Homeowner requested, HOA approved

By Dani Sheehan. 

In communities where bylaws require cedar shake shingles only, it’s time to break the tradition. Learn how to enter the conversation with homeowners' associations and introduce lasting synthetic alternatives. 

Do you work in an area where every neighborhood has a homeowner’s association (HOA)? What is your relationship with HOAs, and does it affect the materials you offer to these areas? In a recent episode of Roofing Road Trips®, Heidi J. Ellsworth spoke with Gus Mokakos from DaVinci Roofscapes and Carlton Kohler of Elite Exteriors about how they navigate neighborhood covenants. They discussed one case study where they successfully substituted synthetic materials as a durable alternative to cedar shake shingles. 

Carlton received a DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor of the Year award for a home on Lake Lanier in Georgia, which was part of an HOA. He gives us a little background on the project, saying, “They had a pine shake roof and they wanted us to repair it. I told them, ‘Look, let me show you this. I can repair this, but I'm telling you this is what you want. This is where you want to go.’ [referring to synthetic shingles] And he was sold. But the HOA said, ‘Absolutely not.’ They don't know anything about it. They only want pine or cedar. They only want true shake.” 

They felt so strongly that the synthetic alternative would be better for the community that they went to an HOA meeting with the homeowner and held a two-hour presentation to show the value of these materials. Ultimately, they received HOA approval and reroofed most of the neighborhood. 

Carlton says it is an easy sell as soon as they can sit down in front of the HOA. He explains the return on investment of a DaVinci roof: “[Shake shingles are] a huge liability for them to have. You have this highly flammable material, right. It's expensive to replace. It's susceptible to wind and hail. You have all these issues, and insurance companies are going to adjust your premiums accordingly with that risk. You come back and tell them that you have this high-grade synthetic shake. It's class 4, class A.” 

When asked how they have so much success with HOAs, Gus shares that homeowner buy in is the first step. He says, “A lot of it's either word of mouth from the contractor working in an area that the bylaws had cedar and cedar only... What we want is to have the excitement from the homeowner, right? A homeowner wants something different. They don't want cedar on their home anymore because, like Carlton mentioned, maintenance costs, return on investment.” 

When homeowners want durable roofing materials to protect their home, DaVinci products provide the best solution.
Read the transcript or Listen to the podcast to learn more about working with HOAs and how to introduce communities to a viable alternative to cedar shake shingles.