Address: 2404 E State St, Hermitage, PA 16148, United States
Phone Number: (724) 877-7380
Email Address: donkovac018@gmail.com
Business Hours:
Monday: 9:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 9:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 9:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM To 1:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
Brava Tile is changing how homeowners across Western Pennsylvania think about premium roofing. The composite tile system delivers the look of natural slate, cedar shake, or Spanish barrel tile without the weight, fragility, or maintenance demands of those materials. Big River Roofing installs Brava Tile across Mercer, Lawrence, Butler, and Beaver counties for homeowners who want the curb appeal of a high-end roof with the performance of modern engineered polymers.
Made in the United States from a proprietary blend of recycled materials, Brava tiles carry a Class 4 impact rating, a 50-year limited warranty, and color that runs through the full thickness of each tile rather than sitting on the surface. For homeowners in Hermitage, Sharon, New Castle, Butler, and Cranberry Township who are weighing slate, cedar, or clay tile, Brava offers a fourth option that solves the practical problems that traditional materials present in our regional climate.
Brava Roof Tile is a composite roofing product manufactured in Washington, Iowa from recycled polymers and stabilizers. The tiles are engineered to replicate the look of three traditional roofing materials, while addressing the weight, cost, and durability concerns that come with each one. You can learn more about the manufacturer’s product line on Brava’s official site for a deeper look at the science behind the tile.
The product was developed for homeowners who wanted a slate or cedar look without the structural reinforcement, premium price, or replacement headaches. Brava holds a Class 4 impact rating from UL 2218 testing, which is the highest impact resistance available for residential roofing. That same rating qualifies many homeowners for insurance discounts in hail-prone regions.
Unlike fiber cement or asphalt-based imitation products, Brava is non-porous and will not absorb water, crack from freeze-thaw cycling, or grow moss and lichen the way real cedar shake or slate sometimes does in shaded Western PA yards. Color is solid throughout the tile, so chips, scratches, and cut edges show the same hue as the surface.
Brava manufactures three product lines, each designed to replace a traditional roofing material that has known performance trade-offs. Big River Roofing installs all three across Mercer, Lawrence, Butler, and Beaver counties, with sample tiles and color blend boards available at on-site consultations.
Brava’s Old World Slate replicates the chiseled face, varied thickness, and irregular edges of quarried slate. Real slate roofs in Pennsylvania weigh between 800 and 1,500 pounds per roofing square (a 10-by-10-foot section) and require structural reinforcement that adds thousands to a project. Brava Old World Slate weighs about 250 to 280 pounds per square, which means it installs over standard residential framing without engineered upgrades.
Color options include single-color blends, two-color blends, and custom blends drawn from a library of more than 30 standard colors. Homeowners replacing an aging slate roof can specify a color blend that matches the original within a few shades, preserving the historic appearance of homes in older Mercer and Lawrence County neighborhoods. Big River pairs Brava slate installs with our slate roofing expertise to handle valleys, hips, and complex flashing details that other roofing crews tend to under-quote.
Brava Cedar Shake captures the split-grain texture and irregular butt thickness of hand-split cedar, including knots, grain lines, and the subtle color variation that real cedar develops over time. Authentic cedar shake roofs in Western Pennsylvania carry maintenance burdens that surprise many homeowners: routine treatment for moss and algae, replacement of split shakes after wind events, and eventual decay from water absorption. Cedar roofs in this region often need replacement at 20 to 25 years.
Brava Cedar Shake will not absorb water, host moss, attract carpenter bees, or curl from sun exposure. The tiles carry a Class A or Class C fire rating depending on the underlayment system specified, which is a significant upgrade over untreated cedar shake. Because the texture and color are molded into the tile rather than applied as a stain, the appearance does not fade or wash out, and there is no five-year repaint or sealing schedule to plan around.
Spanish Barrel Tile from Brava recreates the curved, S-shaped profile of clay barrel tile common in Mediterranean and mission-style architecture. Real clay tile weighs 850 to 1,100 pounds per square and demands engineered roof structures, careful handling on the job site, and skilled installers. Brava’s barrel tile weighs about 280 pounds per square and installs with standard fasteners on conventional decking.
For the small but growing number of Western Pennsylvania homes built in Mediterranean, Spanish Colonial, or Tuscan styles, Brava Spanish Barrel offers the authentic curved silhouette without the weight penalty or freeze-thaw vulnerability that ends most clay tile roofs in cold climates within 30 to 40 years. The composite formulation handles repeated freeze-thaw cycles without the surface flaking or edge chipping that affects fired clay.
Composite tile sits in the premium tier of residential roofing alongside slate, real cedar, copper, and standing seam metal. The decision to install Brava over those alternatives comes down to a handful of measurable advantages that Western Pennsylvania homeowners care about most:
Choosing between Brava and a traditional premium material is a question of weight, lifespan, and total cost over the life of the roof. The comparison below summarizes the practical differences Western Pennsylvania homeowners weigh during the selection process, and reflects manufacturer specs alongside field performance data from cold-climate installs.
Feature | Brava Composite Tile | Natural Slate | Cedar Shake | Clay Barrel Tile |
Weight per square | 250 to 300 lbs | 800 to 1,500 lbs | 350 to 400 lbs | 850 to 1,100 lbs |
Structural reinforcement | Not required | Often required | Sometimes required | Required |
Lifespan | 50+ years | 75 to 125 years | 20 to 30 years | 50 to 100 years |
Impact rating (UL 2218) | Class 4 | Class 3 | Class 1 | Class 1 or 2 |
Fire rating | Class A (with underlayment) | Class A | Class C (treated) | Class A |
Freeze-thaw durability | Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor |
Maintenance demand | Minimal | Low | High | Moderate |
Walkable for service | Yes | Limited | No | No |
Recycled content | Up to 100% | None | Renewable | None |
Warranty | 50-year limited | Material only | 25 to 30 year typical | 50-year typical |
The takeaway most homeowners arrive at: Brava delivers the visual character of slate, cedar, or clay barrel at a fraction of the weight, with stronger impact resistance and a maintenance profile that favors homeowners who do not want to climb on their roofs every spring.
Brava sits in the premium roofing tier alongside metal, real slate, and cedar. The investment reflects both the material cost and the install labor, though Brava removes the structural engineering and specialty handling fees that drive slate and clay projects into much higher price ranges.
Final pricing depends on roof size, pitch, complexity, color blend, and tear-off scope. The tiers below reflect Big River Roofing project ranges for a complete Brava installation including tear-off, decking inspection, underlayment, flashing, and tile install. For homeowners financing through insurance after a storm event, our insurance claims assistance team handles the full claim process from documentation through supplement.
Project Tier | Investment Range | Typical Scope |
Smaller homes / simple geometry | $24,000 to $32,000 | Single-color tile, single-story or 1.5-story home, standard pitch, basic tear-off |
Mid-size homes / moderate complexity | $32,000 to $48,000 | Multi-color blend, two-story home, multiple roof planes, valleys and hips |
Large homes / complex geometry | $48,000 to $72,000+ | Custom color blend, multiple dormers, steep pitch, extensive flashing, chimney detail |
Whole-home replacement with structural work | $72,000+ | Decking replacement, ventilation upgrades, custom architectural details |
For homeowners weighing Brava against a traditional slate replacement, the cost comparison is favorable: a comparable real slate project on the same home runs 40 to 70 percent higher once structural reinforcement and specialty install labor are factored in. Compared with metal roofing, Brava costs more per square foot but matches or exceeds the lifespan and offers a different aesthetic that suits historic and traditional architectural styles.
Big River Roofing installs Brava as a turn-key project with five distinct phases. Each phase has clear deliverables so the homeowner knows what is happening at every stage with no surprises on scope, schedule, or cost:
Big River Roofing installs Brava composite roofing systems for homeowners and property owners throughout the entire Western Pennsylvania service area. Our service areas include: Mercer County, Lawrence County, Butler County, Beaver County, Cranberry Township, Harmony, Wexford, Slippery Rock, Butler, Beaver, Grove City, New Castle, Neshannock, Mercer, Sharon, Hermitage, Ellwood City, West Middlesex, Beaver Falls, Warrendale and surrounding communities. Explore our complete list of coverage zones on our Service Areas page.
Whether you are replacing an aging slate roof with a Brava Old World Slate system in Hermitage, installing Brava cedar shake on a custom home in Cranberry Township, or upgrading to a Class 4 impact-rated composite roof in Grove City, the team is locally based, fully licensed, and ready to deliver a premium Brava installation backed by a 50-year limited warranty.
Big River Roofing brings Brava Tile expertise, manufacturer certifications, and a four-time Best of the Best award track record to every project across Mercer, Lawrence, Butler, and Beaver counties. Whether you are replacing a tired slate roof, upgrading from cedar shake, or building new with a Mediterranean profile, our team handles color selection, install, and warranty registration from start to finish.
Call (724) 877-7380 or request a free roof quote to schedule your on-site consultation. You can also contact us through our online form.
Address: 2404 E State St, Hermitage, PA 16148, United States
Phone Number: (724) 877-7380
Email Address: donkovac018@gmail.com
Business Hours:
Monday: 9:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Tuesday: 9:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Wednesday: 9:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Thursday: 9:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Friday: 9:00 AM To 5:00 PM
Saturday: 9:00 AM To 1:00 PM
Sunday: Closed
Brava carries a 50-year limited warranty. The composite polymer formulation is engineered for UV stability, freeze-thaw resistance, and impact performance over that span. Field examples of early Brava installs from the mid-2000s continue to perform without color fade or material breakdown, which suggests the practical lifespan may extend beyond the warranty period for homeowners who follow standard ventilation and gutter maintenance.
For homeowners planning to stay in their home long-term, Brava can be the more economical option over a 40 to 50 year window. Architectural asphalt shingles last 20 to 30 years in Western Pennsylvania, which means a homeowner replaces the roof once or twice during a Brava lifespan. Total replacement cost, factoring in tear-off labor and disposal each cycle, often approaches the upfront Brava investment.
Brava is engineered for freeze-thaw cycling and performs well in cold climates. The polymer formulation does not absorb water, which is the main mechanism that drives freeze-thaw damage in clay tile, slate, and cedar shake. Brava installs in the Northeast and upper Midwest have documented strong cold-weather performance for over a decade, including in regions with deeper snow loads and more aggressive freeze-thaw cycles than Western Pennsylvania sees.
Many insurance carriers offer premium discounts for Class 4 impact-rated roofing in hail-prone regions. The discount varies by carrier and location, and we recommend confirming with your insurance agent before the install. Big River can document the Class 4 rating for your insurance file as part of the warranty registration package.
Brava installs with standard roofing nails, synthetic underlayment, and ice and water shield, much like an asphalt install. The differences are in the layout (tiles installed in a specific pattern with attention to color blend distribution), the ridge and hip detail (Brava-specific cap pieces), and the cut detail at valleys and rakes. Big River crews train on Brava-specific procedures before handling a project, which avoids the quality issues that can show up when a contractor treats Brava like a heavier asphalt product.
Your roof protects everything underneath it. If it’s been a few years since your last inspection, or a recent storm rolled through your area, now is the right time to get a professional set of eyes on it before a small problem becomes a costly one.
Reach out to Big River Roofing and let a certified local contractor give you a straight answer about what your roof needs. No sales pressure, no inflated estimates, just clear information and honest recommendations from a team that has been serving Hermitage and Western Pennsylvania homeowners for 5+ years.
