Synthetic Shingles

steve22l

I'm a General Contractor in Massachusetts. I have a client interested in DaVinci Roofscapes synthetic wood shakes. Anyone have any experiance with these? Or any other synthetic shingles, pros and cons?
Thanks

steve22l

wow.......no one has had any experiance with synthetic shingles?

pgriz

Steve, read the warranties in detail. Then ask yourself how much confidence you have in the product. The ones I looked at had a very steep front-loaded depreciation curve. So if the manufacturer doesn't have the confidence in the product to give a decent warranty, neither do I.

__________________
Paul
http://www.easymetalroofing.com
http://www.prsroofing.ca

steve22l

good point

Thanks, Paul

RooferJim

We are in Massachusetts as well and recently did a Davinci slate install "aberdeen patten" on a house in Marion. I was skeptic at first but it is great stuff and does look good. I cant vouch for the shake one though.

www.jbennetteroofing.com

Hand Bangin

We just installed 110sq of Tamko Lamarite Shake Composite Shingles. Looks very good and easy to work with.

Grumpy

Of all the synthetic shingles on the market, I thinkt he Davinci "look" the nicest. Infact even though I agree with Paul in regards to the warranties, I think cedar shake is a crap product anyways, it doesn't last to long and requires a ton of maintenance and only looks good on some houses. At least the Davinci require no maintenance... costs a hell of alot more $$$ though. Oh also the Davinci is a class A product, which means your home owners fire insurance will go down.

It's true none of the synthetic products are really time tested. I don't think any, certainly not many, have been around more than 10-20 years. I know some of the other synthetics, specifically the EcoStar, had alot of failure primarily due to contractor's mistake. It's very tricky to install, but if you know the principals of the expansion and contraction of vinyl products you will know why. Vinyl expands ALOT.

Having said all that I wouldn't hesitate to install them, but it'd be the customer's decision not mine. I only bid them on request.. and if there is a failure it's not my failure (so long as I installed it properly), because the customer asked for them and I didn't push them.

Ed the Roofer

Grumpy,

I found out the hard way that what you said is not true.

A wealthy Barrington HO requested us to quote American Cemwood back in 1993. I had only recieved a flyer about it, but it looked like a nice final appearance.

We got the go ahead from the Cemwood repa dn he showed up on site several times to photo the installation and let us know that it was being installed exactly per their specs.

The next spring the efforvescence started to leach through to the top surface coat of the product. After alot of run around, I finally got Cemwood to agree to recoat the roof.

Now, it is about one year later and the Cemwood Shakes start cracking.

A recoat is not longer acceptable to the HO.

It was ruled, via negotiations, that I would pay to have the roof redone with fire treated cedar shakes and the TO.

Why did I agree? Because Cemwood went out of business and I had already spent about $ 10,000 on legal fees trying to collect the originally owed balance of about $ 12,000.

I learned alot of lessons from that job, that even if you are not the specifier of the product, you assume that liability when providing the material in your contract with the HO.

If I would have just paid out of my own pocket to get the roof recoated right away, then I might have gotten the original $ 12,000, but instead, I felt I was right and found out that right does not alwys win.

Ed

Grumpy

Ed, I appreciate what you are saying, it's ALWAYS the contractor's fault. We are the go-to person for the customer. After they call us, we inspect, we advise it is a product failure and provide them with the necessary contact information.

Keep in mind this has never happened. I can't remember a single ONE product failure happening in my company since I started it. "I" don't warrant the products I install, that's the products' manufacturer's job. [/quote]"Remember Mr. Customer, you requested this product and I told you I had never installed before. I did the work to the manufacturer's specs which is MY responsibility. I'm sorry you chose a faulty product. If you would like I can prepare an estimate for yoru cost for replacement."[/quote]

Sounds like a jagg-off customer mixed with a product failure. [/quote]"I'm sorry Mr. Customer you have absolutely no warranty because you owe me $10,000. Pay me my $10,000 and maybe, MAYBE, I will consider even inspecting your roof."[/quote]

Please keep in mind my responses come off very "matter-of-fact" or even a-holeish. However these would be my responses without sugar coating. If it really came down to it... the customer said replace my roof or else, then they'd get word for word those responses above. If it is not my fault, I am not replacing it.

Ed the Roofer

Unfortunately Grumpy, that is the tact I did use.

After getting the written verification from the manufacturer that everything was installed as per their specifications and properly for an individual staggered affect, (or is it effect?), I tried to get paid. I did get a partial payment, but not he remaining large sum.

I filed a lien. He had a better lawyer than the revolving door of attorneys I had to keep going throughm because when it reached certain points, and I had paid the attorneys so much to date, they became incompetant and/or withdrew.

I filed suit against the supplier and the manufacturer and withheld the payment for the materials. Eventually, on the supplier issue, I did win, but it cost alot of time and money.

In my proposal, it did clearly state that the product was one that the home owner chose from a home show he had attended.

Also, he was a patent attorney himself.

I am just glad that is over and I do not want to experiment with any new and yet unproven in the Midwest climate, product ever again.

Ed