Composite Roofing Tiles Contain Fire in Historic Home

The bustling town of St. Paul, Minnesota is home to many exquisitely designed homes, built over the city’s nearly 200 years of existence. One of these historic jewels is a mansion built in 1883, featuring several unique design elements, including a distinctive porte-cochere. This sweeping feature extends from the roof ridgeline, over the driveway, all the way to ground level, creating an eye-catching home.

In 2024, the structure caught fire, causing significant damage to the upper floors of the building. The fire originated in the walls of the home’s top floor, caused by a gas fireplace, spreading to the attic before local fire crews contained the blaze after a nearly five-hour battle. Firefighters credit the mansion’s roof—Class A fire-resistant DaVinci Multi-Width Slate—and its fire-resistant properties for minimizing the damage.

A Fortuitous Decision

A DaVinci Roofscapes composite roof was installed prior to the fire. The previous owner petitioned the local historical society to replace the original slate roof which had badly deteriorated. A primary consideration for the selection of DaVinci roofing tile was the product’s aesthetics—closely mirroring the look of real slate, preserving the original design of the historic structure. This fortuitous decision ended up saving the home.

“The DaVinci shingles prevented the house from burning to the ground by containing the fire within an isolated area,” says the home’s current owner, Gina Sandnes.

After the fire, the home’s owners decided to replace the damaged roof with the identical DaVinci product. Maintaining the aesthetics of the home was an important consideration, as was the fire resistance of the DaVinci tiles, and their demonstrated ability to prevent a fire from spreading out of control.

“Our tiles are engineered to be exceptionally durable and provide fire resistance, even though this is one of those features we hope is never put to the test,” stated Wendy Bruch, marketing director, DaVinci Roofscapes. “We are so thankful that the design and quality of our tiles was able to save this family’s home, and this iconic St. Paul landmark.”

Allstar Construction was selected to complete the reroof project, as well as serve as the general contractor for the post-fire renovation. Based in Maple Plain, Minnesota, just west of Minneapolis, Allstar has handled more than 55,000 residential and commercial roofing projects throughout the state since 1979. The company has unique expertise in custom projects for Minnesota homeowners, clearly demonstrating they had the experience to handle this demanding St. Paul job.

Allstar worked closely with the homeowner to make sure all insurance claims were completed and processed prior to beginning work. One critical timing consideration for the project was the wedding of the homeowners’ son, scheduled to take place on the property in August, leaving only eight months to complete all work. The renovations and reroof had to be finished well in advance, leaving enough time for landscaping prior to the event.

The Allstar Construction team completed the entire project within the eight-month timeframe, with the reroof component taking approximately only half of that time. Much of the work was completed through the St. Paul winter, which fortunately that year was atypically mild. To facilitate the reroof, a large crew of 16 Allstar roofers was onsite for the roofing project.

Porte-Cochere Design

According to Allstar, the installation was straightforward. The intricacy of the home’s roof required special attention to achieve the desired result. The home’s signature porte-cochere required a precise install for a flawless look on the home’s distinguishing feature.

“We install DaVinci product all the time and it’s very easy to work with, is cleaner to cut than slate, is made with superior quality, and looks fantastic,” says Nate Limerick, a sales representative and 10-year veteran of Allstar Construction who worked on the St. Paul project. “The roof on this St. Paul home had a number of complexities, but it’s nothing unusual for our skilled team. We specialize in custom projects that require the highest levels of care and expertise.”

The roof included installation of custom gutters. The copper gutters were cut to length at the Allstar Construction machine shop, then shipped to the worksite for final assembly and installation. Grace Vycor Ice & Water Shield underlayment from CertainTeed was used to protect the home from wind-driven rain as well as ice dams.

DaVinci Roofscapes gave Allstar Construction a 2024 DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor Project of the Year Award for its work on the St. Paul mansion. The St. Paul home was one of only five residential projects from across the country to be selected for this honor.

The composition of the DaVinci tiles includes fire retardants, UV and thermal stabilizers, and virgin resins—petrochemical compounds that have not been reclaimed from existing plastic products. This combination of materials delivers the tile’s unique properties, which in addition to a Class A fire rating, included Class 4 impact rating and a 110-mph straight line wind rating.

Manufactured to mirror the look of natural slate—a cedar shake option is available as well—DaVinci tiles are a popular match for historic structures, such as this St. Paul home. The result of Allstar Construction’s installation is a roof that reflects the original design intent of this extraordinary home, with the peace-of-mind that the tiles are there to provide fire protection the homeowner hopes will never be needed again.

TEAM

General Contractor: Allstar Construction, Maple Plain, Minnesota, www.allstartoday.com.com

MATERIALS

Roof: DaVinci Multi-Width Slate, DaVinci Roofscapes, www.davinciroofscapes.com

Underlayment: Grace Vycor Ice & Water Shield, CertainTeed, www.certainteed.com