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 ROOFING
Composition Shingles · Cement Tile
Clay Tile · Metal · Slate
What particular roofing material is the best? Is there anything new "under the sun" in roofing materials? Since men emerged from their caves, and started building independent structures, the roof has always been the most important part of the house. Without a good, waterproof roof, your house would deteriorate from the weather.
Sometimes a roof is strictly utilitarian and will be the choice of the best materials for the least amount of money. Other, more expensive, roof applications showcase elaborate artwork by a skilled roofer. Today's marketplace gives you choices that range from "Class A" composition shakes to cement shingles. In the higher elevations, the use of a metal roof is quite common. This facilitates the sliding of snow off of the roof. The fire code in Nevada County prevents the use of wood shakes for roofing materials.
Composition Shingles · Cement Tile · Clay Tile · Metal · Slate
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COMPOSITION SHINGLES are a popular choice for residential roof construction. Fiberglass shingles, as they are sometimes called, are attractive, economical, and widely available in a broad range of colors and textures. Composition shingles offer fast installation, easy maintenance, and long life.
Composition shingles are most often manufactured by coating both sides of a fiberglass mat with a thick layer of weather-grade asphalt plus a layer of ceramic or mineral granules. This durable construction makes the shingle extremely waterproof, earning it the Universal Laboratories "Class A" fire rating.
Composition shingles rely on an adhesive seal-strip for wind resistance. This type of construction ensures that none of the four nails used to anchor each shingle is actually exposed to the weather. Composition shingles are available in grades with warranty periods from 20 years up to a lifetime.
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CEMENT TILE is now a roofing material. Shingles, simulated wood shakes, lighter-weight tiles, and concrete panels are being manufactured from a variety of fiber-reinforced cement products. Some are coated with plastics, enamels, or thin metals, and some contain recycled material. Although the products themselves are not yet recyclable, they are a good choice for durability and resource efficiency.
The advantages of concrete roofing vary from product to product, but generally they all have a long lifespan, require low maintenance, offer good fire protection, and are resistant to rot and insects. Concrete mixed with cellulose can mimic the appearance of wood shakes, while improving on the durability and fire protection that real wood affords. It can approximate the look of clay tile or slate while mitigating the structural problems caused by the weight of the real material.
Concrete is more expensive than some roofing materials, and early types of concrete roofing had problems with curling, breaking, and changing color. Technology has improved, however, and these problems have mostly been overcome. Style and color choices are expanding, and by mixing the cement with additives, manufacturers are making lighter and lighter products.
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Composition Shingles · Cement Tile · Clay Tile · Metal · Slate
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CLAY ROOFING TILE is a good choice for homes with a southwestern, Italian, or Spanish Mission design, or even for homes with a modern, clean look.
Tile lasts a long time—its expected lifespan is greater than the lifespan of the material on which the roofing rests. Tile won't rot or burn, and it can't be harmed by insects. It requires little maintenance, and comes in a variety of colors, types, styles, and brands.
The biggest drawback to tile is its weight. Depending on the material used to make it, tile can be very heavy—so heavy that extra roof support can be required. Originally made from clay, new tiles are being made from lighter materials, and lightweight metal tiles can be installed over existing roofs. With some new materials, however, color is added only on the surface of the tiles, and they can fade over time.
Some types of tile are fragile, so walking on them can break them. That makes it more difficult to accomplish maintenance like painting or cleaning rain gutters or fireplaces. Initial installation can be complicated. Finally, tile can cost more than other roofing materials.
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METAL ROOFS are coming back into vogue. In the late 1700s, zinc, copper, and lead were the most popular materials used for roofing. Such famous historic buildings as the Washington Monument and Thomas Jefferson's Monticello have metal roofs.
Standing-seam steel roofing is the most popular residential metal roofing today. (The term "standing-seam" describes the upturned edge of one metal panel that connects it to adjacent sections, creating distinctive vertical lines and a trendy historical look.) But metal roofs can also be made to resemble wood shakes, clay tiles, shingles, and Victorian metal tiles. Aluminum or coated steel is formed into individual shingles or tiles, or into modular panels four feet long that mimic a row of shingles or tiles.
Metal roofs are durable, fire retardant, and almost maintenance free. They are also energy efficient...metal reflects heat, and blocks its transfer into the attic. Research by the Florida Solar Energy Center in 1985 showed that metal absorbed 34 percent less heat than asphalt shingles, and homeowners switching to metal roofing reported saving up to 20 percent on their energy bills.
Steel roofs offer other environmental benefits as well. They are made from between 60 percent to 65 percent recyclable material. Because they weigh very little, metal roofs can be installed over existing roofs, eliminating the need to dispose of excess material in a landfill.
Installing some metal roofing can be an intricate process, best done by a professional, and the initial cost of a premium metal roof is higher than most other roofing materials. You need to compute the lifecycle cost to see if paying more to begin with for a metal roof will prove to be a better investment than some other form of roofing
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Composition Shingles · Cement Tile · Clay Tile · Metal · Slate
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SLATE, actual shingle-like slivers of rock, is another roofing material that shows up on more upscale homes. Although slate is an expensive choice, it offers a very natural look, and can be laid out in a variety of patterns.
The benefits of slate are identical to those of tile—a very long lifespan, good fire protection, low maintenance, and an invulnerability to rot and insects. It comes in a good selection of sizes and colors, although colors are limited to those found in nature.
Like tile, slate can be very heavy, sometimes requiring expensive extra support. It, too, is breakable enough that walking on it is difficult for a non-professional, complicating such tasks as rooftop maintenance, gutter cleaning, and painting.
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Composition Shingles · Cement Tile · Clay Tile · Metal · Slate
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