Centennial Slate(TM) Roof Helps Win Best of Show At Street of Dreams

When homebuilder Karey Cresap entered the 2005 Northwest Natural Street of Dreams luxury home tour in Portland, Ore., she was looking for a new roofing contractor and the best roofing material for the show home she designed.

She found the solution in Carlson Roofing of Hillsboro, Ore., and Centennial

"CertainTeed has a complete line of roofing products with several different styles and colors, and they have excellent customer support," says Greg Carlson, vice president of Carlson Roofing, a CertainTeed Select Shingle Roofer(TM). "We've never had a problem with the quality of their products, so we're very happy to use them."

After looking over the selection, Cresap, who owns Hearth & Home Residential Construction, Inc. in Portland, found that Centennial Slate Luxury Shingles would be the best choice for the home she was building.

CertainTeed's patented Color Precision Technology(TM) allows colored granules to be applied to each shingle tab individually with impeccable precision, allowing Centennial Slate to authentically replicate the classic look of blended slate at a fraction of the cost. Equally suited to many different architectural styles, Centennial Slate utilizes an innovative design in which two full-sized base shingles combine to simulate the profile of natural slate, providing four full layers of weather protection when installed. In addition, a special formulation of copper granules protects the roof for a full 15 years against the streaking and discoloration that can be caused by airborne algae. Over the years. Centennial Slate will remain pleasing to the eye while taking a rugged stand against the elements.

The Northwest Natural Street of Dreams claims to be the original luxury home tour in the United States, and allows luxury homebuilders the chance to compete and network, as well as receive feedback from the public. Builders are required to construct their show homes within seven months and have a month to display them at the show.

At the completion of the 30th Annual Northwest Natural Street of Dreams luxury home tour competition in August 2005, Carlson Roofing and Centennial Slate Shingles were part of a winning team of quality building products and talented subcontractors. Competing against seven other builders, Hearth & Home took top honors for its "Donna Vista" show home with the coveted Best of Show Award, as well as Best Architectural Design, Best Master Suite and Best Home Furnishing.

The name Donna Vista, Italian for "woman's view," symbolizes Cresap's vision of what a luxury home should be. Cresap, one of two female homebuilders in the competition, was able to meet all of the goals she set before enrolling in the homebuilding contest. It was a very positive experience, she says.

"I wanted to bring a female home design perspective to Street of Dreams. I also wanted to design a beautiful home featuring elements and ideas that appealed to all economic levels, not just the high end. Then, I wanted to put it out there for people to see and get their response. I did what I wanted to do, and it was successful and gratifying," she says. "I'm very proud of my team's accomplishment. It was a very good experience for all of us."

As a first-time competitor at Street of Dreams, Cresap says she benefited from the rare opportunity of displaying her Donna Vista home to some 90,000 visitors and listening to their feedback. She received plenty of compliments from show visitors on the home and all of its components - including the Centennial Slate roof.

"I got a lot of positive comments from the public about the roof," she says. "They liked it because it had more of a unique look."

For more information on Luxury Shingles from CertainTeed, call 800-233-8990 or visit CertainTeed online at www.certainteed.com.