Roofing Choices

A roof protects all your other investments

A NEW ROOF luckily isn't something you need very often – but when the time rolls around, once every twenty years or so, it's a big and important investment. With the wide selection of materials and contractors out there today, it's vital that you educate yourself and make the right choice. The last thing you want is to be tearing up shingles a few years down the road, disrupting your life and shelling out the cash all over again, just because mistakes were made. A roof protects all your other investments, so a little time and effort spent finding the right roof for your home and budget are well worth it.

Choosing a Roof

Roofing comes with more decorative options than ever before. Choosing the right roof isn't just about function, but about fashion too. Roofs today can be colourful and detailed, with styles chosen to match your home's exterior and the surrounding landscape. But no amount of style is worth sacrificing quality, so a good understanding of different roofing materials is key before you start looking at catalogues and sample swatches.

Shingles still seem to reign supreme as a roofing material, but even if you've decided to go this route there are still decisions to be made. Organic shingles have been gaining popularity over standard fiberglass shingles, but it's at least partially because of catchy terminology and a big misconception – namely that organic shingles aren't petroleum based, which in fact they are. In terms of longevity and the cost of environmentally safe disposal, the difference compared to fiberglass is negligible; some roofers suggest that organic shingles will be a forgotten trend in a decade or two.

More interesting is the development of designer architectural shingles, which come in the form of full strips with shadow lines that simulate the look of shingles or shakes, rather than the three-tab construction of traditional shingles. This makes it possible to mimic all sorts of roofing styles without any special costs or installation procedures. Architectural shingles also present a huge selection of colours from subtle to striking, as well as a range of textures, sizes
and shapes
to perfectly suit your vision. They are a good alternative to cedar shakes which, though beautiful, tend not to be durable anymore. Unlike the cedar construction of centuries past that used wood from old-growth trees, today's cedar is all reforested and far less reliable for use in such an important part of the home.

Another option is to eschew shingles altogether and invest in steel roofing. Steel has the advantage of longevity, but there's no avoiding the higher price tag – often around three times higher. A steel roof can easily last fifty years or more, and the paints and other finishes for steel are constantly being improved to require less and less maintenance. Ultimately things balance out and there are no real savings over shingles, but there is a reduction in hassle that many homeowners crave.

Choosing a Contractor

No roof is going to do the job if it isn't installed correctly. Finding a good roofing contractor is every bit as important as choosing the right roof. Get referrals and check references as you would with any contractor, and make sure you find someone who not only installs but also will follow through with service, repair and warranty issues in the future. Any resistance to these things is probably a bad sign.

If an offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. This crops up all over the roofing trade, since disreputable contractors know that people are making a big investment and will often leap on a good deal without looking too closely. One example is disposal fees for old shingles: too much of a price break here might mean a contractor isn't using a proper recycling facility, which is illegal and hazardous to the environment. Another thing to watch for is improper prep work before installing new shingles – usually the use of cheap felt paper without any ice and water shields. This will eventually lead to ice dams and expensive repairs, or even the need for a brand new roof.

Your roof protects your home and all the rest of your investments, whatever they might be. Hardwood floors, custom upholstery, a grand piano – they all get treated with care, and the roof over them deserves the same. When replacing a roof, the most important things are to educate yourself, make careful choices and find a contractor you can trust. You don't have to do it often, so make sure you do it right.

Resource materials & photos provided by:
Orangeville Renovations & Roofing Ltd.