COVINGTON, Ga. — Braswell Construction Group (BCG), one of the largest Brava contractors in the nation and one of the only preferred Brava contractors in the Southeast, received Brava's Excellence Award for 2022.

Brava awarded BCG for the quality and craftsmanship of the "Lake Forest Shake" roof they installed on a custom home located in Reynolds, Lake Oconee, Ga. This home by Lake Oconee's top builder, DreamBuilt, with a shake roof by Braswell Construction Group, was the first built in the new luxury development of Homesteads, which is part of Reynolds Lake Oconee. Not only was this the first home to be completed in this five-star development, it has paved the way for other homes in Homestead to have the luxury look of synthetic slate and shake.

BCG is recognized in Georgia as a top roofing specialist for real cedar shake, real slate and synthetic shake/slate roofing. One attribute that separates BCG from other Georgia roofing contractors is that they are one of few installers of Brava Roof Tile that is certified. Additionally, BCG has recently been awarded "Brava Preferred Contractor," making this the first roofing company recognized for this honor in the state of Georgia. Once named as a "Brava Preferred Contractor," the provider is considered among the best in the industry for their experience and commitment to quality roofing.

The expanding category of synthetic roofing products cater to homeowners, builders and remodelers who prefer renewable resources that come with the advantage of extreme durability and longevity, yet want the look of natural slate or shake roofs. Braswell Construction Group explained that synthetic slate roofing is a mixture of recycled rubber and plastic put into molds that are taken from real slate and shake roofing. As contrasted to real slate and shake roofing, this is less costly, lighter, and is much more resilient and durable because it can be installed without the concern of damaging the product. Just like the real slate and shake roofing, its life expectancy can also last 100 years.

Advanced materials and manufacturing technologies give the synthetic products better resistance to weathering, greater durability, and longer lifespans than real slate or cedar, according to manufacturers.

"The material is mimicked to obtain efficiency and also longer life over the natural product," said Chris Braswell, owner of BCG. "Other composite roofing materials pale in comparison to Brava. We use Brava products because they perfectly resemble the natural beauty of cedar shake roofs and slate roof shingles, but without the drawbacks and upkeep."