I was recently hired by BestWest Roofing to develop content for their website. Going into the project, I had no knowledge of roofing systems or roofing materials. Now, after having completed the project, I can describe to you all of your options when replacing or repairing your roof. BestWest is a forward thinking company and are promoting the installation of ‘Lifetime Products’ to their customers. Lifetime Products can cost more than traditional asphalt or cedar roofs, but have superior performance and durability. Check out the webcopy that I wrote about Lifetime Products for BestWest’s product pages:
Lifetime Products
Now more than ever consumers are aware of the options that they have when repairing or replacing their roof. Traditional roofing products like asphalt shingles and cedar shakes comprise the bulk of the market, but savvy homeowners are starting to learn the benefits of choosing lifetime synthetic roofing products. A lifetime product is a broad term used to describe a synthetic roofing product that is similar in appearance to traditional roofing products, but offers superior performance and durability.
When you consider that lifetime products look just as good, last longer, and are more environmentally friendly than traditional roofing products, they should be the obvious choice.
Lifetime Synthetic Cedar Products
Cedar has traditionally been used as a roofing material in the Lower Mainland mainly because of its availability. Living in a coastal rainforest that supports an enormous forestry industry, it isn’t difficult to find quality lumber. However, even the best quality cedar is prone to cracking, rotting and warping, sometimes in as little as 10 years. More apparent to homeowners, cedar can discolour and stain in as little as 5 years. As beautiful as a cedar roof can look upon installation, west coast winters can really take their toll and affect a cedar roof’s durability. Lifetime synthetic cedar products can replicate the look of cedar, giving the home the same classic look while providing much more protection and durability.
Enviroshake®
Enviroshake® is a Canadian company that manufactures high quality roofing products that provide a practical, durable alternative to traditional cedar shake and asphalt shingles. Enviroshake’s® synthetic shakes are designed to replicate the rustic look of cedar shake, while providing protection and durability that surpass any cedar or asphalt product on the market.
Just how durable is Enviroshake®? Well its manufacturers offer up a 50 Year Non-Prorated Warranty, the most impressive in the industry. What this means is that Enviroshake® will not crack, rot, warp, flake, peel, or become compromised in any way for 50 years. If it does, then the product is defective and will be replaced by the manufacturer. No treatment is needed and it’s maintenance free once installed. In comparison, the average cedar roof has a warranty period of 20 years and requires regular maintenance, repairs and cleaning.
Enviroshake® is manufactured from recycled industrial plastics, rubber elastomers and cellulosic fibres. Its physical properties make it superior to cedar in terms of UV protection, weather resistance, mould and moss resistance, and insect resistance. Installation of Enviroshake® is much more efficient than cedar and creates much less waste. No unnecessary resources are used in the manufacturing of Enviroshake® and it’s made from 95% recycled materials. So, even though it’s not as ‘natural’ as traditional cedar shakes, its environmental impact is much smaller.
DaVinci Shake
DaVinci Roofscapes manufactures high quality synthetic roofing products, similar to Enviroshake®, that also provide a practical, durable alternative to traditional cedar shake and asphalt shingles. In addition to having a synthetic cedar shake product called DaVinci Shake, they also manufacture a synthetic slate product called DaVinci Slate.
DaVinci Shake and DaVinci Slate are lightweight, synthetic shingles with the appearance, colour, texture and thickness of natural cedar shakes and natural slate, respectively. Both products are made of engineered polymer formulated from 100% virgin plastic resins to ensure high quality and consistency.
More and more homeowners are becoming interested in DaVinci Shake for the same reasons as Enviroshake®. It offers them the appearance of a natural looking cedar roof, while providing them with exceptional performance and durability. DaVinci Shake’s 5/8” profile is over twice the thickness of other synthetic shakes and it’s available in a variety of widths ranging from 9” to 4”. The four available colour blends (New Cedar, Mountain Blend, Tahoe Blend and Autumn Wood) replicate the natural look of a beautifully maintained cedar roof.
Lifetime Asphalt Products
Asphalt shingles dominate the roofing market in Canada because their durability, performance, appearance and cost make them a very practical choice for homeowners. Asphalt roofing is an enormous industry and as such is full of choices regarding performance and longevity. Traditional asphalt shingles typically have a lifespan of 20 to 30 years, but high quality, chemically treated shingles are available in 50-year lifetime warranties.
BestWest Roofing installs lifetime asphalt products from highly reputable manufacturers like IKO Roofing, BP Roofing, Malarkey Roofing, Certainteed Roofing and ELK Roofing. Shingle samples are available upon request.
Lifetime Synthetic Slate Products
Natural slate tiles are absolutely a time-tested lifetime product, but their high cost make them an impractical choice for most homeowners. Installing a slate roof can raise some concerns for homeowners. Firstly, it takes a specialized installer called a ‘slater’ or ‘slate mason’ to install a slate roof, which can be expensive. The cost of materials for a slate roof is also considerably expensive. Secondly, slate is heavier than other roofing products and requires that the home has the proper structure to support it.
Da Vinci Slate
The history of slate roofing is long and goes back centuries to when roofing stone was obtained in deep quarry holes from which men would have to split roofing shingles from rock by the aid of simple hand tools. Obviously, much has changed in the roofing industry since then, but some homeowners are still drawn to the old world charm of a beautiful slate roof. However, installing a slate roof can raise some concerns for homeowners. Firstly, it takes a specialized installer called a ‘slater’ or ‘slate mason’ to install a slate roof, which can be expensive. The cost of materials for a slate roof is also considerably more than the alternatives. Secondly, slate is heavier than other roofing products and requires that the home has the proper structure to support it. So, in an effort to address these concerns and provide the appearance of a slate roof, DaVinci Roofscapes developed DaVinci Slate. DaVinci Slate is more affordable than natural slate and weighs the same as other synthetic roofing products.
Distinction Slate
Another popular synthetic slate product is Distinction Slate by Trimline. It’s made from 58% recycled high density polyethylene and is 100% recyclable once its lifespan is up. Distinction Slate, like Da Vinci Slate, is designed to replicate the look of a natural slate roof while avoiding the prohibitive material and labour costs of natural slate.
On many houses, expensive roof modifications must be made to accommodate the extra weight of slate tiles, but because Distinction Slate tiles are a third the weight of natural slate tiles, this extra labour isn’t necessary. In fact, the weight of Distinction Slate tiles is comparable with the weight of most 30 year asphalt shingles. Also, despite being so light, Distinction Slate tiles still maintain the luxurious thick appearance of natural slate tiles.
Distinction Slate is extremely durable and exceeds all minimum regulations for rate of burn, smoke density, self and flash ignition and water absorption. Trimline backs all of this up with a 50-Year Limited Warranty.
