Artisan brings metal roofing to Utah

Businessman spent many years learning the trade

By Sara Israelsen
Deseret Morning News
Monday, July 23, 2007

OREM — European artist Erno Ovari is working roof by roof to break what he says is an American "plastic-and-cardboard world" mentality.

Through his copper, zinc and stainless steel roofs, the highly trained Orem businessman is working to convince Utah home builders and buyers that his metal roofs are worth the extra cost, because they are beautiful and will last forever, he says.

"I like it when people think and say what we do is special," Ovari says with a thick German accent. He's only been speaking English for less than a year. "I could never (do) a shingle roof. It's not special."

Born in Hungary, Ovari was encouraged by his dad to learn the metal roofing trade, a skill that is frequently displayed on cathedrals, castles and homes in Europe.

Now he's offering his skills in Utah, hoping to fill a niche market and appeal to high-end builders and buyers.

At a trade school in Hungary, Ovari learned how to shape metal and attach the burnished plates to roofs and spires, making them so waterproof he never used caulk.

"His teacher said he'd been looking for Erno his whole life," said his wife, Utah native Christina Ovari.

After four years of trade school, 19-year-old Erno headed to Germany with the equivalent of $8 in his pocket. There, he enrolled in a good "master school" — what would be similar to a post-graduate degree program in America.

After four more years of study, which included one year focused solely on the art of metal roofing, Erno passed a notoriously difficult test that usually has a 50 percent fail rate.

He started a business in Germany, but several years and hundreds of roofs later, Ovari headed to the States for a vacation. While here, he met and married Christina Lauritzen, and the couple just purchased their first home in Orem.

Another milestone came in April, when Ovari, 35, got his green card and started his business — Copper Exclusive.

The couple's biggest hurdle so far is breaking through the "made-in-China" world.

"It's trying to convince people if something's worth doing, it's worth doing well," Christina Ovari said.

The price for a metal roof is often quadruple the cost of a traditional shingled roof, Ovari said. However, Ovari insists his roofs will last a lifetime. In 21 years, Ovari say he has never returned to one of his job sites for a problem and has never received a complaint.

"The level of quality they demand in Germany is not demanded here," said Frank Linthorst, owner of Edgewood Builders, who is working with Ovari on custom homes in Park City. "Especially in Utah, some people are not willing to pay for the quality. That's a challenge he'll have to face. But he and I are working on ways to make it as cost-effective but still bring a better product."

Linthorst and Ovari are finishing a home in Park City's Promontory Point development that has a zinc roof, one of the first such roofs for a home in the state.

"I appreciate the time that he's taken in his career to learn value," Linthorst said. "It costs more to use Erno, but it's well spent because of his knowledge. It's neat to be able to bring his experience from across the world to applications here."

The roofing process starts with the wood roof frame, then an ice-and-water shield is put down between the wood and the metal.

Finally, the metal is hooked to the roof with a metal clip then to other pieces by folding the metal over itself in a "double lock."

The hardest part is working around a chimney or windows or difficult angles. Even showing how to work in these tricky areas using a piece of paper is difficult, Ovari said.

"That's why it takes 11 years (to learn)," Ovari said with a laugh.

During the first meeting with the homeowner or contractor, Ovari talks to them about design and style.

"At first, they're not sure what they want," Ovari said. "I went to school to explain what they want."

That explanation also includes why it costs so much more for a metal roof. Metal roofs simply take more time, he says. Perhaps even five times as long as a regular roof. Ovari said to roof a $2.5 million-dollar home might cost $100,000.

Ovari is looking for an apprentice that he can train.

"(Training) is very important," Ovari said. "That's our future. When I'm 60 and 70 I can't go so easy up the roof. I have to have people that do the same thing I do, and teach them before I'm 60."

He'll teach them the same techniques that have been used in Europe for thousands of years, and hopefully instill in them the same passion he feels.

"You have to love it or you lose the (desire) to do it, because in the summer it's very very hot, and winter is very very cold," Ovari said. "I still love it. Every day more."

[ Source ]