If you’re replacing a roof or building a home, you should know there are a lot of choices in roofing materials. That may make your decision tougher, but the good news is that, in the past 10 years phenomenal advances have been made in the roofing industry. Roofs today require less upkeep and last longer.

This article is not meant to make you an expert on roofing materials or roofing construction. Rather, I just want to give you an overview of choices. Your ultimate decision comes down to evaluating appearance, cost, and practicality.

Let’s take a look at the common roof types.

Asphalt Shingle Roof

The most common home roof is the asphalt shingle roof. Reinforced with organic material, wood fibers or fiberglass, asphalt shingles can last 20 to 30 years. Laminated shingles are also made of asphalt but come in a greater variety of colors and textures that give the appearance of more expensive shake or slate tiles. This choice is the least-expensive roofing option and thus, an excellent value.

Wood Shake Shingle Roof

For looks, it’s hard to beat a wood shingle roof. Most roof shakes are made of treated pine, spruce or more commonly, cedar. Wood shingles are usually cut by machine, giving them a smooth finish and making it easier to install. Initially shakes appear brown or red in color but expect the weather to fade the real wood and leave it a soft gray. Installation costs of wood shingles can run as much as 50% higher than asphalt shingles. They also require some periodic maintenance such as washing to remove any mildew or moss and re-oiling with a clear wood finishing product. A cedar roof should last up to 30 years.
Slate Shingles

Slate is beautiful and lasts an average of 45 to 70 years. Slate sheds ice and snow, but is heavy and harder to install. The slate shingles are easily breakable and slate costs up to 4 times more than other shingle materials. The weight of the slate requires a beefier roof structure which can also add to the cost.

Ceramic Tiles

Ceramic tiles are often made from clay, some of concrete and even rubber. There’s a large variety of colors and styles of tile roofing available today. Clay is more expensive than concrete but the basic performance, durability and look of the tiles is the same. Lasting more than 50 years, this type of tile is very heavy and your roof may need extra support. Installation is labor intensive, which makes a tile roof quite expensive — about three times the cost of a standard shingle job.

Other Options

Steel, aluminum, metal tie and copper are just a few of the metal roofing materials used today. Although primarily used for commercial roofing, metal is also a great choice for a house in snow and agricultural regions. Installed correctly, most metal roofing will last 30 to 50 years, while copper can last up to 100 years.

There are many other manufactured materials, the so-called “fakes”, made from recycled rubber and plastic or even a cement-like shingle manufactured to look like a wood shake. These “engineered” products are usually lighter weight and less expensive than their “real” version and can be installed using standard tools and techniques. The average person can hardly tell the difference and they’re typically guaranteed to last as long as 50 years.

Although this is an imposing list, the decision is often dictated by climate or neighborhood conformity. If everyone in the neighborhood has shake or tile, you’re probably going to follow that norm. Once you’ve selected a material, don’t cut corners. Make sure your builder or roofing contractor pays attention to details like flashing, fastening, and sealing. You may not know about those details but they do and, you can get a sense of how important they consider them.

If you want more details, check out our pros and cons of roofing types.

We’re a professional roofing company and are happy to answer any questions you leave in the comments below.