Golf-ball sized hail bounces off Select Shake Roof

By DaVinci Roofscapes.

The story of a just-in-time installation giving a homeowner relief in the face of a storm.

Josh Maggard is a lucky man. How lucky? Just two days after his DaVinci Select Shake roof was installed on May 13, 2025, a storm came through his neighborhood dropping golf ball sized hail.

“I immediately contacted our roofers,” says Josh. “They flew a drone over the roof and showed there was no damage at all. They weren’t even surprised because DaVinci roofs are Class 4 rated for significant impact resistance. I was immensely relieved. I’m sure the severity of that storm would have destroyed our old cedar roof. Frankly, I’m confident it would have significantly damaged even a brand-new cedar shake roof!”

Inheriting a troublesome roof

Josh's story starts in 2010 when he purchased his Oak Creek, Wisconsin home. The cedar shake roof on the five-year-old house was already showing its age. Despite routine maintenance, rough storms blew off shingles. A really bad hailstorm in 2024 did extensive damage to the roof.

After that storm roofers began calling on homes in the neighborhood offering their services. Josh was most impressed by a visit from Alex Walsh with DuraShield Roofing & Contracting.

“Alex was focused on helping me rather than making an immediate sale,” says Josh. “He offered to use his drone to take pictures of the roof so I could see the hail and storm damage. His company did a temporary repair on the ridge to prevent further damage until the roof could be replaced. Then he submitted the pictures and a claim to the insurance company on my behalf, making the it easy.”

Fooled ya …

With insurance approval achieved, Josh now had to decide what to do about a new roof.

“Josh was ready to go back to a real cedar shake roof,” says Alex. “He has a traditional neighborhood and many of his neighbors have kept original shakes over the years. However, shakes just keep getting damaged and rotting away. So, I brought over DaVinci Roofscapes composite shake samples and explained all the benefits of synthetic shakes.”

Josh appreciated the attributes of composite shake, but was hesitant to negatively set his house apart with a composite shake roof. He explained:

My primary concern was that the product would look inferior. Even though I liked the samples I saw, I couldn’t picture them on my roof. What ultimately sold me was Alex showing me that two of the homes in my neighborhood that I thought had original cedar shake have actually switched to DaVinci. Those roofs look great. That visual confirmation, along with the compelling differences in warranty and maintenance, made the decision easier.

Now that my roof is installed, I know I wasted a lot of time worrying about how it would look. The Select Shake roof in the Tahoe blend looks phenomenal. I can’t believe I was ever concerned about the potential appearance!

Trusting in DaVinci

Josh didn’t have much time to sit back and bask in the happiness of a decision well made. With the severe hailstorm two days after the project was finished, his mind went immediately to damage control.

“I was immediately concerned that my new DaVinci roof would be significantly damaged because the storm was so severe,” says Josh. “Once again, DuraShield Roofing & Contracting responded quickly. They reinforced that the DaVinci product can easily handle this kind of weather and my roof was in great shape. I hope to never replace another roof in any property I ever own. However, if I do, I will go with DuraShield Roofing & Contracting. And, from what I’ve quickly learned, the benefits of going with DaVinci (the warranty, low maintenance, impact ratings, etc.) are unmatched. If I could do this whole process again (and I hope I never do!) it will be a quick decision to go with DaVinci!”