When any one chooses roofing materials life of the material, cost, installation and its appearance are all the factors that he should tae care. Most of these considerations depend on the owner’s aesthetics or the specific type and location of the house. But installation cost and expected lifetime of the roofing are the most important factors.
Asphalt shingles are used in more then 90% home residential roof installations. People only go for Asphalt Shingles as its not the end of the story when we talk about roofing. Sheet metal, cement tiles, wood shakes or shingles, traditional slate or ceramic tile are all readily available. Biomass roofing is the use of plant materials to build roofs. People from around the world have always used whatever vegetation was locally available and abundant to build their roofs.
Below is the list of expected lifetimes of the most popular roofing types.
- Asphalt shingles last about 20 years
- Architectural shingles last about 30 years
- Wide span metal roofing lasts 25+ years
- Wood shingles last about 20 years
- Concrete tiles last about 25 years
- Clay tiles last about 45 years
- Slate last 50+ years
Initial cost is just one consideration but life time of roof is the most important factor. Most popular Asphalt Roofing is last not more then 20 years but a good slate roof could last more then 50 year. For commercial projects, architects sometimes use a “life-cycle cost” comparison that factors in maintenance and replacement costs to justify spending today’s dollars on a material with lasting value. By that calculation, cement tile or even slate could be a good buy in the long run.
Once you’ve selected a roofing material, Pick a roofer with roots in the community, who backs up his work and will do a careful, thorough job on the details that count, like flashing, fastening, and sealing.
Now lets discuss some thing about the roofing materials type. Wood Shake roofing, its true that it’s the dream of many home owners because its always pleasing to eye. Wood shake is mainly cut from cedar, though you can also find pine wood shake. Metal roofing is one of the old type of roofing and now its rarely used in modern countries. Home owner do not want to use Metal roofing material as its life time is not that long and its not supportive to heat and cold. True slate roofing is nearly impossible for the do-it-yourselfer to install. Most homeowners who want the “slate look” bypass real slate and go for the “rubber slate” or “composition slate” roofing material. With composition slate, you can make your house look beautiful and feel good about it.
If you want to replace a roof don’t take it as an easy job. The cost to replace a roof, as you might imagine, varies. It varies according to your roofing materials (all the way from cheap 3-tab asphalt shingles up to architectural shingles or even slate), the roofing contractor, the pitch (or steepness) of your roof, the area to be covered, and a host of other factors.