When roofing fails, moisture penetrates your home and causes costly damage. As your current roof ages, it’s vital to have it regularly inspected so small, needed repairs don’t turn into large ones. Here are some questions to help you uncover if it’s time for a roof replacement:
- Is your current roof over 20-30 years old?
- Are your shingles missing, cracked or curled up?
- Do you see moisture spots on the ceilings inside your home?
- Did your current roof warranty expire?
- Do your shingles look visibly worn out?
- Was your roof damaged by severe weather or hail?
- Are several of your neighbors getting a new roof?
- Are your utilities bills high? You may need the energy-saving insulation and ventilation a new roof provides.
Choosing which shingles are best for your home
Asphalt shingles
Popular asphalt shingles are on most of today’s homes. They offer a cost-effective choice that has a track record of durability. They install easily and are readily available, saving you time on your roofing installation. Asphalt shingles are highly customizable, as they come in a wide variety of colors and styles to complement your home. CertainTeed asphalt shingles offer premium performance for the lifetime of your roof. The three types of asphalt shingles to choose from include:
- 3-Tab Asphalt Shingles—These shingles are made from durable fiberglass and coated with minerals, giving a textured look to their color. These shingles have a clean, horizontal look, and their exposed layer is notched into three tabs to boost its overall look. This is an affordable asphalt shingle option that offers functional roofing which lasts up to 20 years. These can tend to not last as long as other asphalt shingle products.
- Dimensional Asphalt Shingles—These are the most popular asphalt shingles on the market. They look amazing, and come in a wide variety of colors to complement your home perfectly. They are significantly more cost effective than wood shakes, yet they look fabulous. These asphalt shingles are also known as Architectural Laminate Shingles, and they offer superior strength and durability. They have a multi-dimensional look to them, and last over 30 years. They have a greater initial investment than the 3-tab shingle, but they are projected to last at least a decade longer. They often come with a 30-year warranty.
- Luxury Shingles—Also known as premium shingles, this is the most durable asphalt shingle on the market. It’s more cost effective than slate or cedar roofing, and does a fabulous job at mimicking the look of natural slate or cedar. The multi-dimensional texture of luxury shingles gives your roof shadows and depths that mimic shakes or slate at a fraction of the cost. They have extra layers, boosting their ability to resist tears and damage caused by severe weather, tornadoes, and even hail.
Synthetic shingles
These are made from materials to mimic the look of wood, clay, slate, shake, cedar and asphalt shingles. Popular synthetic roof shingles provide you with low maintenance and combine plastic polymers, fibers, and resins to make lasting shingles. The new F-Wave Synthetic Shingle changed the nature of roofing shingles. These durable shingles were designed to outperform asphalt wood and slate.
Tile
These great looking shingles reflect heat, so they are popular in the southern states where summer heat can be sweltering. Tile roofing can last 50-100 years or more. It comes with a substantial warranty (for example, one of the nation’s oldest tile manufacturers, Ludowici offers a 75-year warranty).
Metal roof
This versatile roofing can last up to 50 years with proper installation and maintenance. The standing seam roof is the most common metal roof. The straight raised ribs on each metal panel run vertically on the roof slope. Metal roofing is versatile in its appearance, and can also be made to look like wood shakes, tile, slate, and more.
Slate roof
Popular in the Northeastern states, slate roofing can last over 100 years with the right installation and maintenance. Durable, eco-friendly and fireproof, these gorgeous shingles have been used since the mid 1800s when they replaced wood shingles. They give you a 100% natural roof with attractive color variations.
Wood shingles
This sustainable roofing material provides excellent insulation and gives your home a distinct style. Wood shingles and wood shakes have been used on roofs since Colonial times.
Terracotta
This “baked earth,” or clay, roofing material is 100% natural and has been used for centuries. It’s generally a blend of brown and orange in color, and takes on the natural color of the clay in the region in which it was manufactured. This Spanish tile, mission look can last for decades.
A Local Denver Roofing Contractor
Don’t settle for an inferior roofing contractor. Get premium materials and expert roof installation from Refined Exteriors. Call to schedule a free estimate, and in the meantime, check out our gallery of recent projects.
