What does "unlimited possibilities" mean to you? 

If you're in the market for a new designer roof, it probably means getting exactly what you want, in the color you want and with a style that complements your home exterior. That's what we deliver at DaVinci Roofscapes.

Now there's a great video we're sharing that shows  you how DaVinci offers you unlimited possibilities. Click HEREto see our exceptional choices in simulated shake roofing, synthetic slate roof shingles, 50 colors and so much more.

You'll discover that with DaVinci, you get more than just possibilities ...you get peace-of-mind. That's because our polymer roof tiles are Class A Fire Rated, have superior impact resistance and come with a lifetime warranty. Our sustainable roofing tiles have color "through and through" each tile that won't fade over time. Plus, insects, bugs and termites just hate our synthetic cedar shake tiles ... which we know you'll love!

For more details on Getting Serious About DaVinci Slate Roof Tilesand Slate or Shake --- Which DaVinci Roofscapes Product is for Me?click on these stories!

If you travel to France, forget about the tastes, smells and sights ... instead, look up at the colorful tile roofs!

Old ceramic and slate tiles in France are a patchwork of color. From unique turrets with bright and bold zig-zag patterns to the famous kaleidoscope roof on the Hotel-Dieu in Beaune, France is a spectacular site for roof lovers. Even the older well-worn designer roofs with their faded concrete and cement tiles have a charming appeal in France.

If you'd like to incorporate some of that charm and color into your own luxury roof, contact us at DaVinci Roofscapes. We now offer 50 standard colors for our synthetic shake and simulated slate roofing. And, the really good news is that the colors are manufactured throughout each piece, so you don't have to worry about fading over time from the sun's powerful rays.

Need help deciding on the best polymer roofing color combination for your home? Then click HERE to download our free FRESH Color Schemes for Your Home exterior e-book ... or visit our Color Designer tool online to create a unique color blend of composite roofing that's perfect for your home!

Don't see a color you love out of our 50? Then check out 3 Reasons A Custom Color Could Be The Best Choice For Your Project and come up with your very own color of roof tiles for your roof!

After five years of hail and storms that damaged her cedar shake roof, Anita Jones decided it was time for a change.

"There was never enough damage to allow my insurance company to agree to any financial help with a new roof," says Jones, a Wichita, Kansas homeowner. "I had to do something about my roof on my own --- and I'm glad I did."

Jones admired a neighbor's polymer shake roof from DaVinci Roofscapes. After doing her research and securing Heiland Roofing to complete the job, she now sleeps better at night with her new Bellaforté Shake roof overhead.

"Since the installation of my DaVinci roof we've had several storms including some golf ball sized hail and high winds, yet I have had no damage at all," reports Jones. "A neighbor who has envied my composite shake roof since it was finished called to tell me she had enough roof hail damage from a storm on her almost-new shake roof to get a new roof. She was thrilled at the possibility of a DaVinci roof."

Along with the impact resistance of her fake cedar shake roof, Jones also likes the overall aesthetics of the roof. "This roof suits the design of my home and I love the Mountain blend of three shades of brown colors," says Jones. "I was quickly the envy of the neighborhood with my new DaVinci roof.

"At least four of my neighbors replaced their roofs with DaVinci roofs after mine was completed and they're also very pleased with the quality and style. When my roof was first installed I would sit in my driveway as I drove in and just ADMIRE my new roof. I'm so proud of it!"

Learn more about another Happy Homeowner Sings Praises of DaVinci Roofscapes Synthetic Shake Roofing who loves her cedar shake alternative roof!

The sustainable roofing material made by DaVinci Roofscapes has been used on a variety of smaller structures including tiny houses, gazebos, pool houses, gate houses, and lake houses. I often say, the best thing we can do to help clients make a decision on what type of roofing material to use is to show them an examples of project similar to theirs. I don't often receive calls from architects who are scouting out roofing material for barns, but once and a while it pops up in conversation and these photos are definitely worth sharing. 

Barns outfitted with polymer roof tiles are less likely to sustain damage due to wind and hail, and the owner can also get the authentic look of cedar shake, but the reassurance of a Lifetime Limited Warranty. 

Interested in learning more? Click here to contact us!

Could you provide a color recommendation?

Thanks,
Frank Gable
Reading, PA
Product: Single Width Slate

    

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Dear Mr. Gable,

There are a few options for color in the Single-Width DaVinci Slate that would work well on your home. You could stay with a brighter color similar to what you have now by going with Sonora-VariBlend.

While I like the colorful roof a subtler color would be more versatile in opening up many options for main and accent colors for your home over the long life of the roof.

Brownstone-VariBlend is one option I like. The warm tones work well with the existing colors and the surroundings.

Slate Gray-VariBlend would be another option. It works with any color, is a medium tone and has the natural look of a roof that could have been used originally on your style of home.

With the classic look of your home you really can't go wrong with any of the colors available. These are just a couple of choices I like but if you are leaning in another direction I wouldn't hesitate to go with the color that speaks to you.

Sincerely,

Kate Smith
DaVinci Roofscapes Color Expert

When it's time to get insights into roof replacement, who ya gonna call? Not ghost busters ... but a qualified builder!

Luckily we know just the guy --- Tim Carter, builder and founder of AsktheBuilder.com. With several decades of experience (more than he would probably like us to mention!) Tim knows EVERYTHING about building homes ... including roofing systems.

This summer Tim started re-roofing his own home in New Hampshire ... with DaVinci Roofscapes composite slate roofing tile.

Now Tim's sharing his candid insights on the process in a series of free online videos. The first one, entitled "DaVinci vs. Asphalt Shingles" can be found by clicking HERE.

Listen in and you'll hear Tim's past challenges and concerns with asphalt roofing plus his love of real slate roofs. Now Tim's discovered the best of all worlds --- simulated slate roofing from DaVinci that has the appearance of real slate, but not the weight.

Want more details on Tim's summer roofing adventures? Stay tuned for more videos that will be posted soon, and see Roofing Dreams Do Come Trueand DaVinci Roofscapes Helps Me to "Do it Right, Not Over!"

Homeowner Jill Bybee was faced with a challenge. Her 14-year old cedar shake roof had to go.

"We knew we wanted and needed a product that would meet our insurance company's standards and would be accepted by our Architectural Review Committee," says Bybee, who lives in St. Albans, Missouri.

Working with Cardinal Contractors, Bybee had DaVinci Roofscapes color samples made and installed on her roof to determine how the color blends would work with her stone and brick Country French home exterior. At the same time, her family decided to switch from cedar roof shingles to an imitation slate roof from DaVinci.

"We liked the appearance of the synthetic slate as it looks very authentic," says Bybee. "The warranty on the product, its maintenance-free qualities and the color selections all impressed us. We like the way our custom blended slate looks on our roof as it enhances our house and the beauty of it with a quiet stateliness and elegance."

Bybee selected four shades of Autumn to create the unique blend for her simulated slate roofing. She has positive things to say about both her new designer roof and the team that installed it.

"Working with Aaron Wallis was a great experience," says Bybee. "I am truly amazed at his professionalism and his dedication to his job, his projects, and his customers. I would highly recommend Aaron to anyone looking for a referral. And, we've heard that one of our neighbors is considering the same color blend for their DaVinci roof!"

Is a custom roofing tile color in your future? See3 Reasons A Custom Color Could Be The Best Choice For Your Project.

We're right in the middle of National Curb Appeal Month, so it's a great time to think about how your home can make a powerful first impression on visitors.

The infographic below shows 10 ways to consider adding curb appeal to your home. Not surprisingly, starting at the top with your roof is the first recommendation! (see "Top Down" Color Message from Kate Smith)

The team at DaVinci Roofscapes recommends looking at your entire home as a "palette" for adding color and highlighting special accents on your house exterior. Starting with a blend of colors in our polymer roofing products is especially easy when you use our Color Designer Tool online to get started.

If you're in the market to sell your home, you might want to know that "great design/curb appeal" was the number one answer builders provided to the question of "what are the most important issues among your buyers with regards to the home exterior?" That means potential buyers of YOUR home could be gazing up at your designer roof all the way down to your landscaping to decide if they wish to step in the door and see your home!

Image from bigstock.com

Over the years as I've worked with hundreds of homeowners I have found that people will often pick colors for their home exteriors that reflect something about their own personality. Different "pops of color" can tell passersby a good deal about your personality.

What do the colors of your home's exterior say about you? Here are the personality traits most often associated with these popular colors used as main or accent colors on a home exterior:

Whatever color you have chosen for your exterior DaVinci Roofscapes has the perfect color for your roof. With 50 nature-inspired colors to choose from you are sure to find a combination that reflects your personality.

Does your home show your true colors? Leave a comment and let me know.

A few weeks back we caught up with Aaron Adams, Central Region Manager for DaVinci Roofscapes, during one of his rare trips home. He spends many days traveling to roofing job sites to support our customers and can routinely be found anywhere from Minnesota to South Dakota to Louisiana.

Aaron's back in town again, so we're sharing more of his insights on the roofing industry.

Q: When you're on the jobsite, what are roofers telling you about the ease or challenges of installing DaVinci polymer roofing products?

A: Roofers equate our roofing tile install to a slightly faster cedar shake roof. Faster because they don't have to cull broken or knotted pieces, felt interlay is not typical, and they can be fastened with gun nails. One of the challenges they face is making sure new crews know how to hide cuts effectively.

Q: How do you see homeowners responding to DaVinci roofing materials?

A: The homeowners I've met with love the aesthetics of the polymer shake and composite slate. They look forward to not dealing with the ongoing maintenance of products like cedar shakes. Another piece of feedback I'm getting is that homeowners are relieved that they'll never again have to deal with bug infestations (like silverfish or termites) that they've had in the past with cedar shake roofing.

Q: What about the number of colors available in DaVinci products --- how do homeowners respond to having 50 standard color options?

A: Homeowners really seem to love the options and the ability to personalize their designer roof for their own home. Being able to put together a truly unique color combination that ideally suits their taste using the Color Designer Tool is a big hit.

Q: If you could sum up the message of DaVinci sustainable roofing products in one sentence, what would it be?

A: From color, virtually any steep slope roofing architectural design, severe weather conditions or green roofing options, DaVinci composite roofing products are up to the challenge!

Want to hear directly from roofers using plastic roofing materials from DaVinci? Then visit DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor Profile: McRay Roofingand Roofer Endorses DaVinci Roofscapes.

I work with architects every day, offering all the support I can over the phone or via email, all from my office inside the DaVinci Roofscapes manufacturing headquarters. In most markets in the US and Canada I work in tandem with a local DaVinci Sales Representative as well. His or her job also includes working with the design professional on the specifications for your projects, assisting with sales presentations to your clients or design review boards, and providing product education. Aside from that, knowing your local luxury roof expert will ensure you have accurate pricing information, referrals to local contractors, and up to date samples and materials for your library. Contact me today to set up an appointment with your local DaVinci representative.

Happy Friday, Architects!

This posting could easily be called "A Tale of Two Tim's" ... that's because we have TWO Tim experts to lean on right now!

Tim Gentry, the vice president of technical services at DaVinci Roofscapes has more than 30 years experience with roofing. Tim Carter, founder of AsktheBuilder.com, also has roofing experience --- including his first installation this year of a DaVinci polymer slate roof on his own home!

With this much expertise around, we asked both Tims for installation tips to share with you.

Tips from Tim Gentry:

1. Valley Cuts: Avoid wasteful tile cuts for valleys by finding the correct angle and then cutting your polymer tiles with a circular saw. Then use all the accurate valley cuts and use the leftovers to finish the hips.

2. Nail It: DaVinci steep slope roofing tiles can be nailed with copper, stainless steel, or hot-dipped galvanized nails during installation. The reason for this recommendation is that we expect our synthetic roofing tiles to last for a very long time (especially since we have a lifetime roof warranty!) and we don’t want the fasteners to rust, become ineffective, and be the mode of failure of the Class A Fired Rated roofing system.

3. Rake Tile: Try using a rake tile on gable ends when installing Bellaforté Shake products. It makes these luxury roof tiles easier to install because you don't need to be too concerned with how precise your cuts are on the gable end --- the rake tile covers up all the cuts.

Tips from Tim Carter:

1. Starter Course Overhang: Unless you are using an overhanging drip edge, I recommend installers create a 5/8-inch overhang of the starter shingles past the edge of the metal drip edge. Capillary attraction is a real force of nature and it will suck water up under starter shingles to any unprotected wood decking.

2. Drill Holes for Hip and Ridge: To prevent depressions when cap shingles lay on top of compressible ridge ventilation products, it's a "best practice" to drill holes in the cap shingles for the nails. Make the hole just ever so larger than the shaft of the nail. The nail will not pull the shingle down as it's nailed. And remember, don't overdrive the nails!

3. Snap Lines Every Other Course: Resist the temptation to chalk course lines every five feet or so. Take the few extra minutes to chalk them every other course. This way each course has perfect alignment.

You might not be able to tell it from these pictures, but this "under construction" house in upstate New York will soon be a landmark home.

Nancy and Scott Adams are reconstructing "The Suplina House" designed by Nancy's grandfather Andrew Geller, a respected mid-century modernistic architect. This particular home was originally erected 50 years ago. This is the first Andrew Geller house to be built in more than 25 years.

A main design feature of the house are the cedar shake "sails" that make up the siding and also the designer roof. When Nancy and Scott decided to recreate Geller's design, they brought it up to code and then started looking for materials to complement the exterior.

"After thoroughly investigating current roofing materials on the market, we feel that the DaVinci shakes (outside of real cedar) are the only material Nancy's grandfather would have approved of," says Scott Adams. "Geller was as much an artist as he was a designer and architect, so we can't help but think he'd approve of a product named DaVinci!

"We feel this is a perfect fit; a 20th century design using a 21st century roofing product that stays true to tradition."

For this exciting project, Nancy and Scott have chosen DaVinci Single-Width Shake roofing in the Autumn-VariBlend color for the home. Stay tuned to future blogs as we show the house taking shape and how fantastic we believe the simulated shake roofing will look on the top and sides of this designer home!

Want to use synthetic shake for your siding project? See Polymer Shake - Not Just for Your Roof. Think Siding.

Gray is beautiful. Whether on the silvery locks of a woman or the unique weathered gray blend on a designer roof, gray is in.

Diana Lewis Jewell, author of the book "Going Gray, Looking Great!" believes that gray is the color that gives women confidence. She also thinks that the "confidence building color" can extend to the home, so we decided to gain her perspective on "going gray" for the home.

Q: How much do you think a personal style can be translated to a home exterior?

A: A sense of personal style gives a woman character, grace and beauty. And, this does translate to a home. A woman's personal touch is always in it, whether on the interior or exterior.

Q: You prefer to refer to gray as "silver" ... so tell us about your thoughts of "a touch of silver" on the roof.

A: I see no reason why the roofing tile on a home can't correspond with the silver in your hair. I love the range of silver shades offered by DaVinci Roofscapes. Gray hair comes in so many shades .. and I see this reflected in the many shades of silver offered by DaVinci for the roof too! As we know, silver hair is sexy, gorgeous and strong ... now I see you can get those same qualities in a designer roof!

Q: What type of attitude does a person have who has accepted and embraced their gray hair?

A: The person who has gray hair has to be open to life ... to change ... and to accepting whatever stage of gray they're in. You know, silvery gray is now a trend among the very young, too. And while they have to bleach out their hair to achieve silver streaks, some folks get it naturally!

Q: Is gray a passing fad?

A: Absolutely not. We have more than 10,000 women subscribers at our site www.cafe-gray.com. These are returning fans of silver/gray hair ... and I've got to believe that their love of gray translates to other areas in their lives, such as color accents for the home, silver jewelry and yes, even roofs!

Feeling handy this summer? Then you might want to check out the story on-line from Handy magazine entitled "Build This Modular Shed."

Last summer skilled handyman Spike Carlsen decided to build an outdoor shed ... not from a kit, but from scratch. His resulting step-by-step construction project is outlined in the magazine's on-line story (click HERE to view).

In our opinion, one of the smartest moves Spike made was to install composite shake Bellaforté roofing tiles from DaVinci Roofscapes to top off his new shed. As he mentions in the story, the reason he selected he selected the synthetic cedar shake from DaVinci was because of their appearance and durability. We couldn't agree more!

Along with bringing a natural hand-split cedar shake look to the polymer roof tiles, Bellaforté is easy to install. A leading edge tab secures every tile to drastically improve wind performance plus the snap-fit tile creates a built-in rain gutter.

Available in 12" tile widths with multiple profiles to simulate a multi-width, staggered rough hewn wood shake, Bellaforté Shake offer impact resistance, a Class A Fire Rating and resistance to insects --- features even a small shed roof project can appreciate!

Need more cedar roofing insights using polymer shake products? See DaVinci Shakes Up Cedar Shake Roofing Optionsand Shaking Up Your Roof with Unlimited Possibilities.

When talking to architects I often get asked how well DaVinci products hold up in high altitude, high wind, high UV exposure, freezing and snowy in the winter, but warm in the summar (ie - the mountains) climate. With hundreds of installations in the mountains, it is easy to say "amazing"! The tiles, made out of an engineered polymer (and calling it plastic slate or shake is really over simplifiying it) are designed to not absorb water so as the tiles go through the freeze-thaw cycles, they can come out unscathed. They also have a high quality UV stabilizer package embedded in the tile to prevent color loss in all climates. 

Here are a few projects we have featured in high altitude areas:

Avon, Colorado

Click here to read about how a condo community chose Multi-Width Shakes for their large roofing project. 

Vail, CO

Click here to read how a Multi-Width Slate roof changed the Vail skyline. 

Cordillera, CO

Click here to read about this Bellaforté Shake project. 

Happy Friday, Architects! 

This is actually a two for one Featured Project blog featuring TWO side by side installations of synthetic slate roof shingles! Both of these projects were new construction, one home featuring Multi-Width Slate in the Aberdeen blend and one using a Custom Blend also in Multi-Width Slate. Both projects were installed by Butcher and Butcher Construction out of Rochester Hills, Michigan.

Multi-Width Slate, our flagship product, comes in 12", 10", 9", 7" and 6" in width tiles.  We make twelve standard colors blends such as the Aberdeen Blend featured here, but as the folks next door can tell you, the colors are also customizable. Between both our slate and shake lines we have 50 colors, all of which can be used to create your very own custom blend. You can visit our color designer to get started. 

Butcher & Butcher Construction
www.bbconstruct.com
248-852-2323

Need help on color.

I'm looking to replace my existing cedar shake roof & I'm considering DaVinci Multi-Width Shakes. Photos are attached of my red brick home, with a white stone entry, mahogany entry door & garage doors, copper flashing above a bay window & tan-painted trim.

I'd like advice on good (or bad) colors of DaVinci Multi-Width Shakes, in light of my red brick, etc.

My contractor provided sample of two colors (weathered grey & mountain), so my impression of the other colors are based upon DaVinci's website.

My top choices are Mountain and Autumn. I'm a little concerned that an autumn roof would be too much brown, in light of my brown entry door & my brown garage doors, and because of the slope of my roof, any roof color will be prominent.

I've eliminated the Weathered Gray and New Cedar as too light. I suspect that the Chesapeake color is also too light. Based upon photos on the DaVinci website, the Tahoe color appears to have some purple hue, which offends my eye.

So, I'm somewhat leaning towards Mountain, with Autumn as a second choice.

I welcome your thoughts. Thanks.

Steve
Oklahoma
Product: Multi-Width Shake




 

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Dear Mr. Cleveland,

I think you have narrowed it down to two good choices and like you I prefer the Mountain blend over the Autumn blend for your home.

I think that the Autumn blend is too close in color, value and pattern to your brickwork. It is better to have more contrast than the Autumn blend will give you with your existing colors.

The Mountain blend will give you contrast and also blend well with the tones in your brick and doors. I think it will also work well with the colors in the stone around your entrance. It would be a good choice for your new roof.

Sincerely,

Kate Smith
DaVinci Roofscapes Color Expert

POP! Another real cedar shake shingle breaks free from your roof. Aren't you tired of that sound yet?

Well, of course it doesn't really make that sound when a cedar shingle pops up off the roof. But, if it did have a sound, it most likely would be a CHA-CHING sound ... like an old-fashioned cash register ringing up additional costs for you on home renovations.

If you have cedar shakes, you're unfortunately used to their inherent problems of popping, decay, insect infestations and deterioration. Not to mention the always-present concerns of fire spread if you live in a drought-ridden area prone to wildfires.

Stop listening to those annoying sounds and start saving your hard-earned money by investing in composite shake roofing. (SeeNo Sissy Shakes)

Polymer shakes from DaVinci Roofscapes have a lifetime limited warranty and are impact- and fire- resistant. Bugs and mold also hate simulated shake roofing products --- which is another reason why you'll love them!

At DaVinci, we offer lightweight roofing solutions, including:

> DaVinci Multi-Width Shake: Available in 9", 8", 7", 6" and 4" widths that can be installed in a non-repeating fashion in either a straight or staggered pattern. A deep 5/8" profile has both wavy and straight grains throughout the blend to create enviable shadow lines.

> DaVinci Single-Width Shake: 9" shake alternative tiles resemble hand-split cedar shake roofing. The 5/8" profile deepens shadow lines replicate real cedar roofing.

> Bellaforté Shake: The 12" tile width with multiple profiles simulates a multi-width, staggered rough hewn wood shake. And, at 1" average tile thickness, Bellaforté Shake designer roof tiles are reminiscent of natural jumbo shakes.

> Fancy Shake: With a clean, smooth look replicating machine-sawn shake, these 7/16" thick shake shingles provide a polished beauty for your roof. Available in 12", 7" and 5" widths with bundles arriving at the job site pre-sorted by color and size, eliminating on-site sorting and guesswork.

Welcome to September ... traditionally a post-summer time of back-to-school activities and the onset of cooler autumn weather.

But, September is also known for some not-so-traditional activities. For example, did you know this is Happy Cat Month, Passion Fruit Month and Fall Hat Month? If that's not creative enough for you, several September dates are also unusual, such as Wonderful Wierdos Day on the 9th, Elephant Appreciation Day on the 22nd and Scooby-Doo Day on the 13th!

At DaVinci Roofscapes we're choosing to focus on another September event --- Shameless Promotion Month!

We quite proudly (and now shamelessly) want you to know that our synthetic shake and composite slate roofing systems are the best in the industry! One reason is because polymer roofing products is all we manufacture, so we're focused on creating the very best luxury roof products that can be made --- right here in America!

Of course, we can't promote ourselves shamelessly for all 30 days of September ... so we'll take time out on the 5th to celebrate Pet Rock Day and then again on the 19th for Talk Like a Pirate Day!