“It Was at the End of Its Life”
The roof on this West Vancouver home was over 30 years old — thick cedar shakes that had gone soft with rot and were covered in moss. “The birds liked it,” says homeowner Brian K., “but it was at the end of its life.” The bigger problem wasn’t curb appeal: this part of West Vancouver sits on the edge of a forest, and insurers in the area will no longer write coverage for cedar shake roofs at all. Brian needed an alternative, and needed it to actually hold up.
The original 30-year-old cedar shake roof, before tear-off.
Finding the Right Fit for an Unusual Roofline
Appearance was Brian’s biggest concern going in — “a concern up until I could see it installed,” he says. “It really looks great. It improves the look of the house.” The roof itself has an unusual, rounded roofline, and as it turned out, Interlock’s Slate profile was the one that worked from a practical standpoint on that shape. The Cedar Shingle profile he’d originally considered wasn’t a fit. “I think this probably looks better than that would have anyway,” Brian adds, “so we’re pleased with it.”
“We’ve planned to live here for a while, but also can see that when we sell it, it’ll be a feature, I think, of the house for the next buyer.”
A Smooth Installation, Start to Finish
“In light of our experience, I’d say you can’t go wrong if you pick Interlock,” Brian says of the crew. “The crew is exceptionally good. They’ve been quicker than I expected — honestly showed up a little earlier in the season than I expected, and got to work quickly and are getting the job done.” For a 66-square tear-off and full replacement, the pace and coordination stood out: “It’s been very smooth for a big, complicated job, and very satisfactory.”
Watching the panels go on gave Brian a close look at how the system fits together: “The efficiency of the installation and watching it go on gives you some sense of the robustness of the product. It was kind of nice to see how it all fits together. And the quality of the materials — it’s pretty clear that they’re exceptionally good materials.”
The completed Interlock Aluminum Tudor Brown Slate roof, 66 squares.
Built for the West Coast
West Vancouver’s coastal environment doesn’t go easy on a roof. “This environment’s tough,” Brian says. “It’s ice and snow and rain and needles. So an indestructible roof fit the bill.” With windstorms and falling branches a regular occurrence, durability mattered as much as looks: “It does seem pretty bulletproof, and that matters here. We get windstorms, we get branches falling on the roof, we get everything you get on the West Coast, and it feels a lot more comfortable having what’s up there now than it did having the old cedar shakes.”
“It’s the last time we’ll have to roof … other kinds of materials, I think, would not have held up for very long at all, really.”
“I would highly recommend Interlock to others — I would have no hesitation. It is an exceptional product.”