Slick Synthetic Shingles Require Snow Guards

Roof ownership has not been easy lately for Littleton, Colorado residents Tom and Karen Smith. After the natural deterioration of their cedar shake roof, they switched to a synthetic roof. However, a wicked tornado with 4" hail severely damaged that roof and their deck.

Now they have a DaVinci Select Shake roof, which seems to be the bright light at the end of their tunnel. An even brighter light has been working with On Point Contracting.

The Smiths reached out to the company to retrofit snow guards onto their synthetic roof in 2021. Snow and ice had been avalanching off the slick synthetic shingles onto areas over their front door, garage and back deck. To combat that, On Point Contracting added RG10 snow guards from Rocky Mountain Snow Guards.

"We installed the RG10's after connecting with the free layout and quote service provided by Rocky Mountain Snow Guards," says Nick Piontek, founder and owner of On Point Contracting. "That service tells us precisely where to place the snow guards for maximum effect. The durable RG10 metal snow guards are specifically designed for retrofit application on synthetic roofing products.

"For this project, we selected a Dark Bronze color to complement the Mountain color of the roofing. We used three Woodbinder Eclipse fasteners to secure each RG10 into the location recommended in the RMSG snow retention plan layout."

Storm Damage

Fast forward a few years and the Smith's area gets hit with the unusual hail/tornado event. A large tree limb lands on the roof and deck, there's damage to the entire roof along with the deck railing, garage door and mailbox.

Thinking back to the excellent service they received from On Point Contracting, the Smiths make Nick Piontek their first call.

"We worked through their insurance agency to get a full roof replacement for Karen and Tom," says Piontek. "Then we helped them choose a DaVinci Select Shake roof in the same Mountain color they liked. And this time, they had the snow guards installed at the time of the roof installation."

Second Snow Retention System

During the layout and quote service, Rocky Mountain Snow Guards recommended the longer RG16 version of the Rocky Guard snow guard since it was a new rather than retrofit installation, this time around. The metal RG16 snow guard is 16" in overall length and is installed with a minimum of three ring-shank roofing nails per snow guard.

According to Piontek, "everyone is thrilled with the RG16's on the new roof. All the fasteners are completely concealed. The snow guards are still in the Dark Bronze color to match the Mountain colors of the Select Shake roofing. However, this time they are positioned all the way around the home. We're pleased that everything for this project was completed on time, on budget and On Point!"

The contractor isn't the only one pleased. "The RMSG snow guards give us peace of mind that we will not be injured, our pets will not be harmed and our landscaping will not be damaged," says Karen Smith. "We've had three significant storms this year and no avalanching!

"Nick and his team were so thorough and careful about our multiple roof lines. They were honest about timelines. Their dedication is unlike any other contractor we have worked with and the quality of their work is great. We highly recommend On Point Contracting to anyone!"