In our home environment, most of the time rain and snow are become the attacks from above and roofs are our only shields. A crucial part of a home for many other unavoidable reasons. Today we explore different roofing options that are available in this manageable world.
1. Asphalt Shingles
Because they are accessible to most home owners, which is considered one of the most budget friendly roofing options in the world. They are mainly made of a layer of fiber glass covered with asphalt and granules. It is installed clearly in overlapping rows on top of a roof deck. The drip edges and sloped lower edges of shingles are to protect the home from leaks. To match the diverse architectural styles, asphalt shingles are available in different colors, textures, and profiles. It is suitable for most homes, because it adds minimal weight to the roof structure. It is highly durable and it is made to withstand strong winds, heavy rain, and even hailstorms. It provides excellent fire protection because this type of shingles achieves a class A fire rating. It helps to keep the house cooler by reflecting solar radiations in some asphalt types. Compared to other roofing materials, these types are simple to install and repair. Many of the modern asphalts have built in algae resistant features. Compared to metal roofs, this type of roofing materials can provide better sound dampening.
Some types of asphalt shingles are
- Architectural Shingles: These shingles are thicker than 3 – tab shingles and have a more textured look. And they are also known as dimensional shingles or laminate shingles.
- Luxury Shingles: These types are the highest quality asphalt shingles which are mainly more durable and have a sophisticated appearance than other types of shingles.
- 3 – Tab Shingles: These are the most basic type of asphalt shingles and are also known as traditional or strip shingles.
2. Wood Shingles and Shakes
They are naturally resistant to water, UV rays, insects and moss. It can make your home cool in the summer and warm in the winter, because wood shingles are good insulators. Even in the variable weather conditions, wood shingles can keep their shape and flatness. These types of shingles can add a natural texture and authentic appearance to your home. Into the waste stream, these shingles release no contaminants because wood is a natural and renewable resource. To improve the fire resistance of wood shingles, they can be treated with fire retardants for better protection. The dense structure of wood shingles can really help absorb sound and reduce external noise pollution. Wood shingles mainly can make your home popular among home buyers. It can be stained, oiled and painted. Wood shingles can improve the overall strength of your roof very much.
Some type of wood shingles are,
- Cedar Shingles: A type of shingles, that can range in color from yellow – gold to reddish brown
- Flat Grain: It is shingles with limited sapwood and knots.
- Edge Grain: Type of wood shingles taken from the heartwood of trees with no defects.
- Under Course: A type of wood shingle that can mainly include sapwood and flat grain.
3. Metal Roofing
They are strong and can last up to 40 – 70 years. These types of roofs can withstand heavy rain, snow, high winds, and ice dams. These roofs are fire resistant and can help protect you from fire. Metal roofs can be made from recycled materials and they are recyclable. These roofs require little upkeep and are very easy to maintain. Metal roofs are light weight, and it can save pennies mainly on building costs because the installation cost is so low.
Main metal roofing options are
- Copper: Known for its longevity and aesthetic appeal, it is a high quality, durable metal often used in roofs.
- Aluminum: It offers a good strength to weight ratio, and is a light weight corrosion resistant metal opted mainly for roofing.
- Zinc: Often used for high end roofing applications, and is a durable metal with excellent corrosion resistance.
- Steel: Another common metal for roofing, and are often galvanized(coated with zinc) to prevent rusting.
4. Clay and Concrete Tiles
Clay tiles are thin, baked pieces of clay that are used to cover mainly the roof and floors. They are also known as structural terra cotta, building tile, hollow tile, Saltillo tile, and clay block. Clay tiles can withstand harsh weather conditions like high winds, rain, and extreme temperatures. And are durable, can last up to 100 long years. Clay tiles are natural insulators, and can help reduce home cooling or heating costs. Clay tiles are recyclable and they need to be replaced less frequently than other roofing materials. They come in a variety of styles and have attractive designs.
- Structural Clay Tile: A clay shape that is extruded and can be laid mostly like other clay or concrete masonry.
Concrete tiles are a large broad roof tile that is often used for new home construction or renovation projects. These types of roofing tiles are known for their versatility and affordability. Most concrete tiles are gray in color. These tiles can last for a long time but they may fade, stain, and lose their appearance over time.
5. Slate Roofing
Slate is a metamorphic rock formed mainly from compressed shale, offering excellent resistance to cracking. It is a high end roofing option known for its exceptional durability, longevity, and aesthetically pleasing appearance and is made from thin, flat pieces of natural slate rock. Due to its classic look and ability to withstand harsh weather conditions, it is often used on historic buildings. And due to the delicate nature of the material, it can be expensive to install and to maintain as well. It comes in various colors like grey, green, purple and black providing a sophisticated look. With proper maintenance it can have a life span of over 100 years.
- Welsh Slate: Often featuring a bluish – grey color and grain, it is considered as a premium quality with a rich history.
- Spanish Slate: It comes with a wide range of colors including greens and purples and is generally more affordable than Welsh slates.
- Chinese Slate: These types may have inconsistent quality and appearance but it is often the most budget friendly option.
6. Rubber Slate
A synthetic roofing material primarily made from polymers like ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM)which is a rubber compound and recycled synthetic materials that clearly mimics the look of natural slate. Rubber slates have the highest rating for roofing tiles because it has a class 4 impact rating. It can withstand wind speeds up to 110mph if it is properly installed. Rubber slates can be recycled again and are made from recycled materials. This type of roofing doesn’t put much strain on the building structure because it is much lighter than natural slate. It is flammable though, so these tiles are susceptible to fire damage, bear in mind before going for this roofing option.
- DaVinci Roofscapes: They offer a wide range of colors and textures to replicate natural slate, because they are one of the leading manufacturers of synthetic slate shingles.
- Brava Roof Tile: Another leading brand, with an acute focus on aesthetics and color options.
7. Green Roofs
These types of roofs can reduce the temperature of the roof surface and surrounding air mainly by up to 20 Degree Fahrenheit. It can also purify the air and can reduce the storm water runoff by clearly intercepting with a drainage layer. By creating peaceful retreats for people and animals, green roofs can encourage biodiversity in cities. The type of plants and fertilizers used can affect the efficiency of the green roof tops.
- Extensive Green Roofs: These are simple, light and have low maintenance. Mainly use hardy plants like sedum and have a shallow growing medium. Can be used in new or existing roof decks but it must be flat. Little watering is needed, unless there is a prolonged drought.
- Intensive Green Roofs: It is more complicated compared to extensive green roofs. With trees and shrubs, like a park setting. It requires ongoing maintenance and needs structural support.
- Bio Solar Green Roofs: Combined form of solar renewable energy and biodiversity in a single setting.
- Blue – Green Roofs: In the roof structure, combined elements of vegetation and storm water management.
8. Solar Tiles
A type of roofing material that integrates photo voltaic cells directly into the tile design, that is, solar tiles capture sunlight using embedded photo voltaic cells that can be converted into electricity while simultaneously functioning as a protective roof covering as well. They come in various styles to match different roof aesthetics like slate or asphalt shingles, and are mainly considered a form of “Building Integrated Photovoltaics” (BIPV). Due to their integrated design and complex manufacturing process, solar tiles are generally more expensive than traditional panels. For precise placement and integration with the roof structure, it requires specialized installation by qualified contractors.
- Classic Solar Tile: It is available in various colors and styles to match different roof designs, because they are designed to closely resemble traditional roof tiles.
- Hybrid Solar Tiles: These types mainly allow for a mix of energy generation and standard roofing appearance because they combine solar cells with non solar tiles.
- Thin Film Solar Tiles: They generally utilize thin film solar cell technology because they can offer all round flexibility and potentially a better integration with roof contours.