Your home’s roof is responsible for about 25% of your total heat loss. It’s also responsible for keeping your home dry during a rainstorm. Lastly, it’s a predominant feature of your home’s exterior design (the largest surface, by far, aside from the facade). As such, it’s a matter of major importance for the entirety of your home.
However, it’s also an incredibly important element to improve or replace. Sure, getting a better roof will save you a fortune in the future but funding this home improvement project is all but simple. This is why it’s so important that you find a viable solution that won’t cost an arm and a leg. With that in mind and without further ado, here are the top 3 cost-effective roof materials that you should take into consideration when re-roofing your home is due.
Clay Tile Roof
Clay roof tiles are longer-lasting than the majority of their counterparts. This already puts them on the positive end of the ROI spectrum. If you divide the cost by their lifespan, you’ll figure out that the value that you’re getting out of them is quite insane. Even with almost everything going wrong, you can expect them to last at least 50 years. Due to their nature, clay tiles are virtually immune to all sorts of climate elements.
Another thing worth considering is the durability of clay roof tiles. Namely, they’re completely fire and insect-resistant. Moreover, they’re immune to rotting, which means that their integrity might just remain intact for years and decades. Their insulation ensures that they regulate rooftop temperatures quite effectively, which will help regulate the temperature inside, as well.
When it comes to aesthetics, there are not a lot of things that can measure up to clay tiles. Most importantly, they come in many different styles. For instance, you have Mediterranean (sometimes also called Spanish), French, and mission styles. While the Mission style may be the most common, you should always pick based on the rest of your home’s aesthetics.
Now, there are some disadvantages of clay tiles, as well. Seeing as how the material is porous by nature, it’s likely that it will get dirty rather quickly. Still, if you go for glazed clay tiles (which are only slightly more expensive), you’ll get to avoid the worst effects of this trait. Some may also argue that clay tends to be brittle, however, this only happens if one steps on it or if it’s hit by debris. By pruning the surroundings and being extra careful while on the roof, you can avoid this, as well.
Wood Shingles Roof
Aside from their other amazing properties (that we’ll discuss in a minute), the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to wood shingles is just how amazing they look. Keep in mind that there’s nothing more important than making your home appear great as a whole, and the only way to achieve this is to make the entirety of the place work in unison.
After all, you can go with the same wood tone for your blinders, garage door, entrance door, etc. This works especially well when you go for a high-end variant like cedar roofing. One more visual advantage of wood shingles lies in the fact that they can be stained, oiled, and painted over. In other words, maintenance is a lot simpler than you expect, and returning your roof to its former glory is a trivial matter.
Cedar shingles are also quite strong, and when properly installed, the overall roof strength becomes quite impressive. Now, keep in mind that while this durability can be achieved in other ways, this is, by far, the eco-friendliest option of them all. There are no contaminants released into the waste stream and the industry that produces these shingles is a lot greener than some alternatives.
When it comes to the properties of these shingles, they’re weather-resistant (after all, wood is naturally resistant to water and ultraviolet rays). What a lot of people don’t know is that cedar shingles are also resistant to insects and moss (which is a major concern for a lot of people considering moss). Lastly, it’s a great low-density material to keep your home as insulated as possible.
Copper Roofing
There are a lot of reasons for you to consider a copper roof. First of all, this material is beautiful and efficient in its simplicity. It doesn’t require painting or finishing – the features it provides (both visual and physical) are a result of the natural properties of the material. In other words, these properties won’t vanish, wash out, or fade in time.
Second, copper is quite light, which means that it won’t put too much stress on your home’s structure. Now, add to this the fact that it’s weather-resistant, fire-resistant, and a decent insulator, and you get a lot of perks with very few downsides.
Sure, it has its unique look (color and shine), but you would be surprised at just how many styles work well with copper. Regardless if you’re going for contemporary architecture or a vintage home, this roofing option should never be discarded easily.
Another thing that you might not have heard is the fact that copper roofs are quite environmentally friendly. So, on top of all these major advantages, you also get the privilege of knowing that you’ve made an ethical choice when it comes to your roofing.
The cost of a copper roof is a lot higher than that of asphalt shingles, but the value that you get for your money is incredibly high. In other words, cost-effectiveness is just through the roof. Just keep in mind that you find the right installers. The last thing you want to deal with is a personal injury case that occurred on your property.
Wrap Up
At the end of the day, determining cost-effectiveness is not always intuitive. Some may even say that it’s quite subjective. After all, how much more are you willing to pay for fire resistance? Are you willing to pay more for eco-friendliness? These are just some of the questions that you’ll have to answer on your own. Also, the craftsmanship of the installers matters just as much as the material itself. This is also worth taking into account when making calculations.
