CBD's Copper Roof Cap Decorative Information Page

Roof Cap Tail Designs:

CBD can also help you add a decorative touch to a copper roof cap order, as opposed to just a simple cap to lay flat on the shingles. If you are drawn to these sort of classic lines this is most likely for you. You can click on this photo to link over to our Roof Cap Tail Design web page, as this is only one example out of many styles to choose from, and that is just the beginning.

On these web pages you will find lots of photos of the custom roof caps we have made over the last couple decades, along with the sizes and cost of those caps including a crate and freight, to help give you an idea of the cost range and what it gets you. Along with several pictures link to other web pages that have more detailed descriptions of these caps and even show step-by-step of how they were made. Since all the caps we make are made custom to order, we will need to know some specific details:
(a) How many sides the roof has?
(b) What is the pitch of your roof?
(c) How wide is this whole roof from edge to edge?
(d) What is the size of cap you want?
(e) What design details and styles do you want added?

This way we can write up a much more specific quote for your consideration and suggest appropriate options you may not have considered, or knew were possible. Click on the photo above to see a collection of different roof cap tail designs we offer. We are not limited to these designs. We can recreate most anything you can diagram.

Below are a few examples as well.

*Full Scallop Tails*	*Right Angle Diamond Tails*
*Soft Scallop Tails*	*Reversed Soft Scallop Tails*
*Octagonal Tails*	*Flame Tails*

Sturdy Roof Mounts:

This photo is a example of why we offer an alternative to the way most weathervanes and finials are commonly mounted and sealed to the peak of a roof. I took this photo to show to this client how this was a problem I found when up on their roof replacing their gutters. There was no roof cap over this 4 sided turret, and this weathervane support was bolted on the back side to hide it from the street view. As you can clearly see this mount is very rusty and broken. The receiver pipe was cracked down the side, so there is not nearly as much holding their horse shaped weathervane in place as they thought. Also, the lag screws holding this mount to the roof were never caulked, so even if they are not leaking into the house there will be water getting in around the threads and rotting out the wood they are screwed into. This means it will begin to strip out over time.

We have the bottom of this pipe double sealed. First with a 3/4" pipe cap soldered on the end of the support pipe. Then a larger coupling is put over this slid down and capped, so we have something to rivet into without compromising the main support pipe.

This solder may be water tight, but better safe than sorry, so we double seal this junction with caulk and tape to help keep the caulk sealed from oxygen corrosion. We are hoping for this to last a good century, so this is the time to do what we can to maximize it's potential.

We go the extra mile to build the best custom wood frame crates you are likely to see for which to ship these in. This is to avoid the time delay if these were to get damaged in transit and need to be shipped back to us for repairs or replacement. We then cover this frame with a 1/4" hardwood plywood glued and screwed over this frame.

This client was kind enough to share this installed image with us to share with you. As you can see the tarnish has begun within just a couple months of exposure.

Do we pre-installed weathervanes or finals?

We customize the mount shown above for a weathervane or finial to go together w/o a hitch, yet remain removable to be interchangeable later on in the event you find a decoration you like even better down the road, or if the decoration you have gets damaged and needs replaced. To permanently install ornaments makes the roof cap more difficult to install and more expensive to make any changes. We recommend having these decoration installed after the cap is installed for several reasons;
(a) it costs a lot more to to make and ship a much taller crate.
(b) Since these decorations are made with very thin copper; there is a lot greater risk of the decoration getting damaged in transit or during installation, as we have no control over that stage of this process.
(c) the cap is easier to install, since it is shorter and lighter to lift into position.
(d) With a decoration in place it would be near impossible to check the leveling of the cap during installation. The mast or a wood dowel can be inserted in the support pipe to check the vertical alignment before the cap gets screwed down to the roof. It terrible to have the roof cap screwed down, only to later find it was crooked, which would just add more holes to your roof.
(e) If later on you decide you want swap this out for something different, changing out the decoration is not such an intimidating mystery for you.

Helpful Roofing Information
For some valuable advice with regards to roofing and rain management issues check out our:

(a) Gutter Installation
(b) Gutter Debris Protection Options
(c) Roofing Quality Standards
(d) Chimney Flashing
(e) Moss Control & Treatment

web pages for answers and solutions that could save you thousands of $ and a great deal of anguish.

If you do find this information very helpful, feel free to send us a $ tip for the assistance we so freely have published on the web here for your benefit, like you might tip a waitress. Heck, send us a gift certificate for a candle lit dinner for two.