No More Leaks, No More Electricity Bills

By DaVinci Roofscapes. 

Slowik family finds the remedy to their roofing worries with synthetic shake roofing. 

Ken Slowik has purchased many buckets over the eight years he has lived in his home. “We had leaks in almost every room, including ceilings and walls,” says Slowik. “Our old roof was installed using wooden battens, mounted horizontally as nailers due to the steep 7/12 pitch of our roof.” Water had gotten underneath the tiles and puddled on the wooden battens supporting the roof, causing the nails to loosen and rust, and the wood to rot. 

To make matters worse, the Slowik family discovered the water had caused the growth of mold. “We are required to clean our roofs if they turn black,” says Slowik. “The cleaning was a continual expense and a headache.” 

The damage was too widespread—it was time to replace the roof. 

Synthetic shake solution 

Slowik researched stone coated metal roofs. However, he heard that they could also get moldy, which would mean more cleaning challenges. Plus, if you step on it wrong, it can dent. 

“My research led me to synthetic roofing from DaVinci Roofscapes,” says Slowik. “Fortunately, it’s one of the approved roofing products for our community. 

“I discovered the Bellaforté synthetic shake tiles could be mounted on steep pitched roofs without wood nailers. Above all, it’s low maintenance. The roof does not need cleaning. And, it is a Class 4 rated roof. In other words, it will hold up to wind and hail. That’s important because we can get hurricanes in south Florida.” 

Selecting a roofer 

After deciding on synthetic shake, Slowik went in search of a reputable roofer. Fortunately, his neighbor, a custom builder, recommended Walsh Roofing in Palm City, Florida. 

“I’m very impressed with the team from Walsh Roofing,” says Slowik. “They are not the fastest or cheapest, but Michael Walsh is certainly the best. His team kept coming back until the project was absolutely perfect.” 

Adding solar panels 

To start with, the roofer had to replace 33 sheets of plywood. They were damaged and rotten from being wet under the previous roof. 

After the roof assembly was ready, the roofing team made way for Vinyasun Solar. The solar team attached metal posts to support new solar panels on the roof. These were bolted through the underlayment into the roof trusses. Once they waterproofed their work, the roofers returned. They installed the Bellaforté Shake products in an Autumn color. 

“This was like a ‘roof dance’ for more than a week,” says Slowik. “The DaVinci tiles were cut and installed around the support posts. Then the solar installer returned. He installed the panels onto the post. This gave us the best chance to have everything sealed properly. 

“Compared to our previous roof, I think the synthetic shake looks better. The thickness and variety of the color shades add to the curb appeal of our home. In addition, the DaVinci roof has a Lifetime Limited Materials Warranty!” 

Farewell electric bills 

Many of the residences within Mariner Sands have water heater panels. The solar panels are used to heat the water for swimming pools. At this time, the Slowik family is one of the few homes using solar panels for full electricity production. 

“Our home is 4,750 square feet,” says Slowik. “We decided to install enough solar panels to eliminate our electricity bill completely. 

“It will take six years with no electric bill to break even on the cost of this project. After that, we start saving from year seven on. 

“All the way around this is a winning project for us. Solar panels that save on electricity and beautiful synthetic shake no-leak roofing tiles that require no upkeep!” 

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Original article source: DaVinci Roofscapes