Roof is a very important part of your house. It is a structure that covers the house from top. It serves as a shelter for your house. It is a protective shield of your house. A roof saves your house from rain, sun, storm and many other factors that can cause any harm to your house.
A roof is such an important part of our homes but we do not give much attention to the designing or remodeling of roofs. We not even think about them till they show signs of damage and demand repair or remodeling. A roof’s main purpose is to make your home safe from water and other weather conditions but this fact could not be ignored that a roof adds to the value and appearance of your house.
A roof is not the part of your house that could be redesigned or remodeled very often. It is repaired or redesigned once or twice in the life of a house. It is no doubt an expensive process. You will never want it to go wrong in any way. That is why you should always choose the style, design, material and roofing contractor after doing proper research.
Roofing Materials
There are many types of roofing materials available in the market. All these materials suit to both needs of remodeling or new construction. The selection of roofing material is dependent on many factors. These factors include the architecture of your house or building, your budget and obviously your personal choice. The region in which you are living is also an important factor in choosing the roofing material because not all types of roofing materials are suitable for every region and its weather conditions. Durability and reliability of a roofing material is also an important factor to be considered before choosing a roofing material. This is a very sensitive decision and should be taken after doing research and gaining enough information to avoid any losses or damages in future. Following is a list of most popular roofing materials that you should consider for your homes.
- Rolled Roofing Material
Rolled roofing is made of thin roofing material. They are used for roofing over sloped roofs. Rolled roofing consists of long rolls which contain minerals and asphalt coating on it. One roll cover 100 square feet of the roof and it is 3 feet wide. This type of material is used for roofing of out building, sheds or workshop roofs. Rolled roofing is considered to be a very easy and efficient way of covering the sloped roofed buildings. Rolled roofing material is used for places where looks of the building are not important because they are not pleasing to the eyes. Rolled roofing has a longer life span of nearly 10 years. Rolled roofing is an economical material. It costs around $1.50 to $2.50. This cost also includes the installation cost.
- Membrane Roofing Material
Membrane roof material is used for flat roofs. There are many types of membranes used to form the material. Some of the membrane materials are PVC, EPDM, Neoprene and Polymer-modified bitumens. Out of these, EPDM is considered to be the best. It is also called rubber roofing. It costs around $4 to $8 per square foot. The life span of rubber roofing is around 20 to 35 years.
- Wood Shingle Material
Wood roofs have a very aesthetic appearance but they are very expensive. Their maintenance cost is also high. They can only be placed in regions with less humidity. They have a very short life span. You will mostly see wooden roofing in luxury homes only. Wooden material costs you around $4.50 to $9 per square foot. The mostly used woods are cedar wood and red wood.
- Clay Tile Material
Clay tile material is made up of earthen clay. It is then made into different shapes and put into fire to get a hardened tile. It is reddish orange in color and its surface is matt not shiny. It is considered to be the best roofing material by roofers in hot climate regions. Clay tile material is very expensive. It costs you around $10 to $18 per square foot. Clay tile material has a very long life span of nearly 100 years.
- Concrete Tile Material
Concrete tile material is used as an alternative to clay tile material. They both have nearly same features and same installation methods. It is a very durable roofing material therefore it is recommended in regions that have heavy storms and winds. A concrete tile material costs you around $ 10 to $15 per square foot. They also have a longer life span like clay tiles. They can last you for more than 50 years.
- Eco-friendly or Green Roofs
A roof covered with, grass, wild flowers or some kind of vegetation is called an ecofriendly or green roof. It helps to minimize pollution from environment and also have a longer lasting life of 30 to 50 years.
Conclusion
Different roofing materials have different pros and cons. We have tried to give you an idea about some of the best roofing materials that will not only adds to the value of your home but also last for a longer time span.
