Roofing fulfills a crucial functional and aesthetic need. The functional part is obvious, as your roof is in charge of keeping your home enclosed, allowing you to control the indoor climate to suit your needs. It is also responsible for keeping out detrimental elements like rain, wind, and moisture, preventing them from penetrating and damaging your home’s delicate interiors. However, to many homeowners a beautiful roof is crucial to garnering good curb appeal and anchoring a better sense of style, serving as a vital avenue for personal expression. For this, common materials like asphalt won’t do, as they are frequently installed into houses everywhere, making a typical choice that simply won’t suit those who want to distinguish their residences from the crowd. This is why today, we are going over 3 roofing materials that service both needs well, each of which has unique characteristics that would help any home stand out while still receiving the protection it needs.
Wood Shingles
Wood is a classic material that has origins dating back centuries, and with proper care, can last generation after generation. This is ideal for the homeowner who are huge fans to traditional American style homes, who’s wooden roofs is a strong source of character that are tough to replicate in other materials. They are also environmentally friendly, as they can be recycled at the end of their lifespan. That being said, being made of wood these shingles do tend to be a more major fire hazard, which can raise the price of insurance on your home. In addition to this, they are susceptible to mold, insect damage, and rot, meaning that you will have to be more vigilant on their maintenance more than other materials. However, when it comes to true uniqueness and charm, there are few materials that do it the way a classic wooden roof does.
Metal (Steel, Aluminum & Copper)
Metal is rising in popularity as a roofing material for homeowners, as industrialist and contemporary styles become evermore common. The material ticks of a lot of the boxes that many homeowners looks for. It is durable, distinctive, low maintenance, and lasts for long periods of time. Beyond that it is flame-resistant, eco-friendly, and often comes with insulation on its interior, giving it a high R-value that will translate to big savings on heating and energy consumption. With all these perks, however, comes a higher price point, and this can vary from metal to metal. The most common ones are steel, aluminum and copper, each that come with their own distinct ups and downs. For example, copper has a unique look and texture, but is softer and can dent easily, whereas steel is stronger, but can be loud when hail falls down on it, as well as susceptible to rust. Be sure to research whichever variant of material you are looking to invest in to to get the specifics on their strengths and weaknesses.
Rubber Roofing
Rubber roofing has traditionally been seen solely as a commercial material, however as contemporary home styles are appearing more frequently, flat roofing has risen along with it, leading to it finding new life in the residential market. With low cost and time needed to install it, quick repair, and long lifespan, it is only logical for it to be the choice for any roof that suits it. Salemi Exteriors installs the most common forms of rubber roofing, fully adhered, mechanically fastened, and ballasted. All three reap the mentioned benefits of rubber roofing, leaving it only to a matter of whichever one suits your home best.
As you can see, there are numerous unique roofing options available on the market, leaving you spoiled for choice as to which one best suits your home. Our experts will guide you towards making an informed decision on what your roof should be. Contact us at 978-804-5972, or submit an online inquiry form. We’d love to work with you!