Do you know a perfectly insulated roof helps conserve energy consumption? That’s right. It regulates indoor temperature by preventing heat loss or gain. Therefore, your HVAC won’t overwork, helping you save on energy bills. What’s more, the roof protects your family from environmental elements by creating a barrier between the home’s interior and external environment.
Remember, the choice of roofing material plays a huge role in your home’s overall curb appeal and structural integrity. However, choosing a perfect fit for your home from dime-a-dozen roofing options on the market can be challenging. For this reason, you must work with an expert roofer to advise you on the best roofing material, depending on your environment. To make an even better choice, read this article for insights on the various roofing materials options, prices, and overall benefits. Let’s start!
Asphalt Shingles
Tornadoes aren’t a rare occurrence in North America. If you live in an area prone to roofing storm damage, consider using asphalt shingles for your roof. It can withstand high winds and heavy precipitation.
Asphalt is crafted from a fiberglass base topped with asphalt and mineral granules or cellulose covered with asphalt. These roofs come in various designs, each boasting a string of benefits. The fiberglass asphalt shingles are lightweight but durable, while organic shingles are a little heavier but still durable. Composite shingles flex easily, so they can quickly adapt to the movement of your roof due to their ability to expand and contract.
According to Bob Villa, asphalt roofs serve between 12 – 30 years and typically come with a 20 – 30-year warranty. However, you must hire an expert roofer to install your roof. Employing an unqualified rookie may void your warranty coverage and risk mistakes that would translate to expensive and frequent future repairs. According to Forbes, new asphalt shingle roofs cost between $8,000 and $9,000 on average.
Metal
Metal roofing is increasingly becoming popular for good reasons. They are long-lasting, energy-efficient, and resistant to wind and fire. Chiefly they are made of steel, though aluminum, zinc, tin, and copper are ideal options. According to Forbes, a competent metal roof company will charge you between $8,500 and $68,000 for an average-sized metal roofing installation, including labor and materials. With regular metal roofing service, your roof can efficiently serve you for 80 years.
Installation of stainless steel will cost you between $8 to $18 per square foot. Let the price not scare you; the roof will easily last up to 100 years against harsh weather conditions and corrosion. Expect to pay between $10 and $23 per square foot for a tin roof, $8 and $18 per square foot for aluminum, and $20 to $40 per square foot for copper. Zinc costs $16 to $25 per square foot. While it’s easy to get confused about the ideal material for your roof, an expert roofer can offer qualified advice on the appropriate roofing material for your home.
If you live in wildfire-prone areas, consider installing a metal roof due to its fire resistance attributes. Also, metal roofing material, such as aluminum, effectively reflects sun rays, helping lower your HVAC utility bills. They make your home cozy.
Wood
If you fancy a traditional, classy, rustic look, consider bringing in local roofing companies for wood roofing installations. However, before settling for a shingle or a shake roof, ask an expert roofer for the type of wood ideal for your home. Cedar and pine are among the top-of-the-class wood materials perfect for roofing. Similarly, a cedar shake roof is a premium choice for aesthetic finishing and durability.
But the best choice should be informed by your environment. If it’s prone to high humidity and moisture, consider going for teak shingles, thanks to their water-resistant attributes. If you don’t like dark colors, go for pine shakes instead. They’re lighter, soft, and have high workability, allowing you to customize your roof design seamlessly.
Generally, wood shingles cost $4.50 to $9 per square to install. They are crafted by precise sawing to form wedge-shaped and thin slabs. Shakes have a rougher texture and thick wedges from splitting wood and cost $6.50 to $14 per square foot to install. Wood shingles and shakes will serve up to 60 years in relatively dry climates. However, they’ll need replacement in a damper environment after 20 – 30 years.
Clay Tiles
Clay tiles are crafted from earthen clay molded into interlocking shapes and then heated for hardness. They have an aesthetically pleasing reddish-orange color and are often left unglazed. You can also glaze the clay material to form and fire it to create ceramic roofing tiles.
Typically, clay tiles are crafted from heavy, dry clay. Therefore, you must hire an expert roofer to add structural support requisite for holding the weight of the tiles and voiding the challenges to your home structure. Clay tiles are perfect for salty air and hot climates, which explains why they’re predominant in desert or southern coastal regions.
According to Forbes, you’ll pay between $8 to $25 per square foot to install clay tile roofing in your home. It’s a worthy investment as the roof lasts 50 -100 years. However, you must keep up with the necessary roof repair and maintenance to extend its service life.
Clay tile roofing offers exceptional durability against earthquakes, fires, salty air, and storms such as hurricanes and tornadoes. Moreover, the materials are also resistant to rot and insect damage. Although you’ll need to pay a little more to enforce your roof to support clay tile roofing, the roof has pretty low maintenance compared to other types of roofing.
Solar Tiles
Are you an environmental champion? If yes, consider using solar tiles for your roof. Solar tiles are made from slim photovoltaic (PV) sheets that replace or overlay existing shingles on a roof. They work to absorb sunlight, converting it into electricity. According to Forbes, solar roof installations cost between $15,000 to $20,000. Due to the roof’s complexity and the lengthy installation period, you must hire an expert roofer who’s not a novice in the roofing business to avoid costly damages.
Solar tiles are manufactured using copper indium gallium selenide, which enhances the tiles’ flexibility and gives them a thin-like structure. The semiconductor has an average speedy conversion efficiency rate of nearly 10% to 20%. Other tiles use monocrystalline silicon, common in computer chip fabrication. Although the material is a bit pricier, it has a higher efficiency of nearly 15% to 20%.
Your primary goal in installing solar tiles is lowering energy bills by harnessing solar energy. Most tiles produce around 13 and 63 power watts. So, according to Forbes, depending on the number of tiles on your roof, it’s possible to lower your utility bills by 40% to 70%. Moreover, they are durable and can easily serve you for over 20 years.
Stone-Coated Steel
If you’re looking for a roofing material that can withstand the wrath of Mother Nature, consider installing stone-coated steel roofing for your home. It’s crafted from steel sheets which are coated with stone granules. The steel sheets can be customized into different shapes, while the stone coating produces different textures and colors. Suffice it to say the stone granules offer design versatility.
Besides the numerous benefits of a metal roof, stone-coated steel roofing has infrared pigments embedded in the stone coatings that heighten the natural solar reflectance of the roof. What’s more, the material doesn’t necessarily need soundproofing. The granular stone coating absorbs sound effectively.
On average, expect to pay between $24,000 and $54,000 for residential roof replacements or installations on a standard 3,000-square-foot roof, per Modernize estimates. The price includes the cost of labor and materials. However, the roof is worth the price as it lasts four to seven decades. Remember to work with the top local roofing contractors for the best designs that will marry seamlessly with the style of your home.
Green
A green or living roof consists of vegetation, medium (soil), and waterproofing medium. It’s an extension of an existing roof endowed with a root-repellant system, high-quality waterproofing, filter cloth, drainage system, plants, and a lightweight growing medium. The system’s components are installed separately or modularly with filter cloth, growing media, drainage layers, and plants in mobile interlocking grids.
What’s predominantly common in these green spaces on human-made structures is that they exist separately from the ground. Installing one will cost you between $10 and $30 per square foot. Sometimes, the price can go up to $50 per square foot. Due to the complex nature of these roofs, it would be best to hire an expert roofing contracting company to help with its installation. Also, invest in regular roof inspections to ensure the system works seamlessly.
Green roofs are advantageous in terms of aesthetic improvements, stormwater management, waste diversion, and improved air quality. Also, they help in fire retardation, noise pollution, and reduction of electromagnetic radiation. Here is the best part. They also attract wildlife, such as bees, spiders, and birds.
According to the General Service Administration, green roofs can last up to 40 years. They also cut heat flux from the roof to the building by 72%. While it’s tempting to DIY your green roof, you must hire an expert roofer to achieve aesthetic finishes and reap the numerous vital benefits.
Roofing Membrane
Roofing membrane is ideal for low-pitch or flat roofs. It will easily serve you between 25 and 30 years and typically costs $4 to $8 per square foot. These roofs come in different roofing membrane options: chlorinated polyethylene and chlorosulfonated polyethylene sheets, EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer), neoprene, polymer-modified bitumens, PVC (polyvinyl chloride) and TPO (thermoplastic polyolefin).
Perharps, these terms probably sound like rocket science. Eschew the struggle and work with an expert roofer to help you choose the best option for your home, garage, or shed. Usually, the material is dark and absorbs heat quickly, but it’s also available in white. Depending on the material, the roofing membrane provides a watertight seal and is common on residential roofs with a slope of less than 3:12.
A roofing membrane’s cost depends on your roof’s conditioning, size, location, and the application method. According to Architectural Digest, the average price of roof membranes, including installations, is $5.25 – $12.50 per square foot for a PVC membrane, a TPO roof membrane costs $4.50 – $14 per square foot, modified bitumen costs $4 – $8 per square foot, and built-up roof price ranges between $3.50 – $7 per square foot.
Concrete Tile
Concrete roofing tiles are made of cement, sand, and water molded under high pressure and heat. They’re also known as flagstones due to their resemblance to flagstones and their texture. The tiles have a flat surface with small groves, allowing seamless water runoff without ending up at the bottom edge. Therefore, they’re an excellent option in heavy rain-prone areas.
According to Home Guide, installing a concrete tile roof will cost you between $10,500 and $47,500. The actual cost depends on the nature of the work and the size of your roof. Concrete tile roofing is a good investment, considering it will easily serve you for around 50 years.
There are three common concrete tiles: natural roofing tiles made with fine aggregate, cement, clay, water, and other minerals. Synthetic tiles are made from water, fine aggregate, cement, and chemicals such as polymer resins to add texture and color. Lastly, fiber tiles are a kind of composite that’s a mixture of fiberglass to create light, sand, and cement.
Slate Roofing
Slate roofing consists of natural stone tiles, which are eco-friendly and ideal for any weather condition. Besides their gorgeous appeal, the roofing material boasts durability. When installed by an expert roofer in the right conditions, they can serve you between 100 and 150 years.
Additionally, slate is waterproof and resistant to fire, mold, and fungus. Installing this roof will cost you between $10 to $30 per square foot, including installation costs. However, slate can be heavy, requiring a strong structure to support it. Naturally, natural stone can easily bristle. For this reason, you must invest in frequent roof inspections to ensure your roof is in great shape.
Roofing is a massive investment. However, choosing your ideal material from the wide array of options can be daunting. Luckily, an expert roofer boasting extensive experience can make the process a breeze by helping you with roofing material selection and installation. Visit our website for roofing basics – it will prepare you to engage professionals.
