Close Look at Top 5 Roofing Materials – Pros and Cons

Published on: 12 December 2016 Last Updated on: 19 August 2019
Roofing- Pros and Cons

There’s no dearth of options for those mulling a new roof installation. Choosing the correct roof for your home is imperative to ensure that you get full functionality and lifespan. The final decision should be taken after considering different factors such as the owner’s location, the roof’s weight, and the cost, warranty, and lifetime of the product. This blog post discusses, five popular roofing options for homeowners taking time to look at their advantages and shortcomings:

1. Asphalt shingles

Asphalt shingles are unarguably the most common roofing option for homeowners in US, all thanks to their affordable nature and ease of installation. Moreover, many roofers also follow the practice of reinforcing shingles with organic materials or fiberglass, which has a positive impact on their durability and moisture resistance.

Pros

Asphalt shingles come in different sizes, shapes, and colors. They are easily available and the most economical roofing option available on the market.

Cons

Asphalt has a short lifespan when compared to other materials, and also incapable of providing proper insulation.

Best suited house styles: Traditional sub-urban houses

Cost: The cost of installing asphalt shingles can be anywhere between $70 to $120/sq.ft. and they can last for 20-25 years with proper maintenance.

2. Clay and concrete tiles

The use of clay adds to the roof’s texture and elegance, enhancing its aesthetic appeal. Clay and concrete tiles are heavy roofing materials and should be installed by professionals to avoid accidents and damage to property.

Pros

Clay and concrete tiles are highly durable and fire-resistant. They are also known for their energy efficiency. Installing a concrete roof can, therefore, help you lower energy costs.

Cons

Both clay and concrete are heavier than other roofing materials and usually require additional framing to function smoothly. The materials are also expensive and you may have to shell out a considerable amount of money to install clay/concrete tiles.

 Best suited house styles: Mediterranean, Southwestern, and Spanish-style homes.

Cost: Prices fluctuate in the range of $300-$500/sq.ft. Concrete tiles have a lifespan of 40-50 years provided you follow maintenance schedules without fail.

3. Metal roof

Metal roofs are available in two types, panels, and shingles. Some of the common metals used by roofers who specialize in metal roofing are aluminum, copper, stainless steel, and zinc. If you’re considering a metal roof, it is advisable that you first consult your provider on the type of metal you should use after considering all the important factors.

Read also: Avoid these 4 Mistakes during Multi Family Housing Renovation

Pros

Metal roofs are highly resistant to temperature fluctuations and also offer better protection against solar radiation. They are also long-lasting and recyclable.

Cons

Installing a metal roof can be a costly decision and you may have to shell out anywhere between $100-$800/sq.ft. to install a metal roof.

Best suited house styles: bungalows, cabins, and contemporary and cottage-style homes.

Effective life: With proper maintenance, metal roofs can last anywhere between 40-75 years.

4. Slate

Opting for a slate roof is a prudent decision if you need to avail a variety of designing options. Slate roofing comes in different colors like black, green, grey, red, and purple. It lends a touch of style and elegance to your roofing.

Pros

Slate roofs are durable and equipped with fire-resistance properties. You can also recycle slate to reduce costs and save the environment.

Cons

Apart from being expensive, slate is also heavy, making any plans for a DIY approach strongly inadvisable. Moreover, the quality of the materials can vary if you plan to use imported slate.

Cost: $600/sq.ft. And above. The effective life of slate roofs can extend up to 100 years and more.

5. Wood shingles and shake

Wood shingles are handmade and available in attractive shades of gray. When opting for wood roofing make sure the material is class a certified and includes shingles with a fire-resistant coating.

Pros

The use of wood shingles lends a rough yet artistic look to your roof. The shingles are made from natural materials like cedar, and redwood and are environment-friendly.

Cons

There are high chances of the roof sustaining significant damage when exposed to moisture, high temperatures, and rainfall. Moreover, fire codes in some states may prohibit the use of these materials.

Best suited house styles: Cape Cod, cottage, Craftsman and Tudor-style homes.

Cost: $100-$150/ sq.ft. You can expect the roofing to last around 25-30 years.

The blog discusses five popular roofing choices available to homeowners. You should, however, not limit yourself to these choices. Consider exploring other options before making a final decision. Consult your contractor and ask them to share their thoughts on your choice. You must also factor-in the maintenance costs and schedules associated with each option before you.

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Artificial Turf

Safe Playgrounds, Fun: Utah’s Artificial Turf Installation

Utah's commitment to fostering safe and enjoyable play spaces for children within its diverse landscapes is evident. Amidst this endeavor, installing artificial turf in playgrounds across Utah is a significant innovation, ensuring safety and lasting enjoyment for children engaging in outdoor activities. Utah's Playground Landscape: Balancing Safety and Fun Utah's playgrounds are diverse, ranging from urban recreational areas to neighborhood parks within breathtaking natural surroundings. Ensuring these spaces are safe for children while providing an enjoyable play experience is a priority. Utah artificial grass installation emerged as a solution that promotes safety and extends the lifespan and usability of playgrounds, irrespective of Utah's varying weather conditions. Benefits of Artificial Turf in Play Areas Artificial turf offers a multitude of advantages for playgrounds. Its cushioned and shock-absorbent surface minimizes the impact of falls, reducing the risk of injuries during playtime. Furthermore, its durability and resistance to wear and tear ensure a long-lasting play surface that remains vibrant and functional even in high-traffic areas, making it an ideal choice for Utah's playgrounds. Weather Resilience and Year-Round Usability Utah experiences diverse weather patterns, from scorching summers to snowy winters. Natural grass may struggle to withstand such extremes, often becoming muddy or unusable after rainfall or snow. In contrast, artificial turf remains resilient, maintaining its usability throughout the year. Its drainage capabilities prevent waterlogging, ensuring children can safely enjoy outdoor play regardless of the weather. Hygiene and Maintenance Maintaining cleanliness and hygiene in playgrounds is essential for the well-being of children. Artificial turf offers a clean and easily maintainable surface that minimizes the presence of mud, dust, and allergens commonly found in natural grass. Regular cleaning routines help uphold high hygiene standards, providing a safe and healthy play environment for children across Utah. Design Flexibility and Safety Features Artificial turf installations for playgrounds in Utah are designed with safety features in mind. They can be customized to incorporate additional cushioning layers or impact-absorbing pads beneath the turf, enhancing safety standards. Moreover, the versatility of artificial turf allows for creative designs and the integration of fun elements, such as colorful patterns or interactive features, elevating the play experience for children. Related: What Do Artificial Grass Recyclers Do? Community Impact and Recreational Opportunities Beyond individual playgrounds, installing artificial turf in Utah's play areas has a broader impact on communities. Parks and recreational spaces serve as hubs for social interaction and family gatherings. Artificial turf installations facilitate these community engagements by providing safe, clean, and inviting spaces for children to play. Moreover, the durability of artificial turf ensures that these areas remain accessible year-round, fostering a sense of community cohesion and promoting active, healthy lifestyles among Utah's residents. The widespread adoption of artificial turf in play areas represents a commitment to creating inclusive and enjoyable spaces that benefit the overall well-being of Utah communities. Conclusion In conclusion, adopting Utah artificial grass in playgrounds underscores the state's dedication to ensuring safe and enjoyable outdoor spaces for children. These installations prioritize safety and offer durability, weather resilience, and easy maintenance. They symbolize a commitment to enhancing the quality of play areas across Utah, ensuring that children can frolic and explore in secure and stimulating environments. Utah artificial grass installation for play areas embodies an investment in children's safety and happiness while enriching the playground landscape throughout the state. It represents a fusion of safety, durability, and creativity, ensuring that Utah's playgrounds remain vibrant, inviting, and conducive to children's well-being and enjoyment. Read Also: How To Install Artificial Grass In Your Garden – Installation Guide Step By Step What You Need To Know Before Buying Grass Carpets Best Games To Play On Artificial Grasses

READ MOREDetails
Spring-Cleaning

Simple Spring-Cleaning Tips You Can Do When You Don’t Have Much Free Time

Just like spring brings a fresher start to nature with blooming flowers, you can also give your house a fresh start by spring-cleaning. You can plan a deep cleaning session in spring which is a great time to clean because the winter has just ended. You can get a fresh vibe inside of your home as well as outside in spring. Don't have much time for cleaning? Well, then I have some tips for you that won't require too much time for spring-cleaning. Let's get on with it. Well, these aren't any advanced tips and tricks that will magically get the job done. These are some general ideas from Glimmr Cardiff that you can follow to clean up your house quickly in the spring-cleaning session. Here are some things you can do – 1. Break down the cleaning session into parts Instead of making a marathon out of your cleaning session, try breaking it down into several parts. This means you can opt for dusting at one time, then take a break and go for wiping some other time. Distribute your different cleaning processes by time and do them accordingly. This way, you won't get tired, and cleaning won't feel like trouble. Also, if you are short on time, you can always do one thing a day. For instance, you can opt for dusting one day and wiping the other day. 2. Delegate work among family members Don't take the whole responsibility of cleaning on your shoulders. Involve family members into cleaning as well. This way, the entire house will be cleaned sooner than you can imagine. You can delegate specific duties to certain members to keep things organized. Or you can do it empower work room by room. 3. Decluttering is important If you have to declutter while dusting, vacuuming, or anything else, you will lose a lot of time. Also, it will get very messy doing so. That's why you should always declutter your whole house first and then move on to the other cleaning tasks you have. 4. Try keeping it interesting for yourself Well, this may not seem like a lot, but it has grave importance here. When you get disturbed or annoyed with cleaning your house, it can take more time for you to cleanse that way. Instead, try keeping a clear mindset and enjoy your time cleaning. For example, you can always put on some music while you are cleaning. Or maybe consider cleaning as physical activity of the day and turn it into an exercise session. 5. Keep things organized This means keeping all the cleaning tools in one place. You don't want to run here and there looking for cleaning tools. Keeping all of them in one place makes it much easier and quicker to do all the cleaning tasks. Conclusion All in all, following these tips, will surely get the spring-cleaning session done without wasting too much time. But if you think you won't even have that kind of time, you can always hire professional cleaners to do the job. Provided that, you don't mind spending some money on cleaning your house. Read Also: 7 Expert Hacks for Downsizing to a Smaller Apartment Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: 3 Ways to Find Recycling Information in Perth 5 Health Benefits of a Clutter-Free Home

READ MOREDetails
wood flooring

What you must know about wood flooring?

Everyone wants their house to be more beautiful than others. They try to go for new designs, new ideas about interior decoration available in the market. One of the ideas that attract many of us is wooden flooring. Wooden flooring gives your house a fresh and sophisticated look making it far better than others. If you are going to remodel your house, it is a beneficial idea to opt for wooden flooring in a couple of rooms. When researching this topic, you will get tons and tons of information. Thus while going for wooden flooring, you should keep in mind certain basic things. Going for a wooden floor gives you three main options: solid hardwood laminate flooring engineered wood Solid hardwood flooring: As the name suggests, this sort of flooring comprises of solid wood everywhere; right from the top to the bottom. No materials are added to this flooring. The material is the raw wood which is directly extracted from the logs of the trees. They are the typical wooden floors. Hardwood flooring comes in two type- unfinished or pre-finished. The unfinished ones are seen to be quite cheaper than the prefinished ones. The unfinished ones need quick light sanding, followed by staining (non-compulsory) and sealing; whereas with the prefinished ones, you can walk on it right after the installation. With the prefinished ones, the advantage is that it does not take much time and can be used instantly. In the case of the unfinished ones, the usage should be limited until the sealing has been done. The sealant takes around forty-eight hours to dry. Additional coatings may also be needed afterward. This has the advantage to get the exact specifications demanded by staining it. A popular type of hardwood flooring is bamboo flooring. It is a grass rather being hardwood and is highly valued for its environment-friendly qualities. The hardwoods need to be cut and nailed to a wooden sub-floor or else it is not possible to install it. Unlike others, it does not get installed straight on concrete or top of the existing floor. Because of this requirement, it is necessary to hire hardwood floor installers. Hardwoods are prone to scratches and dents, thus looking for the perfect hardwood type satisfying your pocket and lifestyle is very necessary. This flooring method can be changed again and again and stays for many years but this type of flooring is also not suitable for most areas. Engineered wood flooring: Engineered wood flooring can be called as an option to the solid form of hardwood flooring. They are made of plywood and finish wood. The finished wood is the visible portion and on which we walk on. The lower portion i.e. the plywood comprise 80 to 90 percent of the floor. The plywood differentiates the engineered form of wood flooring from the solid ones. Engineered wood flooring comes with a variety of installation choices. The thinner models can be discarded and the thicker ones can be set up as floating floors. They are easy to install and can be easily installed by anyone as it does not comprise of any largely sized staplers to drag around or any sub-floors. The floating floor can be installed on top as long as the current floor is flat and firm. One disadvantage of engineered wood flooring is that the thinner top layer can be sanded but not many times. It can be sanded like around once or twice. In this type of flooring, it is difficult to sand out the dents and scratches like the solid hardwood type. It is better to consult the flooring firm prior to sanding or taking any action as it can cause any damage which may not be fixable. Laminate flooring: this is the third type of flooring and is not genuine wood flooring like the previous ones. The top layer comprises a resin-infused sheet, and it is usually quite thin. So it can be termed as wood but does not satisfy the name in literal terms. This is a popular kind of flooring as it has a great imitation of wood. The layer of resin is nothing but a photo of wood very finely crafted. This artificial texture cannot be differentiated by the naked eye from the real ones. This kind of flooring is in high demand and is seen as an option of wood flooring. This type of flooring is very easy to install and is scratch-resistant and works very well in moist environments thus has a lot of advantages. This flooring is again slippery, hard to walk on and can’t be sanded. Thus we can come to the conclusion that before going for any kind of wood flooring, everyone must know about these different types of flooring along with their pros and cons. A very efficient flooring company is Evolution Floors Brisbane who can make it easier for you and help you to create a better home with better flooring. Read Also : Hardwood Timber Flooring: Gives A Classic Look To Your Home List Of Most Durable Kitchen Flooring

READ MOREDetails