This article Reprinted from Western Roofing magazine, January/February 2007, Volume 30, number 1

 

 

Washington HOA Reroof

Affluent Washington HOA Opts for Laminated Asphalt Roofing Shingles

by Mike Loughery, CertainTeed Corporation

 

In 2006, the cedar shake shingles on the luxury town homes and condominiums of Millers Village II, a residential development in affluent Mill Creek, Washington, turned 20 years old, but they appeared a lot older. The wooden shakes had deteriorated considerably in their relatively short life and were springing multiple leaks around the complex. Homeowners and the property management held on for as long as they could, dreading the high price of new cedar shake roofs, but it came to a point where enough was enough, says Diana Cole-Nessly, co-owner of Cole Property Management, Inc., of Kirkland, Washington, which manages Millers Village II. “The shakes were at the end of their lives,” she says. “We were plugging holes and saying a lot prayers.”

                  Cole-Nessly and the Millers Village II Homeowners Association (HOA) agreed that it was time to put new roofs on the development’s nine townhomes and condominiums, which start at around $300,000. However, they were divided on the choice of roofing materials. Part of the group wanted to replace the old roof with 100% edgegrain old-growth cedar shakes from Canadian forests. The rest of the homeowners, though, approved CertainTeed Presidential Shake (tm) TL Ultimate luxury shingles. Presidential Shake TL Ultimate is a wood shake replacement that consists of three layers of laminated asphalt. Aesthetics aside, the CertainTeed product sells for a lower price than cedar shakes and has a lifetime warranty. After much deliberation over the quality of the shingle options and their effect on property value, the Millers Village II HOA selected the Presidential Shake TL Ultimate shingles.

                  Originally, the Mill Creek Community Association (MCCA), governing body for all of the Mill Creek HOAs would permit only cedar shake or concrete tile roofs, with the concern that alternative materials, such as asphalt shingles, would decrease property values. However, about six years ago, homeowners upset by the high price and short life of a cedar shake roof, pushed for the addition of longer lasting, yet more affordable, laminated composite asphalt shingles to the MCCA’s list of approved roofing materials. In the end, Presidential Shake TL Ultimate was one of only two asphalt shingle products that the MCCA approved.

                  “People have seen the fire hazards of cedar shakes,” says Dan Everts, owner of Water Wise Roof Service LLC, a roof consulting and repair business in Kirkland, Wash. “They have seen the type of cleaning and maintenance that goes along with having a cedar shake roof, and they’re tired of it.”

                  Millers Village II HOA hired Star Roofing & Construction, of Snohomish, Wash., to reroof the nine buildings, which, in total, called for 850 squares of roofing. Everts was hired to oversee the project as a roofing consultant. Star Roofing put two crews of six to work on the Millers Village II roofs in late July. The crews found that the wood shakes had been installed over solid sheathing, which kept them from breathing and sped up their deterioration, says Jason Williams, co-owner of Star Roofing. “The shakes were completely burnt out,” he says. “The roofs would have leaked even more if they were forced to make it through another winter.”

                  After removing the wood shakes, the crews attached CertainTeed 30-pound ASTM felt roof underlayment to the sheathing, and put CertainTeed WinterGuard (tm) waterproofing underlayment in the eaves and valleys of the roofs. They then installed the Presidential Shake TL Ultimate shingles in the shade of Country Gray, complete with CertainTeed’s new Mountain Ridge (tm) high-profile hip and ridge accessory. Mountain Ridge features blended color to create a unified look with field shingles instead of a striped look, and a rounded edge to create a more substantial finished look. Introduced in California in the latter part of 2006, Mountain Ridge is expected to be launched nationwide in early 2007.

                  The project was completed in October, with no major obstacles. “This job ran very smoothly, compared to other jobs we’ve done,” Williams says. “It was pretty cut-and-dry.”

                  Even before the project was finished, neighbors from the adjoining Millers Village I began to take notice of the bold new look of the roofs at Millers Village II, even showing a bit of envy. Star Roofing, which has done several upscale jobs in the Mill Creek area, had reroofed Millers Village I ten years ago with cedar shakes. Williams says that after the Miller Village II project, the Millers Village I HOA became more interested in reroofing with Presidential Shake TL, and is now budgeting for a reroof some time in the next four years. “The Presidential Shake TL Ultimate improved the appearances of the Millers Village II properties immensely,” he says. “It’s definitely noticeable. Next to these roofs, the old cedar shakes looked terrible. We’ve done roofs like this before, but for some reason, this one turned out especially well.”

                  Cole-Nessly says the members of Miller Village II HOA are very pleased with their new roofs. One couple even sold their town home after the reroof for a record high price in the development, disproving the myth that asphalt shingles lower property value. The HOA was able to save about $100,000 by going the heavy asphalt composite shingle route, and Cole-Nessly probably won’t be getting any more complaint calls about a leaky roof for a good while. “I’m very happy because I don’t have to worry about the roofs any more - at least not for another 50 years!” •••