This North Dallas roof replacement in the 75244 ZIP code was a substantial project both in size and complexity. The home is located near Midway Road and Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, one of the better-known landmarks in this part of North Dallas. Jesuit Dallas is located on Inwood Road in the same 75244 ZIP code. (Waze)
The homeowner selected DaVinci Multi-Width Slate installed in a straight pattern in Slate Gray. Rather than trying to imitate the appearance of slate with an asphalt shingle, DaVinci is a composite roofing product specifically designed around the dimensions and appearance of natural slate. The Multi-Width product uses several tile widths to create variation across the roof. DaVinci backs the material with a Lifetime Limited Material Warranty. (Westlake Royal Building Products)
At the time we installed this roof, Bert Roofing was also a member of DaVinci’s Masterpiece Contractor Program.
A 4,900-Square-Foot Roof With a Lot of Geometry
According to the EagleView measurements, the roof totaled 4,906 square feet with a predominant pitch of 8/12. More significant than the total area was the amount of detail built into the roof.
There were 335 linear feet of ridge, 224 feet of valleys, 149 feet of rake and 361 feet of eaves. Those numbers tell a lot about the roof before you ever see a photograph. This was not a simple front-and-back gable roof. It had numerous intersecting roof sections and a substantial amount of cutting and fitting.
That geometry also explains the unusually high material waste factor. Before starter and ridge material were included, the estimated waste was approximately 20%. On a roof like this, much of that additional material is consumed by cuts along valleys, hips, rakes and smaller roof sections rather than by the basic field area of the roof.
W-Metal Valleys With Ice and Water Protection
The 224 feet of valley were an important part of the installation. We installed W-style metal valleys with ice and water shield beneath the metal.
Valleys concentrate a considerable amount of runoff, particularly on a roof with this many intersecting sections. They are also areas where workmanship matters because several roofing planes are directing water into the same drainage path. On this project, the metal valley system and underlying membrane provided two layers of protection in those areas.
The roofing materials were supplied through Roadrunner Roofing Supply, which is now part of SRS Distribution. A City of Dallas roofing permit was obtained for the work.
Copper Gutters to Go With the New Roof
The project also included new copper gutters.
Copper made sense with this particular house and the Slate Gray DaVinci roof. It is a higher-end material that fits the architecture and will change naturally in appearance as the copper develops its patina over time.
This was therefore more than a material upgrade from one roof covering to another. The combination of synthetic slate, metal valley work and copper gutters changed several major components of the home’s exterior drainage system at the same time.
Repairing the Back Porch Before Finishing the Exterior
One of the more important parts of this job was actually below the roof.
The back porch had significant deterioration in the soffit area. Once that portion of the project was addressed, the work included major soffit repairs as well as repairs to some of the rafters supporting the porch roof.
That is an important distinction on a project like this. Installing an expensive roofing material over compromised framing or deteriorated exterior wood does not solve the underlying problem. The damaged areas needed to be repaired as part of the work rather than simply covered.
We also helped re-slope an existing French drain in the backyard while the exterior work was underway. It was not the primary purpose of the project, but it was another drainage issue that could be addressed while crews were already working around the rear of the home.
A Premium Roof on a Complex North Dallas Home
What makes this particular project worth documenting is not simply that we installed a DaVinci roof.
It was the combination: nearly 4,900 square feet of roofing, an 8/12 predominant pitch, 224 feet of valleys, roughly 20% field-material waste, DaVinci Multi-Width Slate, W-metal valleys, copper gutters and substantial repair work around the back porch.
Those details are what separate a complex premium roof replacement from a straightforward reroof. On this North Dallas home, the finished DaVinci Slate Gray roof was only the most visible part of a much broader exterior project.
