Lodges of Sundance
Durable Composite Shake on High-End Condos in Mountain Village, Colorado
by Will Hall, VP sales & marketing, Brava Roof Tile
Colorado is a popular destination for those who have a love of mountains and cold weather. The state is home to many cities and towns with different things to offer, and one such town is Mountain Village of Southwest Colorado. The town sits at an elevation of 9,545’ in the San Juan Mountains, a portion of the Rocky Mountains. It is a unique alpine town located in the self-governing San Miguel County, a short gondola ride away from Telluride, a town with a world-class ski resort.
For some, visiting isn’t enough, and they want to live in Mountain Village. The Lodges of Sundance are high-end condominium homes that make it possible. These condos feature the classic mountain retreat appearance, including log siding, big windows to enjoy the view, and natural cedar roofing. The roofing system on the Lodges of Sundance began to fail after a few years, with constant exposure to the harsh Colorado weather. Not wanting to let a failing roof remain, Marcy Pickering, The Lodges’ property manager, began looking for a new roofing option with a longer lifespan. She had three goals in mind when looking at her options, aside from a longer lifespan. She wanted to keep the beautiful cedar look, lower the maintenance costs, and withstand the elements.
Beauty aside, Colorado is no stranger to extreme weather, including large snowfalls, blizzards, hail, and even extreme heat. Pickering knew without a doubt that whatever roofing material she chose had to withstand such unrelenting elements. While cedar shakes have beauty, they are prone to damage. Composite roofing, however, is more durable than cedar shakes and other roofing materials. This knowledge led her to Brava Roof Tile, where she ordered samples.
After comparing samples from different competing brands, she settled on Brava. They offered the most durability and also had the most realistic appearance. Brava roof tiles are the most realistic synthetic cedar shake roofing on the market, appearing virtually indistinguishable from natural cedar shakes. They offer an ever-growing selection of colors that can work with any location or build. Their products mimic natural cedar shakes’ coloring, allowing for a more realistic product than the competition.
Pickering and her team decided on the aged color, which features a mix of brown and grey, for the Lodges of Sundance. It was a close-enough match for the old roof, which made for an easy change that wasn’t overly dramatic. Due to the rules in Mountain Village, Colorado, all construction projects must go through an architectural review board. The Brava samples were submitted for the meeting, and Rich Ganley, the president of condominiums, and the roof installer from Pro Services, Armando Coronado, both attended. There were multiple meetings to discuss various aspects of the project, including Brava’s products. Once the board had learned of Brava’s strength, long lifespan, appearance, and fire-rated shingles, the project was approved, and work could begin.
The fire rating was of particular concern, with fire being a significant issue on the West Coast. These days, most insurance companies will not go for natural shakes, even if they are fire treated, for that reason. It is one of the reasons that Brava stood out and got board approval. Their product offers a class A fire rating, the highest rating a product can earn, making it incredibly safe.
Once the team had the board’s approval, the roofing project began in January 2020, finishing a few months later, in April. Coronado and the Pro Services team worked closely with Brava to select and order the product. Pro Services were chosen for this project because of their vast experience and knowledge of installing natural cedar shakes and Brava.
According to the team, the product arrived quickly, allowing them to get the project done in such a timely manner. In regards to Brava and the product, Coronado stated, “I am very happy with the Brava team. The product was nice to use because it was strong enough to walk on across the roof and was lighter and easier to install than a natural shake.”
The Lodges of Sundance immediately began seeing the benefits of the new composite roof. Unlike the previous roof, Brava tiles do not hold onto moisture from rain or melting winter snow, so they do not curl, the colors don’t fade, and they can better withstand Colorado’s summer sun. With its new Brava roof, the Lodges of Sundance can withstand any weather the Rocky Mountains want to throw at them.
