News Release
Contact: Kathy Ziprik
Kziprik@aol.com
828-890-8065
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No-Worries DaVinci Roofscapes Polymer Shakes Installed at
Prestigious Fleur du Lac Estates
LENEXA, KAN. – When it was time for homeowners at the historic Fleur du Lac Estates
in California to select new roofing materials, they looked for a product that would mimic the
look of cedar, but bring them advantages to protect their homes and buildings from Mother
Nature. After a comprehensive search, they determined that the Class A fire and Class 4 impact
ratings of Bellaforté polymer shake tiles from DaVinci Roofscapes met their needs.
A prime filming location for the 1974 movie "Godfather II," Fleur du Lac Estates is now
a private condominium development located on the beautiful west shore of Lake Tahoe. A Yacht
Club and Boat House, 22 individual homeowner units and a variety of shared recreational
facilities make the historic 1938 compound a much-sought-after retreat.
Fire Resistance a Prime Benefit
Years of harsh weather conditions took their toll on the real cedar shake roofs at Fleur du
Lac Estates. Damage from repeated leaks, hail, ice dam issues, snow and other weather
conditions recently convinced the board of directors it was time to invest in new roofs for the
entire estate.
"We started with our two most valuable community structures, the Yacht Club and Boat
House," says Stewart Dalie, maintenance supervisor and project manager at Fleur du Lac Estates
in Homewood, California. "Our plans are to re-roof all of the buildings in the Tahoe Blend over
the next five to seven years. We did a tremendous amount of research to determine what roofing
products would look realistic in this setting, meet the new codes required for roofs in our area,
yet offer us superior qualities and a long life span.
"Selecting the fire- and impact-resistant Bellaforté shake material from DaVinci
Roofscapes means we won't have to be concerned with the potential spread of flames should our
area ever be touched by wildfires. That's a huge concern for our geographic area. However, not
having to worry about wind-blown embers landing on a roof and then catching the building on
fire is a tremendous relief."
The Class A fire and Class 4 impact ratings of the Bellaforté tiles bring peace-of-mind to
residents within the community. The durable roofing tiles have the appearance of natural handsplit cedar shake with slanted sawn edges and staggered lengths, but with the hassle-free
qualities of a manufactured product. At a one-inch average tile thickness, Bellaforté Shake
roofing tiles remind many residents of jumbo cedar shakes prevalent in the Lake Tahoe area.
Safeguarding a Historic Setting
It's not surprising that homeowners at the upscale Fleur du Lac Estates want to invest in
the best possible roofing material. This is a mountain and lakeside homeowners association
where every home has a deeded slip in the marina, resort-style services are the norm and
aesthetics of the community are vigilantly upheld.
Originally the summer home of famous industrialist Henry J. Kaiser, the 15-acre
lakeshore site was constructed beginning in 1938. After Kaiser sold the estate, it went through a
series of transitional uses from the 1960s to 1979, including serving as a private school and as
the site for many on-location scenes for Francis Ford Coppola's film, "The Godfather II." Only in
the 1980s did the current project begin to refurbish existing key structures and transform original
homes on the property to individually-owned homes.
"Our community has always embraced the history of this setting while looking toward
protecting its future," says Lane Murray, general manager at Fleur du Lac Estates. "That's one of
the key reasons we wanted a roofing product that has the look of real cedar shakes, but with
man-made advantages like resistance to fire, impact and high winds."
Superior Roofing Installation
Despite a variety of challenges with removing the old roofs and prepping for the new
synthetic shake tiles, the team at Bruce Olson Construction has successfully tackled their first
DaVinci Roofscapes installation project at Fleur du Lac Estates.
"The roofing surface for the Yacht Club and Boat House were in bad shape and very
uneven," says Taylor Greene, general manager of Bruce Olson Construction in Tahoe City,
California. "We had to plane these into workable surfaces before getting started. Once we got
started the product installed beautifully. We added flashing material to cover some valley
locations which made the project look exceptional. To achieve the realistic look, gable end
flashing that concealed the manufactured edge of the DaVinci product was added."
The company, which does residential and multi-family new construction work in several
states including Hawaii, has already started work on several additional roofs in the Fleur du Lac
complex.
"The Bellaforté roofing looks amazing," says Greene. "Best of all, these polymer shakes
are perfect for this geographic area. Traditional wood shakes 'hold' the water from melting snow.
Those saturated shakes weigh more and cause the freeze line to be a part of the shake. With the
DaVinci product, the water is not absorbed into the tile, so snow melting is faster and more
efficient. This can also help reduce the ice damming effect in many locations."
Laughing at Mother Nature
Nestled amidst stunning mountain peaks and world-famous ski conditions, Fleur du Lac
Estates can experience heavy snowfall during the winter months. The property is just five
minutes from Homewood Mountain Ski Resort, and the area usually sees snow in excess of 180
inches total. That's one reason why the community decided to have the Bruce Olson team
incorporate snow fences and snow guards from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards into the
structures.
"In our area it's very common to use snow guards and fences to help keep snow from
falling on individuals and property," says Greene. "The previous structures at Fleur du Lac
Estates didn't have any type of snow retention system. We believe having these products in place
now --- which were very simple to put in during the polymer shake installation --- will make life
much easier for property owners no matter how much snow Mother Nature delivers each
season."
Rocky Mountain Snow Guards custom designed the snow retention system for Fleur du
Lac Estates incorporating both their Drift III+ snow fences and the company's Rocky Guard
RG10 snow guards. The system was developed to handle the 180 PSF snow load that can occur
in this geographic location.
"The snow guards are attached in a pattern above the snow fence that creates friction to
hold the snow 'slab' in place while the snow fence provides a barrier beyond which the snow slab
won't slide," says Lars Walberg, president of Rocky Mountain Snow Guards. "Using the
combination of snow guards and snow fences gives this project a balanced snow retention system
that has the 'look' the owners desired."
For homeowners, the new Bellaforté roofs on the Yacht Club and Boat House are
tempting reminders of what will come on their own homes within the community in the years to
come.
"Now that the Yacht Club and Boat House roofs are complete we're hearing very positive
comments from our residents," says Murray. "Folks are eager for the work to continue in the
common areas so that their individual homes can soon get these terrific-looking new roofs!"
The experienced team members at DaVinci Roofscapes develop and manufacture
industry-leading polymer slate and shake roofing systems with an authentic look and superior
performance. DaVinci leads the industry in the greatest selection of colors, tile thickness and tile
width variety. The company's reliable products have a limited lifetime warranty and are 100
percent recyclable. All DaVinci high-performing roofing products are proudly made in America
where the company is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, the National
Association of Roofing Contractors, the Cool Roof Rating Council and the U.S. Green Building
Council. For information call 1-800-328-4624 or visit www.davinciroofscapes.com.
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