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How a Family Re-Built Their Dream Home

The Marsicovetere’s family vacation home was built in 2012 in Escuintla, Guatemala. This dream home is where they spent long weekends and holidays. It wasn’t simply a cherished space, it was a place to create memories and to have a legacy for generations to come.

On April 12, 2017, the Marsicovetere dream home turned into a nightmare. At 3:30 a.m. the neighbor’s natural thatch roof caught on fire. The fire spread quickly and soon ignited the Marsicovetere’s natural thatch roof. Two additional roofs on neighboring houses also caught on fire. Flames spread rapidly as the fire engulfed the Marsicovetere home.

Twenty people were inside sleeping in their bedrooms when the fire started. As neighbors started to escape their burning houses, someone started screaming to the Marsicoveteres to get out of the house. Finally, one of the family members awoke and saw the horror that was happening around her. She quickly started to wake everyone in the house as they started running toward the front door. As they ran outside, the burning roof started to collapse. They were only minutes away from being trapped inside and unable to escape.

Safely outside, the Marsicoveteres gathered around their beloved home in their pajamas as they watched flames destroy years of memories and turn their dream home into rubble. The fire traumatized the Marsicovetere family. The children had nightmares and some of the adults had difficulties sleeping. After experiencing this horrific event, the Marsicoveteres never wanted to relive this nightmare again.

After watching their beloved house burn down due to the risk of dried natural thatch, the Marsicoveteres knew installing another natural thatch roof was not an option. Silvana Marsicovetere, an owner of the house, said, “After that experience, we decided to use a synthetic thatch roof and never use natural thatch again because of the risk.”

Frustrated by risk and lack of safety, the Marsicovetere family began their search for a synthetic thatch alternative. They evaluated local options but couldn’t find anything that had the look and quality they wanted. Then they remembered a vacation they went on in 2014 to Disney’s Aulani Resort where nearly every roof on the resort had palm thatching. Thinking the resort wouldn’t use natural thatch because of the risks, the Marsicoveteres turned to Google to search for the company that provided the thatch for the resort. They discovered the resort used a beautiful synthetic thatch roofing solution from Endureed.

marsicovetere family thatch roofing — The Marsicovetere family celebrating New Year’s
Eve 2018 at their rebuilt beach house.

After emailing the Endureed team and requesting a few samples, the Marsicoveteres decided to use Performance Collection Palm for their rebuild. Performance Collection Palm had the look and quality they were after with a 20- year guarantee to ensure they wouldn’t have to worry about the risk of another fire. Plus, they thought if Disney’s Aulani Resort used Endureed for their roof, the products must be high-quality and an excellent option for their home.

The Marsicoveteres worked with the Endureed team and were able to recreate their original roof design while getting an accurate quote for their project. “Never once did they try to oversell,” said Silvana. “When the boxes arrived we didn’t know how to install it, but they walked us through every step providing quick access to installation videos and tips, it was incredibly fast!

Once the Marsicoveteres rebuilt their home and installed their Class A fire-rated Performance Collection Palm roof, they no longer had to worry about the risk of fire. The Marsicoveteres had the reassurance they needed that their roof would not burn again. Silvana said, “Feeling safe is priceless.”

As the Marsicoveteres started to create new memories in their home, they discovered additional benefits of having a Performance Collection Palm roof. “We no longer have bats in the house,” said Silvana. “They were living in our roof before but almost two years since rebuilding the house, none have appeared.” With an infestation and maintenance-free roof, the Marsicovetere family and friends have been able to relax without any worries. Their roof has an amazing lifelike design with a beautiful interior, perfectly capturing the allure of natural thatch.

“Feeling safe is priceless.”
-Silvana Marsicovetere

After reflecting on the traumatic fire that devastated their home in 2017, the Marsicovetere family is confident with their decision to install a Performance Collection Palm roof. Silvana said, “We are sure our family vacation home is safe and secure from fire and it gives us comfort knowing we are safe.”

With Performance Collection Palm, the Marsicoveteres were able to rebuild their dream home and create a safe space for their family. They were able to bring their original design back to life with the guarantee of safety. The Marsicoveteres have continued to fill their new home with love and laughter while creating new memories they will cherish forever.