Historic Mansion Finds Convincing Alternative to Cedar Shake

By Cass Jacoby.  

DaVinci Aged Cedar synthetic shakes strike the perfect balance between historical re-creation and roofing innovation that can better withstand the coast.  

The seashore is no place for real cedar shake roofing. Between the sea spray and the constant briny air, the lifespan of natural cedar diminishes. Thus, Plum Orchard mansion, built in 1898 by the Carnegie family on the Cumberland Island National Seashore in Georgia, was in dire need of two things: new shakes and a convincing alternative to cedar shakes that could resist the coastal weather.   

 As part of the U.S. National Park Service, any preservation work done on the Georgian Revival style structure needed to leave the building looking virtually the same as the original construction. However, commissioning a real cedar roof to maintain historical accuracy on the property was quickly becoming impractical due to the rapid deterioration of the cedar.  

 Luckily, the team at Register Roofing had just the solution for this kind of job—a composite roofing solution from DaVinci Roofscapes. DaVinci Select Shake composite roofing in the Aged Cedar color was selected to replace cedar shakes on the island’s Plum Orchard mansion as it perfectly matched the traditional cedar shake roof appearance while providing the roof with a much higher performance level against the elements.  

Check out the entire case study to learn more about the major roof replacement on this historic building and the many benefits that DaVinci synthetic slate offers the Plum Orchard mansion.  

Learn more about DaVinci Roofscapes here.   

About Cass   

Cass works as a reporter/writer for RoofersCoffeeShop, AskARoofer and MetalCoffeeShop. When she isn’t writing about roofs, she is putting her Masters degree to work writing about movies and dancing with her plants.