Picking out the best roofing product for one of the most important parts of your home, begins with whether the home is a new construction project, or a remodel/re-roofing project. As both the architect and builder on my home projects I am always involved in this decision process with the owner. While I have been designing and building homes for nearly 30 years, the work has all been in California, mainly Northern California, with a few designs in Nevada. Some of the thoughts here may be different than specific requirements in your area, but you will be able to make use of the general points in the discussion.
On any home, the first question is what is the style or character of the home already, or what is to be. If there is a distinctively “named” style such as: Colonial, Tudor, Mediterranean, etc, a style or type of roofing is also part of the design. Obviously picking out roofing for such a home typically stays within the style “vernacular.” The same is true, of course, in designing a home with a specified theme.
If the home is being built from scratch, the roofing decision starts (as far as I am concerned) with the roof sheathing which covers the structure before the roofing goes on. I mention this because new products in the market enter into this decision. I brought up the sheathing which is not a “Roofer’s” responsibility, but “while we are up there,” it is a product worth mentioning. In my general design location the temperature can get up to 110 degrees and between 100 and 105 for a number of days in a row in summer. I learned a few years ago to utilize a roof sheathing that has a reflective foil facing applied to one side. It helps reflect heat out in the summer and inward in the winter.
From the first time I used it, I made it standard procedure for my building projects. It dropped the indoor temperature perceivably in the hot weather and is well worth the money. I even used it on a home I recently completed on the Pacific Coast just south of San Francisco where it doesn’t get hot enough to even require air conditioning. It does, however, occasionally get up to (get this) 80 degrees or so, which in that climate actually does seem hot. Even in this condition, I feel the insignificant increase of the foil-faced sheets over those without it is worth it. There are other types of radiant barriers available as well (including retro-fit) and they are well worth the investment.
Meanwhile, back to the roofing where Cost, is often King . . . to most people. When it comes to the roof you are putting on your own house, spend the money. I explain to my customers that in the overall budget of a home, the roof is one of the least expensive major components in it. An increase in the cost of a better grade of roofing is minuscule when compared to the total budget of the home. That being said, there is a veritable plethora of roofing products to choose from. The BEST is one resolving the major issues of your area (climate), your design (style) and cost. Many newer developments also have “Homeowner Associations” with their own criteria required in the roofing choice, which means they control what you can use, what you can’t use and even what colors you can choose.
Over the past decade “Mediterranean Style” has infested California like a swarm of locusts. In this case, you are picking out “Tile,” period. Even in that, however, there is a whole “subset” of material to choose from, including real, original clay tile. Most tiles used now are concrete and cast with or without textures on the surface to range them in look from “Slate?” to Mission, to simulated wood shake and shingles. Disadvantage: Weight. Advantage: Fireproof–not just fire resistant, Fire-Proof! (I did mention California?). Fire resistance is a good choice wherever you are. No matter where I built (OK, Siberia maybe not) I would use a Class A fire-rated roofing system. It is another area where the cost increase is insignificant (and likely already part of the better-quality product) and fits the category of SOP (Standard Operating Procedure).
If the house is to have a unique character or the character is “open” as to choice, I am a fan of your basic “upscaled” asphalt or fiberglas shingle. Once again there is a wide variety of choice in this product as well in shape, thickness and color. On a fixer-upper home of my own I re-roofed with a “50 Year, Architectural Grade, Class A fire rated, Fiberglas Shingle.” Part of the description is the term “dimensional” meaning there is a variety in thickness and shapes in the surface to give the look more “dimension” than a flat, totally uniform (boring) surface. These features give the roof a much more important role in the overall character of the home. The 50 year term has to do with the type of warranty that comes with the product, including the fine print, so read up on your product choices. I chose the highest grade because I wanted the thickest material to create the most “texture” displayed in the roof.
The building code requirements for applying or re-applying a new roof are well spelled out, and any licensed contractor has to be aware of these. It is important on a roofing project that if you are hiring a contractor to do the work that they are properly licensed and that they carry the proper and necessary insurance, both for you and the workers. Falling off of a roof can mess up someone’s day big time, I know, I have done it–and it was my own roof! My new Native American name became “Broken Ankle.”
In closing, the best choice for the roofing on your house is the best one you can find. Even if the choice is made by the home designer or builder in some cases, it is important for you, the homeowner, to do a decent amount of homework on the best products for your area. Roofing comes in Wood (which I would never use), asphalt, fiberglas, concrete, metal and a host of synthetic materials worth looking into also. The best advice is to not get talked into an inferior product by someone trying to sell you or get your job with a cheap price. It is also essential that you look at the actual product and not just pick something from a printed catalog. Color in particular can be substantially different than the printed picture. Sample boards are available for all of these products, although concrete tile you will have to go to the “yard” to look at.
The roof is a major component in your home’s look, longevity and weather efficiency. Information is readily available for your review and decision making. The architect and builder can be instrumental in showing products they think fit the criteria, but you need to be involved in the decision to know the what and whys, as well as the variety of elements that go into the decision. You can do it!
