Remodeling or renovating your home doesn’t take place only on the inside. You should renovate your exterior too using new roofing and siding materials. Your choice of roofing can completely transform the appearance of your home, so let’s take a quick look at the best types of roofing materials for your home.
Asphalt Shingles
Most homes in the U.S. use asphalt shingles for the roof. They provide an easy, quick installation that goes well with nearly any exterior siding treatment, from stone to painted wood. They typically only last about 15 years before requiring replacement, but a new asphalt shingle roof provides a return on investment of nearly 62%.
Built-Up Roofing
Some single-family homes use built-up roofing, a layered type of roofing used on flat-roof buildings. You typically find BUR roofs on commercial buildings in cities. This long-lasting roof might require patching at the age of 15 years but typically lasts about 30 years.
Clay Tiles
Clay tiles rule the desert southwest as the preferred roofing choice. They offer a sophisticated look for homes in the Mission, Mediterranean, or Southwest style. These tiles provide one of the longest-lasting roofing materials with a lifespan of 50 to 100 years.
Concrete Tiles
When picturing concrete roofing tiles, avoid the cinder block notion and envision a clay tile made of an energy-efficient, accessible material. These tiles look like clay and complement Mediterranean, Mission, Spanish, and Southwest home styles too. Using this material provides you with a 50-year roof under typical conditions.
Green Roofing
Energy-efficient, green roofing consists of roofing materials created from grasses and other vegetation. Bamboo roofing falls into this category and offers a wide range of tile and shake looks. Like asphalt, this type of roofing works with any style of home.
Metal Roofing
Put aside the notion that metal roofs belong on barns because today’s metal roofing goes far beyond tin roofs for barns. Lightweight metal roofs require little maintenance, last up to 50 years, and offer superior wind resistance, withstanding up to 140 mile-per-hour gusts. In some cases, such as the 100% recyclable stone-coated steel roof, the metal looks like stone but weighs just 1.4 lbs per square foot. These stone-coated steel roofs provide a Class A fire rating and Class 4 hail impact resistance.
Slate Roofing
Slate roofing lasts up to 100 years, but its fragile tiles don’t do well in rough weather. If you reside in an area prone to frequent high winds that toss debris about, skip using slate since it can break when impacted by debris. In areas with few storms, slate works well.
Solar Roofing
Solar roofing refers to specially designed roofing tiles with solar energy properties. Installed as the main roofing material, these don’t overlay an existing roof like solar panels do. Although it’s manufactured by a few companies at this time, they offer a seamless appearance for the home and produce solar energy, allowing the homeowner to go off the grid.
Wood Roofing
When most people envision wood roofing, they think of cedar shakes. Wood roofing includes a bevy of options though, including shakes or shingles created from various coniferous trees, including pine, redwood, and spruce. They hold up well in high winds, so if you reside in an area prone to derechos, tornadoes, or hurricanes, this type of roofing can offer your home a new look that stands up to the weather.
What Look Do You Want for Your Home’s Exterior?
You’re not stuck with the roof that your home currently has. No matter what style of roof you have now, you can hire a professional roofer to change, transform, and update the appearance of your home’s exterior with one project.