Standing Up to Mother Nature

Decisions. Decisions. When Sheri Stamper recently purchased a home in the Village of Loch Lloyd in Missouri, she faced numerous remodeling decisions — including the search for a new roof. The one she “inherited” on her home was made of concrete foam to replicate slate or concrete tiles, but the surface was cracking and the roof was leaking.

Fortunately for Stamper the decision on a replacement roof was an easy one. She went with a composite roofing product she knew and trusted: DaVinci Roofscapes.

“I installed this company’s composite roofing tiles on a previous home,” says Stamper. “I did research prior to selecting both roofs. The DaVinci product wins out for quality, performance and style.”

For her new home, Stamper was pleased to learn that the company now offers the Black Oak color in its Nature Crafted Collection. “I like this new color offering,” says Stamper. “It has a natural look along with good texture and dimension.

“My goal was not to install a wood shake look, but rather a natural look with colors from nature. The darker tone of the Black Oak roofing appears natural, with not such a harsh appearance.”

Out With the Old

The 1995 modern/contemporary style home Stamper purchased was in distinct need of a new roof, placing it high on her list of remodeling projects. “The roof was only about seven years old, but it was a poor-quality roof,” says Stamper. “Storms had damaged it and replacing it became a top priority for me.”

To help get the new composite roof she wanted, Stamper turned to M&M Roofing out of Olathe, Kansas. “This is the second DaVinci composite roof we’ve installed for Sheri over the years,” says Craig Meyer, operations manager with M&M Roofing. “She was very correct in her assessment of the existing roof … it was in bad shape and needed replacement.”

According to Meyer, the Village of Loch Lloyd wants homeowners to invest in higher-performance roofing materials. If residents need a new roof, M&M Roofing’s goal is to be there to offer assistance. “We help homeowners make the connection between the investment in a composite roof and years of peace-of-mind,” Meyer says. “A roof like this may initially be more expensive than other options, but then again, there are many benefits. This composite roof resists flame spread, impact, insects and algae growth. There is the potential for yearly discounts on homeowners insurance. Easy-care roofing that requires no yearly maintenance fees is a bonus. These benefits really add up for homeowners.”

When the M&M Roofing team arrived onsite, the job of removing the existing roofing material couldn’t have been easier. “That old roof literally peeled right off,” says Meyer. “There were no nails holding it in place. It came off piece by piece, using only our hands. This may explain why some of the pieces were coming off in high wind storms.”

The ability of the roof to stand up to extreme weather is essential. “Here in the Missouri/Kansas area, our roofs have to hold up to hail, wind and snowstorms,” Meyer notes. “The only products that we’ve seen truly stand up to those conditions are impact-resistant, top-quality composite roofing.”

Proving his point, Meyer relates that his company receives calls regularly from customers praising the composite roofing they’ve had previously installed by the M&M Roofing team.

“They tell us how a hailstorm destroyed roofs in their neighborhood — except for theirs,” he says. “That’s when we really feel good about making the recommendation of an impact-resistant DaVinci roof.”

Tackling the Job

After removing the old roof on the Stamper home, the M&M Roofing team got to work on installing the new composite shake roof. First came a radiant barrier roof decking, then drip edge was installed. An ice and water shield product was added next, followed by metal in the valleys.

“This home has tons of valleys so we added the ice and water shield for extra protection,” says Meyer. “It takes more time, but it’s essential for the design of this home to help protect it from our weather conditions.”

Finally, the DaVinci Single-Width Shake tiles were installed. Arriving in pre-mixed bundles saved the installation crew time on the jobsite.

“Any roofing project has its challenges,” says Meyer. “For this home it was keeping our crew tied off at all times. The home goes up four stories in the back and we wanted everyone to be as safe as possible while keeping the courses straight during installation. For us, our longstanding, top-quality crews and loyal customer base are the backbone of our business. That’s why we make every effort to treat each project individually with special attention to safety.”

Introduced to the marketplace in early 2018, the Nature Crafted Collection includes realistic, nature-inspired colors including Aged Cedar, Mossy Cedar and Black Oak. “This is one of the few products on the market that looks like natural wood, but without weight or performance issues,” says Stamper. “The impact resistance, fire rating and low maintenance aspects were all features that helped me once again decide to invest in a DaVinci roof.”

With the job now complete, Meyer agrees with the homeowner. “It’s great when we can work with a repeat customer like Sheri who was so impressed with her first composite roof that she wants another one for a new home,” says Meyer. “We were really pleased that she was excited about the new Black Oak color for the composite shake shingles. The house looks spectacular with those tiles and you can easily see that they give the home a clean, natural appearance on the exterior that will last for decades to come.”