Repairing a leaking roof often means installing a whole new roof. A homeowner’s decision to put on a new roof often takes into consideration the existing exterior, eliminating maintenance and cost and availability of roofing materials. Other reasons can be to improve the homes appearance and increase the value of their home.
Trending in the roofing industry is to improve the home’s energy efficiency as well as keeping the home safe and dry. Among the considerations are the immediate results such as reducing the heating and cooling costs as well as long term effects on landfills and the heat island effect in many cities.
Do It Yourself Types
Choosing a contractor or deciding to do the re-roofing yourself can also be a big decision. You may very well be capable of doing the work yourself, but oftentimes it is more cost efficient to hire a crew to do the work in terms of time loss from work and the demanding physical aspects to roofing a house.
There are more choices than ever in roofing materials. The standard asphalt shingles now come in thicker and heavier varieties with a choice of colors never offered before. Depending on the climate where you live, slate, clay or concrete tiles are another option. In fire prone areas people are getting away from wood shakes and shingles and replacing them with more fire retardant roofing materials.
With the advent of technology, you can now buy concrete tiles that “eat” smog, glass type shingles that run channels of water underneath to keep the home warmer, and shingles with photovoltaic cells to harness the sun’s rays for electricity.
Talking with your roofing contractor and discussing the features that you want will help you in making the decisions easier when it comes time to putting a new roof on your home.
