Dear Jim: We are adding a room to our house and I want a high-quality attractive roof. I am already on my second shingle roof. What are the best alternative materials for reroofing the old one and the new roof? — Bill H.
Dear Bill: There are many excellent traditional and new high-tech roofing options instead of standard twenty- to twenty-five-year shingles. They are available in many styles, surface textures, and colors to give your home a distinctive look. With their contoured shapes, they also reduce interior heat in the summer.
Most of these roofing materials are fireproof or fire-resistant. Burning embers from a nearby house fire, or even your own fireplace chimney, may start a fire on your roof. Some states require fire-rated roofing materials and your insurance company may lower your premiums based on a new fireproof roof.
Although most alternative roofing materials cost more than standard shingles, many have lifetime warranties. Even if you do not plan to stay in your house forever, most of the roof warranties are transferable to new owners. This can enhance the marketability and resale value of your home.
The main types of nonmetallic roofing materials to consider are clay tiles, cement tiles, fiber-cement, slate, plastic-fiber, and cedar. These are also good for the environment because they are made of either natural or recycled materials and they will not end up in a landfill in twenty years.
Clay tile (available in many styles and shapes) has been used for centuries and is extremely durable. There are new lightweight clay tiles that can be used to reroof a house without the necessity of fortifying the roof structure. They are durable and often come with full lifetime warranties.
Concrete can be formed into any roofing material shape — tiles, shakes, slate, etc. From the ground, you cannot distinguish it from the material that it simulates. Natural oxides of various metals are added to give it any color you wish. They are attached using the same methods as clay or slate roofing.
Fiber-cement roofing tiles and shakes are made of recycled cellulose fiber and cement. They have similar properties of concrete tiles, but they weigh less and can be used for most reroofing jobs. Some manufacturers do not recommended their products for areas with frequent freeze-thaw cycles.
Slate, like clay tiles, lasts forever and looks beautiful. There are subtle color and surface texture variations that give a house an elegant look. It weighs as much as 3,200 pounds per 100 square feet, so extra support is needed.
New plastic-fiber roofing material can be molded into any shape. It uses recycled plastic from hose and waterbed factories and wood fibers from old pallets. Like some attractive fire-retardant cedar shakes, it has a fifty-year warranty.
Write for (or instantly download) Update Bulletin No. 539, selector guide of twenty roofing material manufacturers, types, styles, warranties, and features. Please include $3 and a business-size SASE. James Dulley, Conscious Choice, 6906 Royalgreen Dr., Cincinnati, OH 45244
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