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Bob Vila’s Guide to Roofing

To help you decide which of today's many roofing materials will work best on your home, take a look at our quick, cut-to-the-chase rundown of the most common options.

By Marisa Villarreal

Whether you are building a new house or renovating your current home, the roof will be one of the most important choices you make. Aesthetics are important, but so too are your roofing material’s cost, weight, installation requirements, and suitability for your climate. More often than not, if you are remodeling, the existing roof will determine your choice of material. In addition, the condition and geometry of the existing roof may affect the cost. For example, if old roofing needs to be removed or the roof deck needs repair, or if your home has multiple chimneys, intersecting rooflines, skylights, or other elements, you can expect to pay for the additional work required for a quality installation.

As is the case with exterior siding, the style of your house will influence your choice of roofing material. Know, however, that many different types of roofing materials offer similar looks—composite shingles can look like slate, metal roofing can look like wood shakes, and some asphalt shingles can even provide solar benefits. Use this roofing guide to familiarize yourself with the options, then talk with a qualified roofing contractor who can explain the differences between the materials and outline their benefits and costs.

The roof is definitely one of the most important parts of the house for it provides protection against harsh weather and other damaging elements. Whether you are constructing or renovating a house, or simply replacing your current roof, it is important for every homeowner like to know the different roofing materials available, and to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each.

According to an article from BobVila written by Marisa Villarreal, selecting a roof depends on how your house is designed and structured. Of course, a homeowner should not sacrifice the quality of the roof, specifically its durability and ability to withstand climate and potential damage, merely for the house’s overall aesthetics and design. It’s recommended that you consult with a reliable Columbus roofer for tips and information on which type of roofing material is suitable for your home’s protection, as well as its architectural design.

Some popular roofing materials include asphalt, clay, concrete, and metal. Asphalt shingles are the most popular choice among homeowners, mainly because they are affordable and are relatively easy to install. In addition to being widely available and coming in a variety of colors, they could also be made of fiberglass, an asphalt coating, and ceramic granules on the surface, making them quite durable and energy efficient.

Clay and concrete roofs, meanwhile, are costly but aesthetically appealing and long-lasting. The BobVila article, however, warns homeowners that these roofs are heavier than most, hence professional consultation is necessary to determine if the house can carry their weight.

Roofs that are becoming more popular in recent years are metal roofing systems. “Metal roofing is generally made of steel, aluminum, or copper, and can be stamped into many shapes and styles. There is no material more capable of protecting a structure from wind, rain, hail, fire, or rot than a durable and energy-efficient metal roof,” Marisa Villarreal states in her article. Metal roofs are available in a variety of styles and are fire-resistant and considerably more lightweight.

Before you make any purchase or roofing decision, it is best that you get in touch with established roofing contractors such as Ohio Exteriors that provide excellent and affordable services in installation and roof repair in Columbus, Ohio. With the right roof for your home, you can be assured that your house is given the utmost quality and protection.

The purpose of home owner’s insurance is to protect homeowners against losses in their property’s value due to damage that is beyond their control. If you have hail damage, you have experienced a financial loss in that your original investment of a 20-year roof (for example) has now been reduced to a 5-10 year useful life span. Your insurance company will compensate you for your loss and replace your roof.

The insidious nature of hail damage is that it may pose no immediate threat to the structural integrity of the roof. However, many insurance companies have a “statute of limitations” of how long a hail claim is viable. If you have experienced a loss such as hail damage it is prudent to take care of the problem in a timely manner before it leads to other associated problems.

Shingles are designed so that the granules block the UV of the sun and protect the asphalt underlayment. As the shingles age the granules fall off over time. As the asphalt is exposed the UV, it dries out and the shingle gets a “potato chip” appearance as the corners start to curl up. A shingle at the extreme end of its life is bubbled in appearance and is brittle to the touch. A 20-year shingle is warranteed by the manufacturer to have a useful life, under optimal ventilation conditions, of 20 years. Hail does several things:

1. Accelerates granule loss.
2. Accelerates shingle aging.
3. Voids manufacturer’s warrantees.
4. Leads to other associated problems.

If you’ve had hail in your area, to determine if the shingles have been damaged a close inspection of the shingles has to be made from the roof. Usually you cannot tell from the ground.

The condition and lifespan of your roof will depend on the type of roof you have, the effects of your local environment and the maintenance which the roof has received. According to the American Society of Home Inspectors, asphalt shingles generally last 15-20 years; wood shingle/shakes, 10-40 years; clay/concrete tiles, 20+ years; slate, 30-100 years; metal roofing, 15-40+years. Roofing product manufacturers off a variety of warranties on their products.Take a close look at those warranties to see what responsibilities and financial obligations they will assume if their products fail to reach their expected lifetimes.

Most work should not be do-it-yourself. Professional roofing contractors are trained to safely and efficiently repair or replace a roof. Novices can harm a roof with improper roofing techniques and severely injure themselves by falling off or even through a roof in need of repair or replacement. Homeowner maintenance should be confined to roof inspections in both the fall and spring to check for cracked or curling shingles, and to cleaning rain gutters filled with dead leaves and other debris. If you must see the roof for yourself, use a firmly braced or tied-off ladder equipped with rubber safety feet. Wear rubber-soled shoes and stay on the ladder (and off the roof) if possible.

Not necessarily. Leaking can result because some flashings have come loose or because a section of the roof has been damaged. A roof failure, however, is generally irreversible and results from improper installation or choice of materials, or from the installation of a roof system inappropriate to the building.

You have two basic options. You can choose a complete replacement of the roof system, involving a tear-off of the old roof, or a re-cover over the existing roof, involving only the installation of a new membrane and surfacing. If you’ve already had one recover over your original roof, check with a professional roofing contractor to see if your deck can support a second recover.

The following are things that may indicate that your roof needs replacing:

• Missing, cracked or curling shingles
• Blistering or peeling paint
• Shingle, sheathing or siding decay
• Leakage in the attic after heavy rains
• Stains on interior walls or ceilings
• High energy bills

The answer to this question depends on many factors. For a commitment-free quote, please contact Liz at 614-372-7459 or Liz@OhioExteriors.com.