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What is your future roof made of? Below are some helpful words of wisdom about materials used in and the manufacturing of the modern roof

Asphalt Shingle Roofing. An Oldy but a Goodie Asphalt shingle roofing material is extremely popular in the United States. By the name, you know that they are made of asphalt and other asphalt materials. Essentially, there are three types of asphalt shingles that you might want to consider. They are dimensional, 3-tab, and luxury. These three variations each of a unique look and feel. All three can be purchased anywhere in the country and having a wide range of price points.
Standing Seam Metal Roofing While there are two different kinds of metal roofing, a standing seam metal roof is your best choice for a residential home. This type of roofing consists of metal panels that are locked together at the seams or machine-seamed in the same place. This way the metal panels can expand and contract easily depending on the weather being hot or cold. This type of roofing is steadily growing in popularity in the roofing industry and can be purchased relatively inexpensively.
Composite (Synthetic) Shingle Roofing Synthetic/Composite roofing materials are constructed with recycled materials or engineered polymer. These shingles are made to look and feel just like their more expensive doppelgangers, the cedar shakes, or slate tiles. They are essentially designed by using molds of shake shingles or slate tiles. They look sharp at a fraction of the cost.
Cedar Shake Roofing These beautiful and long-lasting roofing materials or made of all-natural cedar wood and are widely regarded in the United States as the most pleasing to the eye of any roofing materials. The shingles are manufactured essentially by cutting short 24-inch section of cedar wood and then these sections are hand split or sawed and delivered with a tapered thickness. This is commonly known as taper sawn. Hand split cedar roofing is going to give you a rustic look while a taper sawn look will look smooth.
Slate Roofing Made of natural slate tiles and other slate materials, a slate roof is another of the more pleasing to the eye roofing materials. The slate usually is mined in Italy, and it is cut into square tiles to be applied on your roof one at a time. However, because of the weight of a slate roof, you must build your home, frame it, and retrofit it to accommodate the extra weight of a slate roof. This is the most expensive, by far, of all roofing material used in the United States today. But it’s beautiful.
Asphalt roofing Tile roofing Slate roofing Metal roofing
Roofing 101 Don’t reach out to a roofer until you’ve done your homework. First of all, it’s a good idea to know what roofing materials you need/want for your particular property. Understand the components and roofing materials that are the best fit. First, you want to have a budget in mind. Consider this carefully, because if you know, to the penny, what you want to spend on your roof materials and installation, it’ll help you pull the trigger much more quickly. So break out your budgeting software and calculator before you go further.
What Type of Roof Is the Best? After you’ve decided what money, you have to spend on your new roof you’ll have a better idea of what type of roof is best. If you have a home that hasn’t been constructed with slate tile roofing, then you can count that out. It’ll be way to heavy. That leaves cedar, asphalt, and composite (synthetic) roofing. All these materials can last a long time, and it really just depends on what you think you’d like the best. A composite roof might be the best buy for your money.
Know Your Roof Angles If your roof has a lot of steep angles, it’s less likely to catch leaves and other debris which collect moisture and invite moss and algae. But if your roof is steep but there is no shade, and facing south, it is going to be hit by lots of sunlight. And that is rough on any roof, no matter what material you choose. Also, if you want your roof to be long lasting, you need to make sure your roof system is well ventilated and won’t allow heat to build up underneath the roofing.
Preparation For Roof Installation Once your old roof is stripped away, your roof installers should lay an ice and water shield over the entire roof. You’ll want them to use polyethylene and rubberized asphalt which will protect your house from water which might find its way under the shingles and prevent it from penetrating the ceiling. Any valleys in your roof need to be covered in metal flashing or weaving. It is a good idea to use two layers of shielding like this on the lowest sections of your roof and around chimneys.
Flashing? What Is It? Mainly aluminum or galvanized steel, flashing is used over joints in your home construction to stop water from leaking through. Most of your home’s roof damage starts in and around the warn out flashing. This is usually around the chimney and ventilation pipes or around skylights or windows. Ask your roofer if they custom make flashing from sheet metal or use pre-made pieces that may or may not exactly fit the needs of your particular roof.
Paper Is Commonly Used Felt paper is usually used as a buffer between materials. Back in day, we used felt paper to protect shingles from tree sap from wood and eventually break down the shingle. While felt paper is lightweight and inexpensive, it provides a last-line-of-defense for your home if a shingle should break or be damaged in some way. Keep in mind, you’ll need a different weight/gage of felt paper depending on what roofing materials you choose to install.
Window Wisdom Roofing manufacturers sometimes call a skylight a roof window. So, to be clear, if you can see the sky through it, it is called a skylight, but if you can see both land and sky, you can call it a roof window. Another way to discern the difference is to ask yourself if the window could be used as an escape point in the case of a fire or other emergency. If the answer is yes, then the particular window is roof window.
Black Stains: How Does That Happen? Sometimes dark streaks might appear on your roof because of algae that grows off of the minerals on some types of roof shingles. The wetter your roof is, the more likely this is to happen. While algae aren’t likely to damage your roof, it can look unseemly. You can get rid of this roof algae by mixing bleach and water and spraying the affected area. Keep in mind, that bleach can hurt your foundation plantings. Be sure to rinse them before and after the application of the bleach mixture which you want to be one part bleach and two parts water.
Do-It-Yourself Roofing? Of course, you can install your own roof. But should you? Safety is important. And working up there on the roof can be dangerous for sure. As far as installing a metal roof goes, it appears to be fairly simple and straightforward until you get down into the details. Working around skylights, chimneys, valleys, and corners…not so simple. Aside from the danger inherent in installing your roof, if you make even a tiny mistake, you could be looking at leaks in the future. Expensive leaks. If you don’t consider yourself a professional or at the very least extremely familiar with the process, it’s best you don’t install your roof on your own.
Overhanging Shingles Block Gutters If your shingles extend beyond where your gutters are hung, it can create and overhang which creates a cavity. Inside this little gutter-cave, birds can make nests, debris can become lodged, and algae can grow unabated. The shingles will need to be trimmed and that can be expensive. More the reason why you should have a professional roofer do all the installing for you.
Let it Snow, Let it Snow If you live in an area that has you dealing with a lot of snowfall and that snow collects on your roof you need to be mindful of the mini avalanches that can occur…which can be dangerous to people, plants, animals, or property. You can consider installing a snow guard. A snow guard can stop these mini roof avalanches from occurring and holds the ice and snow in place until it melts. Again, it’s best to have the professionals install your snow guards.
The Wisdom of insulation A poorly insulated roof can cost you thousands of dollars in waisted energy. Keep in mind, you’ll need some air space between the underside of your roof and the top of your home insulation of approximately two inches. You want to have an uninterrupted airflow under the roof and above the insulation. Under the insulation, on the side closest to the inside of your home, you need to make sure there is a good barrier. And make sure there are no holes or debris blocking uninterrupted airflow.
I Have a Leak…What Now? First of all, you need to find the exact place that the roof is leaking. Keep in mind, that water can find its way to your inside sealing using many pathways. You may have to check the underneath of the roof sheathing for signs of water or maybe a visible stain. Most likely, your leak is due to flashing. The sheet metal or galvanized steel that is used to seal around chimneys and such. Check there first.
Wood Rood Fire Resistance? First, don’t consider applying any chemicals on your roof that proport to be fire retardant most shingles that qualify as fire retardant, will be difficult to catch on fire. You just need to take care of your roof so it can take care of you. Start by giving your roof a yearly sweeping or air blowing to remove debris such as pine needles, leaves that have a knack of accumulating over time. Also, you’ll want to trim tree branches that overhang your roof to help mitigate future accumulation of debris.
Freezing Gutters…Stop It You could run electric heating cables through your gutters and downspouts. But before you do, remember that accumulating water that later freezes is a symptom of a bigger problem. You have poor roof ventilation and runoff properties. Unclog your gutters and downspouts before winter. If they are free of debris, they’ll not likely have puddles forming and there won’t be a problem. As always, working on your roof can be dangerous so leaving it to the professionals is best. Especially when there is a chance it is icy up there.