Roofer profile: Jason Chase, JnJ Restoration

By DaVinci Roofscapes.

This is Jason Chase, owner of JnJ Restoration, a two-time winner of the DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor Project of the Year Award.

In 2022 it was a “DaVinci Kingdom” that won JnJ Restoration the DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor Project of the Year Award. Now, in 2024, it’s the restoration of a historic project in the Village of Lake Forest, Illinois.

Why so many wins for Jason Chase and his company? It could be because he requires excellence on every job he tackles. And, there are so many DaVinci jobs. Each year JnJ Restoration, out of Evanston, Illinois, installs more than 40 DaVinci roofs on residential project.

And with this year’s DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor Project of the Year Award winner, Jason employed not only excellence of installation, but also patience and dedication to the homeowner’s desire to “break the rules” and add composite roofing to her home in a historic district.

Overview: 2024 Project of the Year

Mary Therese Williams was determined to have DaVinci roofing on her 1928 historic home. So, for 18 months she lobbied the Lake Forest Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) for permission to add composite roofing. She knew insurance providers would not cover her request to replace her roof with real cedar, and she liked the alternative roofing option.

“Mary was relentless in her pursuit of a DaVinci roof,” says Jason. “She was turned down multiple times. Finally, the HPC saw the light and agreed that the DaVinci tiles don’t compromise historical integrity.”

During the ongoing campaign to gain approval for composite roofing, Williams suffered another blow. A hailstorm hit. This changed the situation into a claims process.

“The old cedar shingles were in awful shape,” says Jason. “When I was on top of the roof the cedar shingles were crunching under my feet. Between the deterioration and the hailstorm, Mary got the approval just in time for the new composite roof.”

Moving forward, the team at JnJ Restoration installed DaVinci Select Shake in a Black Oak color that matched the original color of William’s real cedar. Chase and his team then dealt with out-of-code decking and challenging roof-to-roof transitions. They fabricated custom copper pans for these areas that provide nice detail work and attractive finishing touches to the roof.

“The HPC approval opens up the potential for more homes in this historic area to upgrade with composite roofing,” according to Jason. “That’s great for the aesthetics of the district, along with the low maintenance and insurability for the homeowners.

Insights from a winning roofer

Q: How did you get started in the roofing business?
The start of my roofing career was by chance. After 13 years in the mortgage business and having my own brokerage shop, I was ready for a new challenge. A good friend of my father’s was a minority owner in a semi-nationwide roofing company. She explained the opportunity and the potential in roofing sales.

I’ve been in sales all my life. So, I took this on as a new challenge. I packed all my stuff up and put it in storage and drove right to Minneapolis. That’s where I jumped in headfirst into the roofing industry. I’ve never regretted it, and I’ve never looked back!

Q: What makes your company recommend DaVinci products over competitive composite products?
DaVinci has the staying power in the composite roofing market and the quality is second to none. I can only sell a product that I know is top notch. I have a DaVinci roof on my own home. That says it all.

Q: How have DaVinci products helped increase sales for your company?
We install DaVinci roofing full time during the roofing season. Focusing on this composite product has increased our business tremendously over the years.

Q: When selling DaVinci products to a new customer, what are the features and benefits that customers react best to?
Three things: No maintenance, choices in color and the appearance. When comparing to slate, the cost difference alone is a great selling point. When comparing to real cedar, homeowners get the same looking without all the needed work required to maintain the real cedar shake.

Here’s an important point we share with customers. Many insurance carriers are either not insuring real cedar shakes anymore or they automatically assign large deductibles for real cedar shakes. Or, they apply a non-recoverable depreciation factor to the roof if a roof is damaged by a storm. It’s the opposite with the DaVinci product. Because it’s impact- and fire-resistant, some insurance carriers offer a discount when homeowners have this product!

Q: What made you think that this particular project would be a winning candidate for the DaVinci Masterpiece Contractor Project of the Year Award?

It’s a beautiful home in the Lake Forest historical district of Illinois. And, most impressively, it’s the first DaVinci roof approved to be installed in this historical part of the town.

Q: What’s your dream roofing job?
I’m living it… every day, with every roof.

Q: Finally, if you absolutely had to change professions tomorrow, what do you think you’d do?
Actually, there are two things I could see myself doing. Professional trading in the markets (which I do actively now) or getting involved with non-profits to help others.