Lakeside Condo Community Relies on Bellaforté Shake Roofing Tiles

“Our community was constructed in 1985, so we expected to get more ‘life’ out of our natural shake roofs that we did,” says Jim Packard, president of the Catawba Shores Homeowners Association in Port Clinton, Ohio. “The hail damage caught us by surprise. But we quickly learned that real wood shakes just don’t hold up against Mother Nature. The damage was so bad that our insurance company subsidized the cost of all the replacement roofs.”

After researching the community's options and meeting with a contractor from Industrial Tech Construction and a representative a DaVinci Roofscapes®, the Catawba Shores community committed to the man-made Bellaforté Shake roofing tiles.

"We're all extremely pleased with the authentic appearance of these synthetic shake tiles and how they've given a fresh, new look to our condos," says Packard. "More importantly, we feel we made the right selection with DaVinci since these roofing tiles are impact-, hail-, insect-, algae- and fire-resistant. We estimate that we're saving more than $10,000 per year on the ongoing maintenance costs from our old roof, and we've got the peace-of-mind that these roofs will help protect our units from fire and hail.

"With the ever-present temptation of fishing, boating and other water sports, none of our homeowners want to spend time thinking about routine roof maintenance or the cost of it. Plus, we really believe the new roofs have added to the property value of the community and will be a great selling point for people when they sell their condos in the future."

For Rich Ramsey, owner of Industrial Tech Construction in Avon, Ohio, the Catawba Shores project provided the opportunity to install DaVinci roofing tiles for the first time. "We specialize in commercial projects like shopping centers and industrial buildings," says Ramsey. "The Catawba Shores project was an ideal fit for our company. We had 30 people working on this installation project for a month. The tiles were top-quality and easy-to-install. I can definitely see recommending the DaVinci products to our other customers."

Bellaforté Shake polymer roofing tiles were created by DaVinci Roofscapes to have a multi-width appearance replicating hand-split real cedar shakes. The tiles feature slanted sawn edges and staggered lengths. Snap-fit tabs are molded into each tile for easy installation and self alignment. The roofing tiles come in 49 colors and a selection of five color blends, including Abruzzo, Tuscano, Verona, Harbor Gray and Espresso, which was the color selected and installed on the Catawba Shores condo units.

The 12-inch Bellaforté Shake tiles feature multiple profiles that enable roofing contractors to create a staggered appearance that simulates a natural rough hewn wood shake roof. The product's patented features, which include a leading edge tab and a self-aligning ledge, help reduce the installation time for the Bellaforté Shake product. Available nationwide, a square of Bellaforté Shake (with 100 pieces per square) weighs just 190 pounds. This lower tile weight helps reduce installation time and transportation costs. Just as with other DaVinci products, the Bellaforté Shake tiles are 100 percent recyclable and come with a 50-year limited warranty.

DaVinci Roofscapes has manufactured award-winning synthetic slate and shake roofing since 1999. The polymer roofing tiles are virtually maintenance free and far more cost effective than the natural product. DaVinci leads the industry in tile thickness, the tile width variety and the greatest selection of subtle earth-toned colors. Company products have a 50-year limited warranty and are 100 percent recyclable. DaVinci proudly makes its products in America and is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building Council. For additional information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit www.davinciroofscapes.com.