Types of Roofing Materials and Their Pros and Cons

Choices in roof materials vary for the home owners but each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages.

Metal roofs give you sleek, modern appeal that is constantly durable for many years. They are available in a wide variety of designs and colours that protect your modern home or building for many years to come.

This is an added benefit of the use of fired clay tiles because earthen clays easily break into powdery fragments when exposed to water or humidity, which is why these tiles work well in regions with coastal and desert areas in the Southern regions.

Metal

Roof are structure that cover or surmount a building. It represents one of the symbolic features of building. For many houses, a roof is one of the most noticable part of the building. The roofing material can change the appearance, cost and durability of your house in many ways.

Metals most commonly mean galvanised steel or aluminium on the market, in styles ranging from standing seam to shingle lookalikes.

Copper metal roofing evolves into a richer and richer green hue and becomes more costly as time passes. However, copper necessitates specific support structures to allow for the weight distribution, whereas aluminium provides for less costly alternatives but may corrode in areas subject to saline elements, such as rainwater collected from the sea or spraying saltwater.

Wood

Wood roofing brings a sense of earthiness to the home. It’s inexpensive, recyclable and can last a lifetime in a dry climate; plus it’s recyclable! However, left untreated, its natural qualities might decay and mildew or become a haven for insects and end up costing you a small fortune on cedar, cypress, or wallaba shingles.

Class 4 impact resistance rating – Cedar shingles are thinner but sturdier than shakes and made for dry climates. Split from a log and developed irregular textures Split from a log identified as shakes, develop into irregular textures lighter in colour and slightly cheaper but shorter lifespans; go for teak or even synthetic alternatives!

Asphalt

Sometimes called composite shingles, asphalt shingles are a popular roofing option that goes well with nearly any style of home from Colonial to bungalow to Victorian. A durable choice in any climate, asphalt shingles are also easy to install and far less expensive than other roofing choices, making them both a time- and cost-effective option. 3-tab shingles can have a traditional, flat look while those with the dimension or architectural look are thicker and bulkier, but premium options also have looks that emulate slate or cedar shake roofs.

Shingles last 25-30 years, come in multiple colours to match your home’s decor, and are a wise choice if you’re in a hail-prone area, since impact rated options are available. Who knew? And then there are the colours: think of it, 25-30 years’ worth of colour options when you select asphalt shingles for your roof. Matching your roof to your home has never been so simple!

Clay Tiles

They are very durable as roofing material, and far more resistant to fire, wind, hailstorms, mildew and ultraviolet radiation from the sun than any other kind of roof covering. Clay tile roofs enhance a building’s appearance and often endure for more than a century.

Roofs with tiled face create a very attractive appearance, and the different types of tiles and the range of colours makes it possible to choose any type of roof design to match the overall style of the home. The downside, however, is that they are so heavy that the roof structure itself needs to be very strong.

Tile roofs can also be expensive and difficult to install for HOAs (or municipalities) with stringent planning restrictions on approved roof coverings.

Slate

Wood roofing is available in the traditional styles of shingles or shakes (shakes are split, while shingles are sawn); each is acceptable for bungalow, cottage, Craftsman and Tudor-style homes. Wood needs more maintenance than other roof types, and fire-retardant solutions as well as chemical preservatives are required to be reapplied on a regular basis to wood shingles. Additionally, wood doesn’t fare well in humid climates and can rot over time.

Even though it lasts, adds value and is beautiful on a house, professional installation skills will make all the difference in terms of its performance: Foot traffic alone will crush down on individual tiles in a slate roof; or its advertisers will be peddling its synthetic lookalikes, which supposedly last longer and are less expensive. Rule: But they don’t, because colour doesn’t last in those.

Concrete

Installing a roof made of cement, instead of slate, wood or other traditional roof material, is an expensive investment, but it can increase the value of your own property. This solution is appropriate on ground floors or strong upper floors of a house that can be constructed with heavy material, but not 1st and 2nd storeys where I should simply use stones for the foundations, then cement and bricks for the mid sections and the roof.

Built-up roofing (BUR) can also be a solid option for flat or low-pitch roofs, but BUR requires regular sealant treatments and weatherproofing treatments or it can absorb water, leading to leaks and the growth of mould.

Made of durable ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) or thermoplastic sheets, membranes roofs constitute a very effective barrier. However, their adhesives contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can affect indoor air quality, and they must be installed by professionals.