DaVinci Roofscapes | DaVinci Roofscapes

Home Exterior Shines with Colorful Roof

Kathy Ziprik — Wed, 22 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Mercedez Tylock didn’t let a hailstorm ruin her love of her 13-year old home. Instead, the Texas professional interior designer turned her talents to the outside of her home and created a new exterior.

Tylock started “from the top down” by selecting a Multi-Width Slate roof from DaVinci Roofscapes. National color expert Kate Smith of Sensational Color, helped Tylock decide to have DaVinci create a custom blend for her roof of Light and Dark Gray, Light and Dark Purple and Dark Violet tones.

“The Tylocks really wanted to make a color statement on their home’s exterior that unified their entire house,” says Smith, president of Sensational Color. “They were working with a great deal of pink/red hues in the exterior brick and also with natural stonework. To unify all these colors, I suggested they go with rich, deep colors for the roof to help the brick stand out on its own.

“Working from the top down, I next encouraged the homeowners to get rid of the yellow-painted front door and use something stained or in a more cohesive color. A stain with a wood tome featuring more red/pin or gray would help them achieve the look they’re after. Overall, the unity of this house depends on respecting the fixed brick features of the home, then starting with the roof color and working downwards. Using deep, dark colors against the brick makes a stand-out statement and gives the Tylocks a terrific visual advantage.”

Finding the Perfect Custom Roof Color

According to Tylock, Smith’s advice made sense and the family embraced the idea of “top-down” color. “Having a career in the design field, I always appreciate the input of other design professionals,” says Tylock. “Along with making recommendations for the roof, Kate’s suggestion for changing the color of our main entry door validated that the entire home exterior needed to be cohesive. Now we’re working on final touches like lighting sconces and softscaping, and then we’ll have an entirely fresh exterior for our home!”

Tylock also spent time visiting area homes with similar polymer roofing tiles to get an up-close look at DaVinci products, and she used the free online Color Designer tool on the DaVinci website.

“I’m not sure anyone has ever created this custom blend of grays and purples before, but it’s perfect for our home,” says Tylock. “I wouldn’t change a thing about this experience. We now have a roof we can depend on to resist future severe weather along with colors that embrace the full aspect of our home. Thanks to that one hail storm, our house looks better than ever before!”

It’s Home Improvement Month – How About a New DaVinci Roof!

Watson Dean — Tue, 21 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Did you know that the month of May is Home Improvement Month? Warm weather, bright sunshine and time outdoors means it's time to brighten up your exterior for the summer.

Do you have any projects planned to improve your home this month, or even this year?

Have you considered a new roof? Whether you need to replace a roof because of storm damage or you just have an old roof that needs replacing, you might consider DaVinci's lightweight roofing materials as an option.

When it comes to DaVinci you have several green roofing options:

DaVinci Slate - This is our original slate - it comes in 5 different widths and you can choose whichever color blend fits your fancy.
DaVinci Shake - This is our original shake - it comes in 5 different widths too and a number of color blends to fit your tastes.
DaVinci Fancy Shake - Our Fancy Shake has a more sawn appearance rather than a the hand split look. It comes in 3 different widths.
Single-width Valoré Slate - As the name suggests - this is a single width shingle of our popular Slate.
Single-width Valoré Shake - As the name suggests - this is a single width shingle of our popular Shake.
Bellaforté Slate and Shake- Our newest line of DaVinci products is our Bellaforté - they are interlocking tiles that look like their natural counterparts - in this case, Slate and Shake.

What DaVinci roof profile do you fancy? Tell us about your home improvement projects this year in the comments below!

Aerial Measurement for Free??

Tim Gentry — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Back in the days when I was still a roofing contractor I spent a big part of my day measuring jobs for re-roofing. By the time I drove to a location, inspected the roof, and measured it I could spend a lot of time. Now days of course there are several different satellite measuring services that are very helpful. Their accuracy is typically very good and they give you a lot of very excellent information. This service usually costs somewhere between $60 and $90 and well worth the money. Obviously there is some information you can’t get from these services. For example, you can’t tell whether there are multiple roofs that need to be removed, whether ventilation is adequate, or whether the decking has problems.

There is another service that you can get for free if the job is an easy roof, you’re in a hurry, and only feel like you need to be reasonably close in your estimate. Here’s how:

Get on your computer and pull up Google Maps. In the lower left-hand corner there is some text that says “maps labs” which you should click on. When the Google Maps Labs Screen pops up enable the Distance measurement tool. Once it is enabled press save changes. With that done you should pull up an address of a house in Google Maps. Then you should zoom into the location as far as you can. Down in the left and corner of the map there is a little ruler. Click on the little ruler and then you can click on one spot and when you click on another spot you have a measurement. Make sure you have the measurement in feet and not meters.

I’ve checked this on a few houses and found this technique to be reasonably accurate. You can get a street shot by clicking on the little man and that lets you determine whether you think the roof is walkable or not. Whether you’re measuring for a designer roof or another material, I certainly wouldn’t rely on this technique for all jobs, but in a pinch it is useful.

Make Lemonade Out of Lemons

Customer Testimonials — Sun, 19 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Having a career in the design field, I always appreciate the input of other design professionals. Along with making recommendations for the roof, Kate’s suggestion for changing the color of our main entry door validated that the entire home exterior needed to be cohesive. Now we’re working on final touches like lighting sconces and softscaping, and then we’ll have an entirely fresh exterior for our home!

I’m not sure anyone has ever created this custom blend of grays and purples before, but it’s perfect for our home. I wouldn’t change a thing about this experience. We now have a roof we can depend on to resist future severe weather along with colors that embrace the full aspect of our home. Thanks to that one hail storm, our house looks better than ever before!

Mercedez Tylock
Multi-Width Slate in TX

Neighborhood Trend Setter!

Customer Testimonials — Sat, 18 May 2013 16:30:00 +0000

This product literally caused traffic issues on the main road that fronts our home. During the installation process we had a steady stream of people stopping as they drove by, plus people just camped out on our front lawn asking questions about the product while it was being installed.

Today we are the only home within hundreds of miles with this polymer roofing product. However, after all the excitement it’s generated, I’m certain more Canadians will be requesting it soon.

I’m extremely pleased with this impressive engineered product. It’s got everything we need here in Canada — a 50-year limited warranty that means I’ll never have to replace the roof again in my lifetime, incredible fire-, impact- and insect-resistance, and the aesthetic look that perfectly fits our neighborhood.

It seems that we’ve started a trend in our neighborhood!

Barry George
Thunder Bay, Canada
Bellaforté Slate - Sabino Blend

How Do I Choose the Best Product for My House?

Watson Dean — Sat, 18 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

As a homeowner you are heavily vested in keeping your home beautiful and increasing its market value for an eventual sale. Often, special attention is paid to curb appeal by investing in the right materials, the right colors, and spending a lot of time to enhance the exterior of your home. But how do you know which products to choose to add that value to your home? This is a challenge most homeowners face because the different features of products on the market are often times confusing and hard to follow and understand. DaVinci Roofscapes polymer roofing simplifies the whole process!

We manufacture an easy to install luxury roof system that adds value to your home. Our slate and shake products include single-width Valoré, multi-width DaVinci and Bellaforté profiles. There are 49 standard colors and multiple color blends to get your preferred eco-friendly roof. Simply put, the sky is the limit with your imagination when it comes to our roofing product.

Can’t find the roof color you want? No problem! Our color specialist, Kate Smith, will simplify the whole process for you by using the revolutionary FRESH approach to select the best color for your needs. This is a simple five step process where key fixed features, regional colors, environment and surrounding, style of home and have-to-use colors are carefully analyzed to choose the best hues.

We also have an online color selection tool to mix and blend your preferred colors. And finally, contact one of our Project Specialists to help you find a qualified contractor and get additional assistance in creating your Masterpiece!

Before & After Home Makeover: Dennis Hodkinson Of Paris, TN “Shake it Up” Exterior ...

Kate Smith — Fri, 17 May 2013 18:45:00 +0000

Giving their “old maid” a new look befitting a southern lady was what this homeowner had in mind. Perfect! I knew just how to give this old gal’s façade a more youthful appearance.

The existing high contrast of the black and white was not the most becoming choice. I wanted to soften the contrast starting right at the top. Rather than a black roof I opted for Bellaforté Slate roof from DaVinci in Slate Gray.

Decorum by Simonton vinyl replacement windows with Bronze exteriors and grids were added to enhance the exterior and complement the roof. These energy-efficient windows will also keep this lovely lady from feeling too hot or too cold.

I chose Brandon Beige as the main color for the home’s exterior because it added warmth and helped hide any imperfections that come along with age. The white trim was kept to show off the architectural details. Rather than bright white for the trim, I decided on Ballet White because it was slightly muted and has the same undertones as the main color. While there is still contrast between the colors it isn’t as stark as the original black and white found on the exterior.

I wanted the most noticeable contrast to be on the lower entry door, a Therma-Tru Classic-Craft Collection fiberglass door. It was painted a lovely shade of cool blue called Britannia Blue and flanked with Granite privacy sidelites from Therma-Tru and Fypon low-maintenance urethane fluted pilasters with plinth blocks. A crosshead over the door adds more ‘grandness’ to the main entryway. This combination of color and detail will draw the eye and give focus to the façade.

For the upper floor porch area, a Therma-Tru Classic-Craft Canvas Collection door with a large Granite privacy doorlight was specified to add light into the second floor. This top porch area --- and the lower porch --- will also receive elegant Fypon Classic 12” Balustrade Systems.

Lastly I selected Fypon louvered shutters with center rails painted in Westcott Navy to accentuate the new windows. This blue is similar to what was used on the front door but several steps darker. This carries the color across the front of the home but doesn’t upstage the front door.

The slate gray, bronze, warm beige and cool blue were just the combination of colors needed to turn this older lady into the belle of the neighborhood. No doubt the former Governor’s place and the home of Davy Crockett’s son down the street are going to notice that this gal has still got it!

If you missed the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday stories, just click the day you missed. Now you have seen all five finalists... Who will you vote for?

From the Architect's Corner - Free Online Continuing Education

Megan Stone — Fri, 17 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Are you a building or design professional in need of a continuing education credit? Look no further! We have two courses available 24/7 and free to take at your leisure.

The FRESH Approach to Choosing Exterior Colors

The course provides an overview of the FRESH Approach, as laid out by Color Expert Kate Smith. The 1 hour course gives designers a strategic method used for the selection of colors for the exterior of buildings. The course focuses on both residential and commercial design considerations, and details the steps to follow in the color selection process to achieve a harmonious design. It is worth 1 HSW credit.

The Design Advantages of Synthetic Roofing Solutions

The more technical of the two courses, this course provides an overview of the features and benefits of slate and shake synthetic roofing products, including a discussion on the testing methods used to rate specific performance characteristics. It is worth 1 Sustainable Design (SD) credit.

Happy learning (and Happy Friday), Architects!

Before & After Home Makeover: Russ Wade Of Hoover, AL “Shake it Up” Exterior Color ...

Kate Smith — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:30:00 +0000

Self-described as the “white sheep in a family of tied-dyed sheep” I had a hunch that this finalist in our “Shake it Up” Exterior Color Contest, who usually opted to play it safe with neutrals, was ready for color on the outside of his home. I also thought he would have an easier time moving out of his neutral color comfort zone by seeing the rendering of his new look before the first change was made.

With that in mind, I jumped right in with changes I thought were needed to shake up his home knowing that once he saw the end result as a completed scheme, adding color wouldn’t be intimidating.

I couldn’t replace the roof fast enough. That dark, dingy color was weighing down the whole home. Without changing anything else, a new Tuscano color blend of Bellaforté Shake from DaVinci that includes a combination of four shades of autumn colors would change the entire feel of the home. Then I added some brown metal roofing as an accent over the porch.

The new roof alone improved the looks of this home considerably. I could almost have stopped there. However, this “white sheep” deserved to see other options for adding color to his exterior.

I traded his “same-old” windows for Decorum by Simonton vinyl replacement windows with Chocolate exterior frames that coordinated with the roof color. The windows were enhanced with Chocolate grids to unite the colors, which is a great way to add color especially for those who are a bit hesitant with hues.

A Therma-Tru Classic-Craft Canvas Collection fiberglass entry door with sidelites in the Rainglass privacy glass style was an update for the entry. The current door with contrasting trim seemed almost dwarfed by the windows and porch roof. To counteract this illusion I painted both in Black Spruce to help the door stand out more.

Several new low-maintenance urethane pieces from Fypon added architectural details to make the home more distinctive. I started with a new balustrade system and then added raised panel shutters to accent the windows. Finally, dormer trim kits were added to enhance the windows on the second story.

I stayed neutral for the body and trim color of the home --- not because I thought the homeowner would shy away from color --- but because it was the best choice as a backdrop of all the other changes.

Call it my color intuition but I feel confident that just below the layer of white that this homeowner has tie-dye colors just waiting to emerge. In fact, I don’t think he’s even waiting for the renovation to show his new colors. Is that Jimmy Buffet music I hear coming from the backyard?

Come back tomorrow to get the inside story on another of the makeovers of the “Shake it Up” Exterior Color Contest Finalist. If you missed the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday stories, just click the day you missed - happy reading!!

DaVinci Roofscapes: Beautiful, Durable, and Eco-Friendly

Watson Dean — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

Exorbitant roof maintenance costs can really dig a hole in your bank account. Added to this is the worry and stress of knowing that your roof may not be giving you the protection it should.

You won’t have this problem with DaVinci polymer roof tiles and here’s why:

Durable: Backed with a 50-year warranty and made from a high grade polymer, your roof will stand the test of time. As well, you certainly won’t need to worry about roof hail damage with our Class 4 impact rating. Designed to resist winds of up to 110mph, your roof will stand up to harsh weather conditions without showing glaring signs of wear and tear.

Eco-friendly: DaVinci polymer roof tiles are 100% recyclable and are available in Cool Roof colors to boost energy efficiency.

Insect Resistant: Unlike wood that cannot withstand insect attacks, our Multi-Width, Fancy, Bellaforté and Valoré tiles do not rot and are not susceptible to insects.

Fire Resistant: With a Class A fire rating, your roof will safely resist fires without causing harm.

Not to mention a few added bonuses:

Beautiful: Yes, they are pretty to look at! Our roofs will complement all the fixtures and fittings of your home or building without being burdensome on the structure. They blend well in any community setting whether with modern or older architecture.

Flexible Coloring: We have 49 standard colors and also give you the option to send us your own color. This makes it easy to align your decor, building or renovation plans with what works best for you.

Easy to Install: With our easy to follow installation guides, any professional roofer can install DaVinci tiles.

DaVinci takes pride in our composite roofing products and we're confident with our roofing tiles many features, you really can’t go wrong .

Before & After Home Makeover: Marquis Cayce of Nashville, TN “Shake it Up” Exterior ...

Kate Smith — Wed, 15 May 2013 18:30:00 +0000

John Lennon and Paul McCartney might not agree, but I thought this home’s rendition of “Help” was worthy of a renovation.

Here is what I heard this home singing loud and clear in its best off-key voice,

“When I was younger, so much younger than today, I never needed anybody's help in any way. But now those days are gone, I'm not so self-assured. Now, I find it's time to change my windows and need to open up the doors.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down and I do appreciate you being round. Help me, get my millwork all around. Won't you please, please help me, help me, help me ... and our house!”

It wasn’t the age of this home that had it feeling down, it was a case of the wrong style covering up the authentic beauty of the arts-and-crafts exterior. Time to strip this home of those mismatched pieces and give it a look that was true to the home’s style. I wanted to give this home a reason to change its tune.

I started by removing the “over-wrought” white front door. In its place I chose a Therma-Tru Classic-Craft American Style Collection fiberglass entry door stained in cedar with a doorlite and sidelites in the Villager decorative glass style.

Then off came the shutters and it was as if the home breathed a sigh of relief because it would no longer have to try to be something it wasn’t. I smiled as I saw the life coming back into this home.

Decorum by Simonton vinyl replacement windows with Chocolate exterior frames along with new urethane timber square pot shelves beneath each window from Fypon had the look of what would have been used originally on this home. Urethane Timber Stained Brackets above the door and near the dormer window added another arts-and-crafts accent to the home.

The columns on the front and side porch were a detail I wanted to highlight so I gave them a new look with Fypon’s popular Column Wraps. I also replaced the privacy lattice on the side porch with a stained grid work that complimented the other elements of this home.

The DaVinci Multi-Width Shake roof in New Cedar that includes a combination of five shades of cedar colors was the perfect choice to connect the colors in the door, windows, brick and trim. The “top down” color added to the home by the roof made it the ideal selection for this structure.

I thought about keeping the overall scheme tonal because it has a simplicity that was becoming but I thought that after wearing the wrong “wardrobe” for so long it needed some color. The muted teal accents over the door and window areas was all that was needed to complete the exterior and got this home belting out its own pitch-perfect version of, “Love, love me do!”

Come back tomorrow to get the inside story on another of the makeovers of the “Shake it Up” Exterior Color Contest Finalist. And if you missed the Monday or Tuesday inside story, click here for Monday and here for Tuesday.

Roofing Challenges in Europe

Kathy Ziprik — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

If you're a roofing installer and think you've seen it all and tackled the craziest jobs imaginable, then visit Europe!

While on a recent trip, I took these pictures of some very unique roofing projects that I wouldn't have wanted to be involved with. From onion-shaped domes to an all-roof barn in Holland, these projects make me very glad for simple, everyday roofing projects.

While my inclination was to start tearing apart the tar paper and wood board roofs (coated in green algae) I saw by the waterside, calmer heads prevailed and I simply took these pictures ... happy the entire time that when I got home to my polymer Bellaforté Slate roof in the United States I'd be certain to find no algae and no headaches!

Before & After Home Makeover: Holly Ludwig Roark Of Owensboro, KY “Shake it Up” ...

Kate Smith — Tue, 14 May 2013 18:30:00 +0000

It was love at first sight and this homeowner didn't hesitate to take the plunge with her Old Kentucky home. The first blush of admiration unfortunately wore off as the realities of living with an older home set in. Time for renovation to step in and rescue this relationship!

The homeowner dreamed of a classic slate roof, windows that didn't let the in cold winter wind and a front door that would warmly welcome her home. I knew just how to bring the spark back and give her the classic look she desired. Here’s how I turned this relationship from high maintenance to one of pure joy.

I began by replacing the roof with a Bellaforté Slate polymer roof by DaVinci Roofscapes in Slate Black. The size of the tiles are the right proportion for the scale of her home and the 50-year warranty means she won't have roof problems plaguing her relationship ever again. I bet she is going to love knowing she has a secure roof over her head.

Then to keep the cold from getting between them I replaced the windows with energy-efficient Simonton replacement windows. I chose the white exterior frames and white colonial grids. Designed to let in the maximum amount of light while keeping the cold air out, these premium vinyl windows are a much-needed improvement to this home.

A Therma-Tru Classic-Craft Canvas Collection front door with sidelights and transom with Longford glass style is what I chose to replace the existing front door. There is no need for the storm door with this energy efficient fiberglass door so the full, eye-catching color of the front door invites you inside.

At this point the Old Kentucky home was already regaining its charm but I wanted to make sure that the “wow factor” never wore off again. Adding Fypon urethane Louvered Shutters with Center Rails added just the contrast this facade needed to give it a more stately appearance.

To woo this homeowner back completely the pièce de résistance was the portico. I knew it would capture her eye and warm her heart every time she looked at her home. It was created with PVC sheet and board products from Fypon, which resist rot, moisture and insects, so it will look as good years from now as it does today.

Who wouldn't fall in love all over again with a home that promises to keep you comfortable every day and looks this good?

Shown with Valspar Paint Colors:
Black Tie-J100-4D
Rich White 30022A
Cocktail Dress ar126 Signature

Come back tomorrow to get the inside story on another of the makeovers of the “Shake it Up” Exterior Color Contest Finalist. And if you missed yesterdays inside story you can see it here.

Wild Fire Season Starts - What Roofing Material Is Protecting Your Roof?

Watson Dean — Tue, 14 May 2013 13:30:00 +0000

If you watch the news, then no doubt you have seen the horrific images of wild fires terrorizing people's homes in California recently. Unfortunately, it seems like every year we see such images from more and more.

If you live in a wild fire prone area, then you might be interested in finding a roofing product that has a great fire rating, like a DaVinci roof.

If you like the look of shake, for example, but know that wood is probably not one of the smarter materials to put on your home because of where you live, you might be interested in our cedar shake alternative. Made to look like the natural version of wood shakes or shingles, our shake product is not made of wood at all. In fact, it is completely made out of 100% virgin polymer or a plastic.

In the video below you can see a 15-year old cedar shake roof deck tested to Class A Fire Test standards against DaVinci Roofscapes synthetic hand-split shake.

Our shake product isn't our only product that has these kinds of results - if the slate look is more your thing, then you'll love our imitation slate tiles that also have the same fire rating.

What are some of your concerns when it comes to wild fire season and your roof? Please feel free to leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.

Before & After Home Makeover: Philip Atkins of Lima, Ohio “Shake it Up” Exterior Color ...

Kate Smith — Mon, 13 May 2013 18:30:00 +0000

Even a good idea can sometimes go wrong. Matching your roof color to your brick is certainly a good idea. Trying to match the color too closely is a good idea gone wrong. While the roofing color might have seemed like the right choice, it overwhelms this home and is keeping the homeowners from showing their true colors. Time to get the red out!

These homeowners wanted to create a storybook cottage starting from the top down with a DaVinci Roofscapes Multi-Width Slate in the standard color blend Aberdeen. They liked the variety of subtle colors and could begin to imagine the look of a home in the English countryside with all of the technological improvements of American-made products.

Their essay pulled me into the dream and I knew that I could make it come true. First I crowned this cute home with the DaVinci Roofscapes slate tiles they desired … and that was just the beginning.

Next I added an updated front door. I chose a Therma-Tru Classic-Craft Canvas Collection door with Lucerna glass doorlite. A full doorlite or solid door could also be nice choices. For the color on this smooth, paintable fiberglass door I picked out a color from the roof tiles and turned up the intensity just enough to stand out but not fight with the color of the brick.

The windows on each side of the door were the same but not symmetrical on the facade. Rather than seeing this as a problem I considered this an opportunity to add a bay window on the left to balance the front of the home and add an element that I thought would fit with the homeowners vision of their remodeled home. Both picture windows were replaced with Simonton vinyl windows with white frames and colonial grids added to the double hung windows on each side.

I replaced the windows on the dormers with similar Simonton casement windows that also had the colonial grids. To give the dormers more presence I added the Fypon dormer kit to each of the dormer windows. Around the entry door, Fypon pilasters enhance the appeal of the entryway to the home.

The colors I chose for this home need to be subtle and blend with both the brick and roof tiles. A neutral color is the perfect background when you want to have other features take center stage as I did with this home. A neutral color can also downplay a feature you don't want to have stand out as much, like the chimney. In white it drew too much attention away from the facade of the home. In a neutral hue that blends with the darker tones in the roof it adds to the look rather than distracting from it.

This was the same reasoning behind painting the garage door neutral to match the body of the home rather than the trim. The bright white big door was competing for attention from the front entrance. Plus, to continue the storybook look I added a Fypon Smooth White Trellis System over garage and this stands out much more now that the garage door isn’t white.

Another finishing touch was to place a white garden trellis against the left side of the home. I can already imagine it covered with beautiful, colorful blossoms.

I'm enjoying the results of this renovation. Isn’t it the perfect happy ending to the homeowner's dream for a storybook cottage?

Paint colors from Sherwin-Williams:
SW6973-Perfect Greige
SW6070-Heron Plume
SW6027-Cordovan
SW6005-Folkstone

Come back tomorrow to get the inside story on another of the makeovers of the “Shake it Up” Exterior Color Contest Finalist.