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However, the results from this 100-hour effort would be significantly more tangible than those generated on Capital Hill, and the beneficiaries could be no more deserving than the Tates. In virtually every small community you will find a family that has left an indelible impression upon its neighbors. In Davis Islands, the Tates are that family. Tom Tate, co-owner of Tate’s Pizza, can lay claim to providing most of the local kids with their first jobs, while Cynthia has always been deeply involved with the Boys Scouts, Girl Scouts, and the PTA. As a matter of fact, the entire Tate family has been a longstanding supporter of virtually every charitable cause in the area. So, after the dust settled from the accident, good will and community concern for the family was in no short supply. As a result, on January 7th an army of volunteers and some of the area’s premier construction firms decided to rescue the Tates from the wreckage and within a hundred hours, the WCI Extreme Makeover Team had transformed devastation into a dream home.

“If done thoughtfully, giving back to the community can have profound results,” explained David Vansant, Vice President of Advanced Roofing and Sheet Metal, which was one of the main contributors to the effort. “The local business community is only a subset of the local community at large and should work for the betterment and growth of that community. Whenever an opportunity exists to help out such a pivotal, local entity like the Tates – the entire area benefits and we will always work tirelessly to achieve such ends.”

And those words aren’t idle. Advanced Roofing and Sheet Metal was responsible for providing the Tates with a Gerard Stone-Coated Steel Tile Roof, using up only seven of the allotted 100 hours. And though the roof’s 50-year warranty cannot protect homeowners from every unforeseen disaster, it is hurricane-proof and rated to withstand winds of up to 180 MPH, a feature that all Floridians can appreciate the value of.

Of course, the Tates received much more than just a state-of-the-art-roof and the remarkable results will be aired on the Extreme Makeover Home Edition this Sunday on ABC. Apparently, a lot really can be accomplished in a hundred hours.

For more information about the Extreme Makeover or Advanced Roofing and Sheet Metal, please call David Vansant at 239-939-4412.

Andy Nagle, the manager of the beautiful Gasparilla Inn Beach House did not realize the decision he made in 2003 would be tested the very next year. Nagle selected Gerard stone-coated steel shakes to replace the wood shakes that were currently on the Gasparilla Inn Beach House. Hurricane Charlie came roaring through the Florida area the very next year with killer winds. Sitting directly on the Gulf of Mexico side, The Gasparilla Inn Beach House’s new Gerard roof weathered the storm and came out fully intact without one panel missing.“ I was very surprised and of course relieved the new roof saved the Beach House,” says Nagle. “ It looked the same as the day it was finished being installed.” “With all the damage Charlie caused, it is amazing something devastating did not happen to us.”

Until this year, the property had been replacing a wood shake roof every few years, most recently just seven years ago. Says Nagle: “We didn’t want another wood shake; it just doesn’t last and the appearance deteriorates very quickly. The Gerard shake was a great discovery, and it’s been thoroughly tested by Florida's acute climate conditions.

Installation of the 30,000 square foot job began in August 2003 and was completed later that year. With the ultra-low weight of the stone-coated steel shake (1.40 pounds per square foot), Advanced Roofing and Sheet Metal of Fort Myers were able to roof directly over the old wood shake.

Gasparilla Island Beach House built its reputation as the best, for the best.

Originally opened in 1912, the exclusive residence colony on a private island on Florida’s Gulf Coast was the winter home of well-to-do folks with names like Dupont and Vanderbilt. They came for the sun, to hook the “silver king” of fish, the tarpon, and perhaps search the sands for the loot of the pirate Jose Gaspar, for whom Gasparilla Island was a stronghold.

Today the Inn continues to attract an exclusive clientele; it boasts the island’s only golf course, plus a tennis club and other facilities: regular guests include the family of President George W. Bush. This is the place they call the “Winter White House.”

Gasparilla Island Beach House also boasts a rich new appearance, thanks to a Gerard “Driftwood” shake roof, installed this past summer. “We fell in love with this Gerard roof just from the brochure,” says manager Andy Nagle. “It’s a great looking roof guaranteed for fifty years – three times the life of the old wood shake.”