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A Roof Over Your Head: Materials for the Roof From "Blueprint for Home Building" episode DBHB-106

Figure A

Now that you know the components and design elements of a roof, it's time to find out about the materials used to cover a roof, as well as which ones might be the best for you.

"For choosing a roof, there's a really wide variety of choices, from specialty roofing products, which include tile, slate, metal roofs," Brian Chambers, Roofing Products Manager for Owens Corning, said. "But most roofs today are fiberglass shingles. That makes up the majority of roofing products that are available."

Fiberglass shingles (figure A) are made from a thin layer of fiberglass and then surrounded and coated in weather-grade asphalt, and then specially designed granules on the surface that give fire protection and give the color.

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	Figure B
	Figure C

Like shingles, tiles come in a wide variety of materials, all of which can be incorporated into a roofing system. There are many tile options -- lightweight or standard weights and different designs, colors and finishes. And if clay, wood, asphalt and fiberglass don't work for you, give concrete a try.

Note: Concrete tile is a very popular product, in fact, and it comes in many shapes. And the colors and styles of concrete tiles are widening every day.

Because concrete tiles (figure B) are heavier than clay tiles or wood shingles, you'll need to make sure that the frame of your roof can support them. Otherwise the added weight can damage the roof framing over a period of time.

Another popular roofing material that will help keep the elements out is metal, which has been around for a long time -- especially in commercial markets. The new information, by the way, is in the residential market. There are different shapes and styles (figure C) and they look like any other type of roofing that you might see on the house down the street.

Note: A metal roof is installed much the same way a tile or shingle roof is, in that it uses an underlayment. It's a highly durable roofing and extremely wind-proof.

	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F

Which Roofing Material Is Best for My Roof?

The best roofing material for your roof could depend upon three different factors:

1. What style do you want for your roof? You really need to determine what look you're going for and the style you want. Also consider how long you think you'll be in the home, which will dictate the type of product you should use. If you think about a lot of new construction, where maybe 30 to 50 percent of the exterior that you see of the home is the roof line (figure D), it's important to consider if this look complements your entire exterior. And you should always think in terms of dollars per year. If you use the thinnest and cheapest composition shingle roof in a "hail" area, you can't expect to get too many years of life out of it.

   Note: A composition shingle is anything made from asphalt and a base material such as fiberglass, polyester or any other matte material that may impregnate with asphalt -- covered in a granular surface.

2. The second factor should be cost! Composition shingles (figure E) are the best value for the money, but tile roofs are extremely durable and offer an indefinite lifetime, however, they can be fragile and subject to breakage.

   Just make sure the material you choose fits within the budget you've allowed for your roof.

3. The final factor to consider when choosing roofing materials is location. If you live in a heavy snowfall area or heavy rainfall, the harsh conditions may dictate what kind of materials, as well as how steep of a pitch, you should have. For example, snowfall areas should avoid clay tile because they can become easily damaged. You also want to avoid flat roofs because they can allow snow to accumulate -- and left unchecked can seriously damage your home.

   In the Midwest and on the East Coast, you'll tend to see steeper roofs (figure F) than you will on the West Coast. That's a matter of function a swell as form since they like to get the snow off their roofs as quickly as possible.

   Roofing in the South takes on a different flair than roofing on the West Coast, generally speaking, because of the rainfall amounts. They're dealing with a much great threat of heavy rain, and those roofs are not only designed to handle the rain, but should be designed to evacuate that rain from the surrounding property.

   Some of the roofing materials that work well in areas of heavy rainfall are concrete tiles and composition shingles. This is because they do a great job of evacuating the snow and rain from the roof.

You've found out some of the materials you can use on your roof. In the next segment it's time to start installing your roof.

GUESTS :

John Broniek
Buildings Programs Manager
Ibacos
Website: www.ibacos.com

Rick Betts
Owner
Spartan Supply
Website: www.spartansupply.com

Robert Osborn Jr.
2517 w 237th St., Suite D
Torrance, CA 90505
Phone: 310-326-5678
E-mail: ozzyrobert@netscape.net

Tom Black
Executive Director
Metal Roofing Alliance
3309 56 NW, Suite 105
Gig Harbor, WA
E-mail: tlblack@ix.netcom.com