How to Get Composite Roofing Approved for Historical Projects

By Adam Cabrera. 

While preserving a building's historical aesthetics is crucial, composite materials like those from DaVinci offer modern benefits. 

So, you have a historical project that needs a new roof, and you're considering composite materials? This latest episode of Roofing Road Trips tells you everything you need to know. Host Heidi J. Ellsworth sits down with experts Randy Miller from All Right Home and Remodeling and Mark McMillan from Horn Brothers Roofing. Together, they provide valuable insights on how to navigate getting approval for DaVinci Roofscapes composite roofing on historical landmarks. 

Historical projects come with their own set of challenges and regulations. "Getting a new product through a landmark commission is very difficult, very time consuming," warns Mark. Whether the designation is local, state or even national, historical buildings are subject to rigorous standards to preserve their original aesthetics. But these challenges aren't insurmountable. 

"You want longevity, you want it to end up looking good. You want it to end up keeping in the era," Randy highlights. While it’s critical to maintain the building's historical integrity, composite roofing materials, particularly those from DaVinci Roofscapes, offer a modern twist that aligns with the need for fire safety, weight concerns and structural integrity. 

That said, how do you secure approval for modern tech on older buildings? "Find out what really is the objection, whether it's in the community or in the homeowner's eyes themselves," advises Randy. Homeowners, often well-researched and keen to preserve the building's history, play a key role in this process. 

"Every time we did that, we had to go through the Landmark Commission and the engineers of the Landmark Commission to bring up our proposal of what we wanted to do," shares Mark. The solution Mark explains is to engage the homeowners in discussions, showcase practical examples of composite roofs, and more importantly, let the landmark commissions see the material in action. "There is no comparison from setting that board on the table as opposed to having them come out to a job site and seeing it installed on a roof," Mark adds. 

So, the next time you're planning a historical reroof, with the right planning getting a composite roof onto your historical project without compromising style can become an easy success. 

Listen to the full Roofing Road Trips episode to hear more about working with historical projects and what advice Randy and Mark can give on the subject.