Anyone used the Euroshake roof shingles before? If so did you like it and how much did it cost?

I recieved a quote from the PNW "exclusive" dealer on Feb 18,2008.
The quote was to replace cedarshake with Euroshake on a 5500 sq ft roof and replace 6 skylights.
The quote was $78,557 plus tax.
They estimated my roof with 6% more waste than a normal roof due to the angles, otherwise it would be a standard job.
My understanding is that the 5500 square feet was the total amount of material required, included in which was the waste. 

Obviosly I declined the bid, it is almost $15 a square foot.  I am impressed with the Euroshake but do not feel it is worth the premium.  I have heard that the material cost is not that much more, if any, than cedar shake.  My bid did not turn out to be anywhere near it.

Let me know if you get other responses, I am seeking other bids.

I think that's what 'exclusive' does to competition!

I have GEM EuroShake on my roof and I love it! Here in Colorado, we have experienced record cold and massive amounts of snow over the past 2-3 years.

With my old metal roof, I used to punch ice through the metal while trying to break up the ice dams which sometimes get to 18"-20" thick. With the EuroShake, I wailed on the ice with the blunt end of a heavy splitting mall. The ice shattered and there was no noticeable impact on the EuroShake.

As a contractor, I have watched with interest the installation of many manufactured roofing products. While EuroShake and EuroSlate are entirely recycled tires (i.e. rubber), most of the other products have high plastic and polymer content.

Some of these have cracked and failed in the extreme cold here totally in and of themselves. Shards of the material on a brand new roof can be seen sliding down the valleys of the roofs and onto the ground.

I have also noticed a substantial decrease in my heating costs with this material. No wonder "Architectural Products" magazine recently named these products to their "TOP 50" building products list!

For those interested, I got my EuroShake through New World Roofing, Inc., an exlusive distributor for many parts of the United States. They can be reached at newworldroofing.com.

Mark

P.S. to previous comment.

I paid @ $800 per roofing square (100 sq.ft.) for my EuroShake roof several years ago. New World Roofing, Inc. places the current installed price range for these materials at $875-$1,250/square depending on the local labor rates, waste allowance for various roof details, shipping/fuel costs, etc.

Last year sometime "Fine Homebuilding" ran an article on the installed prices of various roofing materials from asphalt shingles to standing-seam metal to custom natural slate. As I recall, the above prices would place EuroSlate and EuroShake in the upper mid-range. Due to the 50-year warranty and the attributes, benefits, ratings, etc. I would have to place these materials in the "premium" category.

Mark 

I was considering this product myself as it is manufactured in the region and has a 50 yr life span. I reconsidered after seeing a photo that displayed unequal weathering patterns on a roof installation where several panels of this product had greyed so much that they could be substantially differentiated from the rest of the roof. I like the idea behind this material but I'd prefer to see more longevity tests. I'm going with a polymer based product called enviro-shake instead. It mimics cedar more effectively.

Working on getting the roof done in the next month. 3,200 sqft
Highly interested in EcoStar Empire Slate product but have heard a mix of things. Anyone have experience with this in Canadian climates?
www.ecostarllc.com

Thanks!