The Roofing Line Up: Choosing Your Ideal Roofing Material
The roof over your head is a very important part of your home. A good roof protects you and your family from the elements and keeps your household goods safe and dry. There are many different material choices when it comes to roofs, and certain materials will make more sense depending on your particular situation. Below you'll find a quick run-down on five of the most common residential roofing materials aviailable to you.
You can start with the most common and economical roofing material around: asphalt shingles. Although you may think of asphalt shingles as the unappealing default when it comes to roofs, there's a reason these shingles are so widely used. They're extremely durable, easy to install and replace, and they provide excellent protection and insulation. You also have a surprisingly wide variety of colors to choose from in asphalt shingles, which allows you to give your roof a little distinction.
Wood shingles are a more traditional roofing option. The relative price of wood shingles will vary highly according to where you live. In areas with a significant lumber industry, wood shingles can be the cheapest roofing option available to you. If these types of shingles have to be transported a long distance to your house, though, they can get very expensive. You should also bear in mind that wood shingles are a better fit with certain styles of home. They look appropriate on traditional homes like Cape Cods or Arts and Crafts houses, and can be out of place with more modern styles.
Tile is always an option for your roof, and it can be a surprisingly affordable one. Besides traditional clay tiles, you can use mass-produced cement tiles that are extremely economical. Tile has excellent insulating properties, making it a good choice for very warm climates. One point to bear in mind is that the appearance of your tile roof will change over time as your tiles age and weather, meaning that vibrant colors will fade and light ones may become discolored.
For some homeowners, slate roofs are an option. There's no getting around the fact that this is an extremely expensive roofing choice. Authentic slate is costly and hard to work with, and it can even require reinforcement of your roof structure. The proximity of your home to a quarry also plays a role in determining whether slate is going to be very expensive or unbelievably expensive for you. That being said, it's hard to argue with the impressive look of genuine slate. Slate is also the most durable roofing material around, and it performs extremely well in regions with heavy precipitation and snowfall.
Finally, there are metal roofs. You may think of metal roofs as more commercial than residential, but more and more homeowners are drawn to the extreme durability of good metal roofing. Metal roofs stick around for a long time, and unlike more natural roofing materials, their color doesn't change much over time. The only potential drawback to a metal roof is the intensive work required to handle any repairs. When metal roofs fail they tend to do so catastrophically, and fixing even minor problems can require replacing large areas of roof.
Choosing the right material for your roof is a matter of both economics and personal taste. The right roofing material will fit into your budget and harmonize with the appearance of your house while still giving you the durability and safety you want from any roof. Weigh your options with care and make a choice you can live with for years to come.
