Fast Fix: Replace Failing Real Cedar Shakes with Composite Shakes
Due to weather conditions, the roofing season in Colorado is relatively short. The team at Umbrella Roofing is kept busy from May to October replacing failing real cedar shakes on numerous homes. The replacement roofing product choice of many homeowners? Authentic-looking composite shakes from DaVinci Roofscapes.
“Our old roof was wearing out due to the tough weather conditions it faced in the Colorado mountains at 8,400 feet of altitude,” says homeowner Lyndon “Duke” Hanson. “Roofs in our area must constantly fluctuate between very cold temperatures with heavy snow coverage to warm, dry temperatures with very little humidity.
“The old cedar shake shingles on our roof were splintering off and falling on the ground around the house. That was not only bad for the roof, but dangerous and messy for those walking around our home.”
Finding a Roofer
When the situation became unbearable, Hanson contacted a local builder who had done a major remodel of his Cordillera, Colo. home several years ago. The builder recommended Umbrella Roofing.
“The team at Umbrella Roofing was just great in every way,” says Hanson. “They evaluated our roof and agreed that the cedar shakes had deteriorated to the point of needing replacement. We were provided with several options but they recommended the DaVinci composite shake shingles because of their good looks, ease of installation, fire resistant nature, warranty and color options.”
The Hansons selected a DaVinci Multi-Width Shake roof in a Mountain blend to complement their country setting. Since the house has a very large 7,500-square-foot roof, they chose to add copper roofing as an accent to make the roof more aesthetically pleasing. Copper was also installed on two gables on the front of the house and over small sections on the rear of the home, plus in the flashings.
Getting Ready for Snow
Since the Hanson home is located in Vail Valley, which gets an average of 10+ feet of snow every winter, a snow removal system was a top priority for the house
“The roof was originally installed with large logs on the eaves to stop falling snow from sliding off,” says Hanson. “We recently replaced those and didn’t want to do away with them since they provided an original look to our 25-year-old home.”
To ensure the safe removal of snow from his roof, the Umbrella Roofing team also installed a large number of RG 16 copper snow guards from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards, which complement other copper elements of the roof.
“The roof really looks great with the logs and snow guards,” says Hanson. “Our house also has heated gutters to help prevent ice build-up when the snows are melting.”
Farewell Real Cedar
With the new composite cedar roof in place, the Hansons are enjoying their mountain retreat even more than in previous years.
“The authentic look of the composite cedar shakes is spectacular,” says Hanson. “It’s also very nice to not have to clean up pieces of old cedar shingles every time we use our house!
“We discovered during this project that the Umbrella Roofing team was very impressive. They have challenges of doing large projects in our area in a very short timeframe due to our seasonal weather conditions. However, every time I contacted our project manager, Josh Yandle, he responded quickly and handled all issues and questions very professionally.
“We’re also extremely pleased with our selection of the DaVinci product. The long-lasting warranty, fire-resistant nature and natural looks were big factors in us selecting this composite shake roofing product.
“As a result of selecting this product, we’ve gained greater peace-of-mind that the roof won’t be damaged by one of the frequent hail storms we get in Colorado. Overall this investment in composite shake roofing is a big win for us!”