," says Bang. "Especially when it came to the turrets. Our roofer, Centennial Roofing, agreed that the DaVinci polymer roofing was much easier to use on the turrets than concrete tiles or natural slate shingles. The look is so authentic that sometimes I tell people that the DaVinci roof almost looks like dragon scales on our castle!"

Love turrets? Then see Turrets Are Easy With DaVinci’s Turret Package.

For Liz Weinberger, learning that her old house was a winner in the 2014 Great Giveaway sponsored by This Old House magazine was very welcome news. (See You Get a New Roof ... and YOU Get a New Roof ... and YOU GET A NEW ROOF!)

"We were quite surprised to learn we had won the new DaVinci Roofscapes designer roof," says Weinberger, who lives in Wisconsin. "We bought a foreclosed home fairly recently and almost everything needs to be fixed, replaced or updated."

Weinberger and her boyfriend (who installed the polymer roof tiles himself!) selected Bellaforté Shake for their 80-year old farmhouse-style home in the Tahoe blend of four colors.

While not everyone may feel confident enough to install a luxury roof themselves, the leading edge tab on every Bellaforté tile makes it easy to secure each tile to the next one. The polymer shake tiles come in multiple profiles to simulate a multi-width staggered rough hewn wood cedar shake. And, as with other DaVinci products, the Bellaforté Shake is Class A Fire Rated and resists high wind, impact, severe weather conditions and insects.

"We love the new look," says Weinberger. "We are still in the process of renovating our front landscape but this has been a big kick start to jazzing up our exterior."

A successful business since its launch in 1991, Nathan's Roofing, Windows & Siding has built up a strong reputation for its quality work in the Richmond area of Virginia.

Having installed more than 60 DaVinci Roofscapes polymer roofs, it's easy to see why Nathan Barbuto, Jr. and his team are thriving, longtime contractors. We wanted to gain his insights to share with you.

Q: How does offering DaVinci composite roofing materials allow your company to grow its business?

A: Nathan's Roof Repairs is able to grow due to its reputation within the community. A large part of our positive reputation comes from using quality products, such as the imitation slate shingles and synthetic shake roofing offered by DaVinci. We've partnered with DaVinci to offer homeowners in our area the best composite roofing possible. This way both companies --- and our customers --- win.

Q: Getting a new roof can be intimidating for the average homeowner. How do you make homeowners feel comfortable with your services?

A: We have an outstanding reputation in the community that brings peace of mind to our customers. We stand behind our jobs and the work that we perform ... plus we use quality products and can offer extended  manufacturer warranties. These factors together have helped us be successful for many years.

Q: DaVinci introduced a new, more authentic-looking profile in their slate shingles this year. What do you think of the new profile?

A: I think it looks more realistic in comparison to real slate and I believe it has improved the overall aesthetics of the simulated slate roofing offered by DaVinci.

A new, composite shake or slate roof can change the entire look of your project. Unless your client routinely does major exterior changes (or their next door neighbor already has a DaVinci roof on their home - which hey, happens!), there may be some anxiety over which color to choose and how it will look once installed. Recently I was contacted by a local architect who is shopping for his own new roof and knew to call us when he decided to look into synthetic shake roofing material. When I followed up with him a few weeks later he said the tiles had arrived and were nailed up onto his roof so he could observe the color in the morning and afternoon light, and on sunny and cloudy days. This is sound advice that our Color Expert, Katie Smith, has said time and time again. Lighting matters, and what you see on your computer screen or on a conference room table under fluorescent lighting will not be what you get as the end result. Have your clients put the material outside, next to any other fixed features such as the siding products. Let it soak in for as long as possible so when they make their choice, they can be sure it is the right one. Interested in obtaining some samples? Contact Us! 

Happy Friday, Architects! 

August is such a happy month. Maybe it's because of summer vacations or the last weeks of relaxation before school starts, but August has been designated "Admit You're Happy Month" AND "Happiness Happens Month." We know for sure that singer Pharrell Williams is indeed happy, even if he's singing "Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof."

At DaVinci Roofscapes, we can't imagine being happy without a designer roof overhead made of our composite slate or synthetic shake! And because we want to make our customers happy, we're pleased to offer our limited lifetime warranty on our lightweight roofing materials.

Something else that we know makes people happy is the Class A Fire Rating on our composite roofing products. This means that whether you live in wildfire-prone areas of the West or sparks from your neighbor's fire pit travel to your DaVinci roof, you have no worries. And, because our sustainable roofing product is also impact resistant, you won't need to be concerned with roof hail damage.

Worry-Free DaVinci Roofscan also mean happy times for the environment. Our eco-friendly roofs help with Green Roof Constructionthat helps save on natural resources. So, go ahead and think about a new roof for your home ... because once you invest in DaVinci polymer roofing you'll also qualify to wholeheartedly participate in another August celebration ... National Smile Week from August 10-15!

Tim Carter, founder of AsktheBuilder.com, has undertaken a special project this summer --- installing a DaVinci Roofscapes Single-Width Slate roof on his home. Because of the rough winters he experiences in New Hampshire, Tim decided to install Rocky Mountain Snow Guards on his new imitation slate roof.

Q: How much snow do you usually get in your area?

A: Average annual snowfall here is around five feet; but in the past six years, we've had a total snowfall of over 100 inches!

Q: You didn't have snow guards on your last roof ... why are you installing them this time?

A: My previous roof was traditional asphalt shingle and didn't require snow guards. Accumulated snow and ice locked themselves into the ceramic granules and had to be "raked" off the roof. My new DaVinci polymer roof tiles have a smooth surface. The snow guards will help "break up" melting snow. I know the snow will come down on its own with this imitation slate roof, saving me lots of work and hassle.

Q: Where did you install your snow guards?

A: On areas of the roof that are above pedestrian walkways and my rear deck.

Q: How did you like the Rocky Mountain snow guards, and how easy were they to install?

A: These are very substantial, high-quality snow guards. It was a breeze to install them. They come with pre-punched holes for the nails and a great diagram showing exactly where to put them on the roof.

Q: Would you recommend snow guards for other homeowners with composite roofing in snow-prone areas?

A: Absolutely. I've watched videos and seen what happens when you don't have snow guards. Giant slabs of hard, crusty snow weighing thousands of pounds can come off a roof with no notice or sound. I firmly recommend snow guards like these to either lock the snow on the roof or cut it up into smaller pieces as it slides off synthetic slate shingles or simulated shake roofing.

Need  more snow guard answers? See Q & A Guide to Snow Guards.

After three years of harsh Maine winters, homeowner Rob Fanjoy is as happy with his plastic slate roof as the day his re-roofing project was finished. (See Maine Challenge)

"My wife and I love our DaVinci Roofscapes luxury roof even more now that it's been installed for a few years," says Fanjoy, a resident of Hampden, Maine. "The durability is plainly evident and the composite roofing tiles have performed exactly as advertised.

"Our imitation slate roof has held up to three colder and snowier than usual winters and two very hot, sunny summers. EVERYONE who comes up our driveway comments on our designer roof --- friends, family, delivery drivers and service professionals --- they all rave about how great it looks and can't believe it's not real slate."

Fanjoy and his wife Holly selected a Multi-Width Slate roof from DaVinci in the Vineyard blend of eight colors. "We wanted a strong visual interest on the roof to accent our home," says Fanjoy. "We decided to make the roof the centerpiece of our exterior renovation plans. This worked out great for us and now we're in the process of using the 'top-down' color approach to select a siding that complements the roof!"

A big supporter of man-made products that replicate Mother Nature but offer more long-term benefits than natural products, Fanjoy continues to appreciate the features of his synthetic slate roof. "The DaVinci product resists cracking, fading, curling and impacts," says Fanjoy. "Plus, this polymer slate roof has a great warranty, so how could we want anything more?"

The beauty of slate can be seen at the Dinorwic Slate Quarry. Image from bigstock.com

When I'm not putting my color expertise to work professionally I can often be found sitting at my easel mixing oil colors and dabbing them onto a canvas in hopes of creating a pleasing landscape. My goal is to create a painting that looks as amazing as the scene that inspired me is to want to paint it. Good drawing skills are important but what makes a painting realistic is being able to recreate the colors of each object I see as closely as possible to how they appear in nature.

This is known as local color. Artlex.com  - the online art dictionary - defines local color as:

"The true color of an object or a surface as seen in typical daylight, rather than its color as seen through atmosphere or interpreted by the taste or imagination of the artist. Thus the characteristic local color of a lemon is yellow."

Seeing the local color of an object and all of its nuances takes keen observation but the final result is well worth the effort. Getting the colors right makes the painting not just beautiful but also believable.

When the team wanted to develop realistic colors for the DaVinci Slate line of products they thought like artists. Looking at the local color of natural slate and closely observing how the colors naturally blend one into another inspired the proprietary DaVinci VariBlend® technology. VariBlend creates a continuous variation from tile to tile which results in a beautiful natural blend.

Available in a full spectrum of authentic colors the natural beauty of slate has been brought to life in DaVinci Slate to provide a solution to the cost and expense of natural slate to property owners all over the globe.  The entire range of color has been artfully put together to give you the beauty of natural slate enhancing the realistic appearance of your roof. DaVinci Slate is not only aesthetically beautiful but also durable and therefore not only protects but enhances the value of your home.

Take a look at all of the nature-inspired colors and I'm sure you will find a perfect match for your homes color and style. If you are not sure about the right colors for the roof of your home let us help. At DaVinci Roofscapes, we can answer all your questions. If you would like help in knowing what color would best suit your home, please feel free to get in touch with one of our Project Specialists or Color Consultant to get advice on what would look ideal.

Just look how color and dedication can transform a home!

Rachel Delgado, winner of the 2015 Shake it Up Exterior Color Contest sponsored by DaVinci Roofscapes (see Virginia Homeowner Wins $2,500 in National DaVinci Roofscapes “Shake it Up” Exterior Color Contest) has already put her winnings to good use. She invested her $2,500 cash grand prize from the contest to change the exterior of her home.

In her entry, Delgado said she has always dreamed of having her home painted a bright barn red. Now she's made her dream come true!

"It's done (for now)!" says Delgado. "We hope to top it off with a new roof next year, but we've already shaken it up with color. It really came a long way and we couldn't have done it without you! Thank you so much!"

When she's ready to add her new roof, DaVinci will be here to help. Kate Smith, chief color maven with Sensational Color and a judge in the contest, suggested that Delgado use a Tahoe blend polymer shake DaVinci roof to complement her chosen barn red exterior.

"I want to shake up my home by going with an urban farm/rustic chic theme," says Delgado. "Our first priority was to purchase the red paint color recommended as part of the artist rendering to help transform the home exterior. After that we focused on the new porch. Finally, the wish list will be complete in a few years when we can top off our 'new' home with the recommended DaVinci roof!"

We are going to have Bellaforté roofing put on but can't decide on color. Can you suggest one? We are thinking about Sabino, but not sure.

John Hardison
Missouri Valley, IA
Product: Bellaforté

    

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Dear Mr. Hardison,

The choice you are leaning towards -- Bellaforté Slate in Canyon-VariBlend (formerly Sabino) -- would work well on your home. The color of the brick in the picture looks like it would blend nicely with the variety of tones in the roof. Since the color is not always true in a photograph when shared online please confirm that this is true by looking at a sample of the roofing tiles alongside the brick color of your home. Stand back towards the front of your property and view the colors together in daylight. 

Gray as you have now could work, too. However, I would suggest a slightly different tone -- Slate Gray as a better match to your brick.

Replacing the roof with Bellaforté Slate will have a big impact on updating the look of your exterior. Replacing the porch supports with clean square columns would also fresh up your home and be a better match for the sturdy more substantial look of your new slate roof.

Sincerely,

Kate Smith
DaVinci Roofscapes Color Expert

All across the country children are getting ready to head back to school. While they concentrate on what's inside the classroom, some roofers focus on what's covering that classroom.

Atop the Mohawk Avenue School in Sparta, New Jersey, roofer Chris Boyd installed DaVinci Roofscapes Slate roof tiles back in 2010. Since then the polymer slate roof has withstood some severe weather and continues to look great. (See 100-Year-Old Slate Roof Replaced on NJ School)

Boasting a Class A Fire Rating and resistant to high winds and high impact, the DaVinci lightweight roofing materials were fast and easy for Boyd to install. Because of the school's geographic location, he made sure to place snow guards around the structure to ease the potential accumulation of snow on the simulate slate roofing during winter months.

“After a snow storm, ice and snow can settle on a roof,” says Boyd, with CM Boyd Authentic Design. “When the sun eventually melts the surface snow, there’s a potential for the snow to slide collectively off the roof. The snow guards prevent large blocks of snow and ice from suddenly sliding off the roof and crashing to the ground. They help the snow melt slower, which helps keep people on the ground safer.”

Students at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Canton, New York are also used to seeing DaVinci composite slate roofs on campus. The eight buildings that create the Smith and Mohawk Residences each feature a mansard roof of DaVinci Slate roofing materials in the European Blend color that reaches from the top of the buildings down more than four stories to the lawn below. (see Towering DaVinci Roofs at SUNY)

“We’re used to working on steep slopes roofing, but nothing like this,” says Michael Lucey, president of Mid-State Industries, which installed the roof. “This was an almost straight vertical application that required us to use special scaffolding for installation. The dormitories are surrounded by steep landscaping with minimal access, which posed many challenges to our team. Fortunately the DaVinci product is lightweight and installs easily. This made the application go quickly and effortlessly.”