Beware the Home Improvement Video With Roofing Information
While many industries have really felt the pinch from the pandemic, the home improvement industry has actually gotten a boost. With more people staying at home watching the latest home improvement video, more people are deciding that they want to do a little improvement of their own.
About 80% of homeowners responded in 2013 that they had plans to finish a home improvement remodeling project that year. It is very likely at least that many homeowners plan to do the same this year. If you have become a home improvement video aficionado and are thinking about a new roof, one of the best moves you can make is to learn as much as you can about roofing materials and other options.
Getting Started
If that home improvement video of that homeowner that installed their own roof has you thinking “Hmm, I can do that,” put the brakes on. A home improvement video is usually edited to take out all the “extras” the DIY maven does not want you to see.
Considering the length of the average home improvement video is about three minutes, you are missing out on a lot of what happens with a new roof installation. There is a reason that there are professional roofers. Roofing is an acquired skill that comes from on-the-job experience and direction from someone that has mastered the craft.
You cannot learn what you need to know about roofing options, repair, and or installation from a home improvement video. Before you start buying materials you need to know what options are available and which options are best for your specific region.
Making Simple Repairs
A detailed home improvement video can be a good tutorial for making a simple roof repair. For example, you lost a couple of asphalt shingles during the last storm. Following along with a home improvement video that describes how to replace missing shingles can be a good solution.
Your roof is one of the most critical systems in your home, it is not something you want to risk to chance. If you are apprehensive at all about making roof repairs, forget the home improvement video tutorial and just call in the experts.
A roofing specialist can quickly diagnose any issues with your roof and get the repairs done to perfection. You do not want to have to worry about the safety or the reliability of your roof. Even the best home improvement video cannot address all the potential obstacles you may face during the repair process. You may find halfway through the repairs that you are out of your league and have to call in the experts anyway.
Decisions Need to Be Made
When you are contemplating a new roof are you imagining a sloped roof? Are you thinking about the benefits of a flat roof? How about the materials? Are you considering metal roofing materials or do you want to go the cost-saving route with some asphalt roofing shingles?
There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to roof installations that your run of the mill home improvement video just does not address. Gathering all the information you can about your options is vital to making an informed decision.
There are primarily two types of roof structures. The sloped roof and the flat roof. The sloped roof is the one that you most often see on residential properties, while the flat roof structure is most often seen on commercial type structures, each comes with a range of benefits and some cons.
If you are serious about a new roof, starting by making a decision about the structure of your roof is a good place to start. Which type of roof is best for your home? See, already that home improvement video did not give you this vital part of the information you need.
A Flat Roof
A flat roof structure is a roof without a noticeable pitch. One of the biggest benefits of a flat roof is how it affects the interior space. Because the roof is flat you get more interior space. Think about an attic in a house with a traditional sloped roof. Valuable space is lost because of the slope. The ceiling slopes on the interior and makes it difficult to stand upright in the attic. With a flat roof, you can truly utilize the space directly under the roof.
Remodeling contractors can help you take your sloped roof and make it into a flat roof. A flat roof can also be easier to maintain. A flat roof does not use shingles. It can be coated every few years to keep it in good shape and worry-free.
Of course, it is not all good news. A flat roof is not really great for very large (width and length large) homes. It will have to be created with a pitch in several areas to ensure that pooling does not occur. You wind up with a roof with many peaks and valleys which drives up the cost.
Just like a sloped or pitched roof a flat roof can be complemented with gutter installation to help keep water flowing away from the house, but gutters may not be as effective on a flat roof as it is on a sloped roof. Gravity keeps things moving in the right direction when it comes to how water travels.
One final thing that a flat roof can bring to the table. Energy efficiency. There is some evidence that a flat roof can help you to get more energy-efficient heating out of your home. Of course, it is a lot easier to have a flat roof installed from the beginning. If you are not trying to change your roof because of a home improvement video you saw and you are thinking about what type of roof you need for your new home build, it is easier for a home builder to install it from the start. Retrofitting your current home with a flat roof can mean some major architectural and structural changes.
Sloped Roofs
Sloped roofs are roofs that are built with peaks. Why is this the residential favorite? Sloped roofs look better on most style homes. Flat roofs look better on very modern minimalist type styles, but sloped roofs look better on every other style home.
Sloped roofs are fewer maintenance headaches for the homeowner. They require minimal maintenance and if you choose the right materials can last up to 50 years (metal roofs). To get a new look out of your old roof all you really need is roofing remodeling contractors that can do a little re-roofing job to your current roof.
Sloped roofs are naturally better at moving water away from your home. Pooling does not occur (if your roof is done right), and most sloped roof materials can take tons of wear and tear without ever failing.
You can improve the energy efficiency of your sloped roof by using highly efficient roofing materials. There is a range of products on the market that are made with energy efficiency in mind. A roofing contractor can provide you with all your material options and explain what the differences are to help you make an informed decision.
Sloped Or Flat? It Really Depends on Where You Live
Another risk of using a home improvement video as guidance for choosing which structure roof you want for your home is different structures do better in different regions. For example, if you live in a heavy snow area (a region that gets a lot of snow in the winter) a flat roof may not be the best option. Why? Snow is heavy and it tends to pile up on flat roofs. You may have to spend a lot of your time literally shoveling the snow off your roof or risk failure.
A home improvement video may not be the best guidelines for you to follow if you live in Minnesota and the creator of the video lives in Texas. The region that you live in and the weather that is most likely to occur plays a big part in choosing the right structure for your roof and additionally in choosing the roofing materials.
The Materials
While there are primarily two major types of roof structures there are numerous roofing materials that can be used to shore up your roof. Here is a shortlist of some of the roofing materials that are available:
- Metal panels
- Asphalt shingles, slate shingles, stone covered steel shingles, tile shingles, clay and concrete tiles, green roofs, and rubber tiles.
- Rubber roofs, natural product roofs, solar tile roofs.
There is a litany of materials that can be used to create a roof. Of course, cost plays a big role in what type of roofing material most homeowners select. The home improvement video probably did not give you all the details about cost-plus value or cost plus return on your investment.
According to the National Home Insurance Organization asphalt tiles are still the most popular home roofing tiles, and here is why. They are fire retardant, abundantly available, come in a wide range of colors, and they are the least expensive of all roofing materials for sloped roofs.
Depending on the asphalt tiles you choose, your roof can have a life expectancy between 15-30 years, which means you get a pretty good return on your investment. If you have the money and want to never have to worry about your roof again, metal roofing may be the right choice for you. A metal roof comes with no to low maintenance and has a life expectancy of 50 plus years in some cases.
Deciding which roofing material is right for your home starts with talking to a roofing expert to get all the details, examining your budget, and looking for the best value. A new roof installation is a big investment no matter how you twist or turn it. Taking the time to make the right choice is vital to getting the value that you deserve.
A Word About Energy Efficiency
One of the best ways to find energy efficiency materials that you want for your roof (besides consulting with a trusted roofing company) is to look for the energy star rating on the roofing materials. The energy star rating can help to reveal the products that are going to give you the best energy efficiency for your roof.
The higher the energy star rating the better energy efficiency the product has to offer. For example, if you live in the southern tier states in the US, you get a lot of hot sunny days, a good material for your roofing would be any product that can reflect some of that sunlight away from your home. In this case, you want to look for roofing material for your roofing installation that has a high energy star rating for reflective properties.
One of the keys to making your roof more energy-efficient year-round is to use a high-quality underlayment. The underlayment acts as a blanket for your home. It is a barrier that is placed under the exterior roofing materials to shore up the energy efficiency of the roofing material.
Roofs Are Complicated Systems
Most average homeowners do not realize how complicated their roofing system is. It is typical that a home improvement video does not address the complexities of a roof either. This important system (and it is a complete system) is tasked with not only protecting your home but is tasked with protecting every other system in your home.
Before you make changes to your roof, or even make repairs, it is always a good idea to get some professional input. A home improvement video cannot possibly give you all the information you need. You can get some general ideas about roof repair and the different types of structures and materials from a home improvement video, but you should always follow up that basic knowledge with a conversation with a pro.
Good luck with your roofing project, here’s to years of trusted protection from your new roof.
While many industries have really felt the pinch from the pandemic, the home improvement industry has actually gotten a boost. With more people staying at home watching the latest home improvement video, more people are deciding that they want to do a little improvement of their own.
About 80% of homeowners responded in 2013 that they had plans to finish a home improvement remodeling project that year. It is very likely at least that many homeowners plan to do the same this year. If you have become a home improvement video aficionado and are thinking about a new roof, one of the best moves you can make is to learn as much as you can about roofing materials and other options.
Getting Started
If that home improvement video of that homeowner that installed their own roof has you thinking “Hmm, I can do that,” put the brakes on. A home improvement video is usually edited to take out all the “extras” the DIY maven does not want you to see.
Considering the length of the average home improvement video is about three minutes, you are missing out on a lot of what happens with a new roof installation. There is a reason that there are professional roofers. Roofing is an acquired skill that comes from on-the-job experience and direction from someone that has mastered the craft.
You cannot learn what you need to know about roofing options, repair, and or installation from a home improvement video. Before you start buying materials you need to know what options are available and which options are best for your specific region.
Making Simple Repairs
A detailed home improvement video can be a good tutorial for making a simple roof repair. For example, you lost a couple of asphalt shingles during the last storm. Following along with a home improvement video that describes how to replace missing shingles can be a good solution.
Your roof is one of the most critical systems in your home, it is not something you want to risk to chance. If you are apprehensive at all about making roof repairs, forget the home improvement video tutorial and just call in the experts.
A roofing specialist can quickly diagnose any issues with your roof and get the repairs done to perfection. You do not want to have to worry about the safety or the reliability of your roof. Even the best home improvement video cannot address all the potential obstacles you may face during the repair process. You may find halfway through the repairs that you are out of your league and have to call in the experts anyway.
Decisions Need to Be Made
When you are contemplating a new roof are you imagining a sloped roof? Are you thinking about the benefits of a flat roof? How about the materials? Are you considering metal roofing materials or do you want to go the cost-saving route with some asphalt roofing shingles?
There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to roof installations that your run of the mill home improvement video just does not address. Gathering all the information you can about your options is vital to making an informed decision.
There are primarily two types of roof structures. The sloped roof and the flat roof. The sloped roof is the one that you most often see on residential properties, while the flat roof structure is most often seen on commercial type structures, each comes with a range of benefits and some cons.
If you are serious about a new roof, starting by making a decision about the structure of your roof is a good place to start. Which type of roof is best for your home? See, already that home improvement video did not give you this vital part of the information you need.
A Flat Roof
A flat roof structure is a roof without a noticeable pitch. One of the biggest benefits of a flat roof is how it affects the interior space. Because the roof is flat you get more interior space. Think about an attic in a house with a traditional sloped roof. Valuable space is lost because of the slope. The ceiling slopes on the interior and makes it difficult to stand upright in the attic. With a flat roof, you can truly utilize the space directly under the roof.
Remodeling contractors can help you take your sloped roof and make it into a flat roof. A flat roof can also be easier to maintain. A flat roof does not use shingles. It can be coated every few years to keep it in good shape and worry-free.
Of course, it is not all good news. A flat roof is not really great for very large (width and length large) homes. It will have to be created with a pitch in several areas to ensure that pooling does not occur. You wind up with a roof with many peaks and valleys which drives up the cost.
Just like a sloped or pitched roof a flat roof can be complemented with gutter installation to help keep water flowing away from the house, but gutters may not be as effective on a flat roof as it is on a sloped roof. Gravity keeps things moving in the right direction when it comes to how water travels.
One final thing that a flat roof can bring to the table. Energy efficiency. There is some evidence that a flat roof can help you to get more energy-efficient heating out of your home. Of course, it is a lot easier to have a flat roof installed from the beginning. If you are not trying to change your roof because of a home improvement video you saw and you are thinking about what type of roof you need for your new home build, it is easier for a home builder to install it from the start. Retrofitting your current home with a flat roof can mean some major architectural and structural changes.
Sloped Roofs
Sloped roofs are roofs that are built with peaks. Why is this the residential favorite? Sloped roofs look better on most style homes. Flat roofs look better on very modern minimalist type styles, but sloped roofs look better on every other style home.
Sloped roofs are fewer maintenance headaches for the homeowner. They require minimal maintenance and if you choose the right materials can last up to 50 years (metal roofs). To get a new look out of your old roof all you really need is roofing remodeling contractors that can do a little re-roofing job to your current roof.
Sloped roofs are naturally better at moving water away from your home. Pooling does not occur (if your roof is done right), and most sloped roof materials can take tons of wear and tear without ever failing.
You can improve the energy efficiency of your sloped roof by using highly efficient roofing materials. There is a range of products on the market that are made with energy efficiency in mind. A roofing contractor can provide you with all your material options and explain what the differences are to help you make an informed decision.
Sloped Or Flat? It Really Depends on Where You Live
Another risk of using a home improvement video as guidance for choosing which structure roof you want for your home is different structures do better in different regions. For example, if you live in a heavy snow area (a region that gets a lot of snow in the winter) a flat roof may not be the best option. Why? Snow is heavy and it tends to pile up on flat roofs. You may have to spend a lot of your time literally shoveling the snow off your roof or risk failure.
A home improvement video may not be the best guidelines for you to follow if you live in Minnesota and the creator of the video lives in Texas. The region that you live in and the weather that is most likely to occur plays a big part in choosing the right structure for your roof and additionally in choosing the roofing materials.
The Materials
While there are primarily two major types of roof structures there are numerous roofing materials that can be used to shore up your roof. Here is a shortlist of some of the roofing materials that are available:
- Metal panels
- Asphalt shingles, slate shingles, stone covered steel shingles, tile shingles, clay and concrete tiles, green roofs, and rubber tiles.
- Rubber roofs, natural product roofs, solar tile roofs.
There is a litany of materials that can be used to create a roof. Of course, cost plays a big role in what type of roofing material most homeowners select. The home improvement video probably did not give you all the details about cost-plus value or cost plus return on your investment.
According to the National Home Insurance Organization asphalt tiles are still the most popular home roofing tiles, and here is why. They are fire retardant, abundantly available, come in a wide range of colors, and they are the least expensive of all roofing materials for sloped roofs.
Depending on the asphalt tiles you choose, your roof can have a life expectancy between 15-30 years, which means you get a pretty good return on your investment. If you have the money and want to never have to worry about your roof again, metal roofing may be the right choice for you. A metal roof comes with no to low maintenance and has a life expectancy of 50 plus years in some cases.
Deciding which roofing material is right for your home starts with talking to a roofing expert to get all the details, examining your budget, and looking for the best value. A new roof installation is a big investment no matter how you twist or turn it. Taking the time to make the right choice is vital to getting the value that you deserve.
A Word About Energy Efficiency
One of the best ways to find energy efficiency materials that you want for your roof (besides consulting with a trusted roofing company) is to look for the energy star rating on the roofing materials. The energy star rating can help to reveal the products that are going to give you the best energy efficiency for your roof.
The higher the energy star rating the better energy efficiency the product has to offer. For example, if you live in the southern tier states in the US, you get a lot of hot sunny days, a good material for your roofing would be any product that can reflect some of that sunlight away from your home. In this case, you want to look for roofing material for your roofing installation that has a high energy star rating for reflective properties.
One of the keys to making your roof more energy-efficient year-round is to use a high-quality underlayment. The underlayment acts as a blanket for your home. It is a barrier that is placed under the exterior roofing materials to shore up the energy efficiency of the roofing material.
Roofs Are Complicated Systems
Most average homeowners do not realize how complicated their roofing system is. It is typical that a home improvement video does not address the complexities of a roof either. This important system (and it is a complete system) is tasked with not only protecting your home but is tasked with protecting every other system in your home.
Before you make changes to your roof, or even make repairs, it is always a good idea to get some professional input. A home improvement video cannot possibly give you all the information you need. You can get some general ideas about roof repair and the different types of structures and materials from a home improvement video, but you should always follow up that basic knowledge with a conversation with a pro.
Good luck with your roofing project, here’s to years of trusted protection from your new roof.
While many industries have really felt the pinch from the pandemic, the home improvement industry has actually gotten a boost. With more people staying at home watching the latest home improvement video, more people are deciding that they want to do a little improvement of their own.
About 80% of homeowners responded in 2013 that they had plans to finish a home improvement remodeling project that year. It is very likely at least that many homeowners plan to do the same this year. If you have become a home improvement video aficionado and are thinking about a new roof, one of the best moves you can make is to learn as much as you can about roofing materials and other options.
Getting Started
If that home improvement video of that homeowner that installed their own roof has you thinking “Hmm, I can do that,” put the brakes on. A home improvement video is usually edited to take out all the “extras” the DIY maven does not want you to see.
Considering the length of the average home improvement video is about three minutes, you are missing out on a lot of what happens with a new roof installation. There is a reason that there are professional roofers. Roofing is an acquired skill that comes from on-the-job experience and direction from someone that has mastered the craft.
You cannot learn what you need to know about roofing options, repair, and or installation from a home improvement video. Before you start buying materials you need to know what options are available and which options are best for your specific region.
Making Simple Repairs
A detailed home improvement video can be a good tutorial for making a simple roof repair. For example, you lost a couple of asphalt shingles during the last storm. Following along with a home improvement video that describes how to replace missing shingles can be a good solution.
Your roof is one of the most critical systems in your home, it is not something you want to risk to chance. If you are apprehensive at all about making roof repairs, forget the home improvement video tutorial and just call in the experts.
A roofing specialist can quickly diagnose any issues with your roof and get the repairs done to perfection. You do not want to have to worry about the safety or the reliability of your roof. Even the best home improvement video cannot address all the potential obstacles you may face during the repair process. You may find halfway through the repairs that you are out of your league and have to call in the experts anyway.
Decisions Need to Be Made
When you are contemplating a new roof are you imagining a sloped roof? Are you thinking about the benefits of a flat roof? How about the materials? Are you considering metal roofing materials or do you want to go the cost-saving route with some asphalt roofing shingles?
There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to roof installations that your run of the mill home improvement video just does not address. Gathering all the information you can about your options is vital to making an informed decision.
There are primarily two types of roof structures. The sloped roof and the flat roof. The sloped roof is the one that you most often see on residential properties, while the flat roof structure is most often seen on commercial type structures, each comes with a range of benefits and some cons.
If you are serious about a new roof, starting by making a decision about the structure of your roof is a good place to start. Which type of roof is best for your home? See, already that home improvement video did not give you this vital part of the information you need.
A Flat Roof
A flat roof structure is a roof without a noticeable pitch. One of the biggest benefits of a flat roof is how it affects the interior space. Because the roof is flat you get more interior space. Think about an attic in a house with a traditional sloped roof. Valuable space is lost because of the slope. The ceiling slopes on the interior and makes it difficult to stand upright in the attic. With a flat roof, you can truly utilize the space directly under the roof.
Remodeling contractors can help you take your sloped roof and make it into a flat roof. A flat roof can also be easier to maintain. A flat roof does not use shingles. It can be coated every few years to keep it in good shape and worry-free.
Of course, it is not all good news. A flat roof is not really great for very large (width and length large) homes. It will have to be created with a pitch in several areas to ensure that pooling does not occur. You wind up with a roof with many peaks and valleys which drives up the cost.
Just like a sloped or pitched roof a flat roof can be complemented with gutter installation to help keep water flowing away from the house, but gutters may not be as effective on a flat roof as it is on a sloped roof. Gravity keeps things moving in the right direction when it comes to how water travels.
One final thing that a flat roof can bring to the table. Energy efficiency. There is some evidence that a flat roof can help you to get more energy-efficient heating out of your home. Of course, it is a lot easier to have a flat roof installed from the beginning. If you are not trying to change your roof because of a home improvement video you saw and you are thinking about what type of roof you need for your new home build, it is easier for a home builder to install it from the start. Retrofitting your current home with a flat roof can mean some major architectural and structural changes.
Sloped Roofs
Sloped roofs are roofs that are built with peaks. Why is this the residential favorite? Sloped roofs look better on most style homes. Flat roofs look better on very modern minimalist type styles, but sloped roofs look better on every other style home.
Sloped roofs are fewer maintenance headaches for the homeowner. They require minimal maintenance and if you choose the right materials can last up to 50 years (metal roofs). To get a new look out of your old roof all you really need is roofing remodeling contractors that can do a little re-roofing job to your current roof.
Sloped roofs are naturally better at moving water away from your home. Pooling does not occur (if your roof is done right), and most sloped roof materials can take tons of wear and tear without ever failing.
You can improve the energy efficiency of your sloped roof by using highly efficient roofing materials. There is a range of products on the market that are made with energy efficiency in mind. A roofing contractor can provide you with all your material options and explain what the differences are to help you make an informed decision.
Sloped Or Flat? It Really Depends on Where You Live
Another risk of using a home improvement video as guidance for choosing which structure roof you want for your home is different structures do better in different regions. For example, if you live in a heavy snow area (a region that gets a lot of snow in the winter) a flat roof may not be the best option. Why? Snow is heavy and it tends to pile up on flat roofs. You may have to spend a lot of your time literally shoveling the snow off your roof or risk failure.
A home improvement video may not be the best guidelines for you to follow if you live in Minnesota and the creator of the video lives in Texas. The region that you live in and the weather that is most likely to occur plays a big part in choosing the right structure for your roof and additionally in choosing the roofing materials.
The Materials
While there are primarily two major types of roof structures there are numerous roofing materials that can be used to shore up your roof. Here is a shortlist of some of the roofing materials that are available:
- Metal panels
- Asphalt shingles, slate shingles, stone covered steel shingles, tile shingles, clay and concrete tiles, green roofs, and rubber tiles.
- Rubber roofs, natural product roofs, solar tile roofs.
There is a litany of materials that can be used to create a roof. Of course, cost plays a big role in what type of roofing material most homeowners select. The home improvement video probably did not give you all the details about cost-plus value or cost plus return on your investment.
According to the National Home Insurance Organization asphalt tiles are still the most popular home roofing tiles, and here is why. They are fire retardant, abundantly available, come in a wide range of colors, and they are the least expensive of all roofing materials for sloped roofs.
Depending on the asphalt tiles you choose, your roof can have a life expectancy between 15-30 years, which means you get a pretty good return on your investment. If you have the money and want to never have to worry about your roof again, metal roofing may be the right choice for you. A metal roof comes with no to low maintenance and has a life expectancy of 50 plus years in some cases.
Deciding which roofing material is right for your home starts with talking to a roofing expert to get all the details, examining your budget, and looking for the best value. A new roof installation is a big investment no matter how you twist or turn it. Taking the time to make the right choice is vital to getting the value that you deserve.
A Word About Energy Efficiency
One of the best ways to find energy efficiency materials that you want for your roof (besides consulting with a trusted roofing company) is to look for the energy star rating on the roofing materials. The energy star rating can help to reveal the products that are going to give you the best energy efficiency for your roof.
The higher the energy star rating the better energy efficiency the product has to offer. For example, if you live in the southern tier states in the US, you get a lot of hot sunny days, a good material for your roofing would be any product that can reflect some of that sunlight away from your home. In this case, you want to look for roofing material for your roofing installation that has a high energy star rating for reflective properties.
One of the keys to making your roof more energy-efficient year-round is to use a high-quality underlayment. The underlayment acts as a blanket for your home. It is a barrier that is placed under the exterior roofing materials to shore up the energy efficiency of the roofing material.
Roofs Are Complicated Systems
Most average homeowners do not realize how complicated their roofing system is. It is typical that a home improvement video does not address the complexities of a roof either. This important system (and it is a complete system) is tasked with not only protecting your home but is tasked with protecting every other system in your home.
Before you make changes to your roof, or even make repairs, it is always a good idea to get some professional input. A home improvement video cannot possibly give you all the information you need. You can get some general ideas about roof repair and the different types of structures and materials from a home improvement video, but you should always follow up that basic knowledge with a conversation with a pro.
Good luck with your roofing project, here’s to years of trusted protection from your new roof.
While many industries have really felt the pinch from the pandemic, the home improvement industry has actually gotten a boost. With more people staying at home watching the latest home improvement video, more people are deciding that they want to do a little improvement of their own.
About 80% of homeowners responded in 2013 that they had plans to finish a home improvement remodeling project that year. It is very likely at least that many homeowners plan to do the same this year. If you have become a home improvement video aficionado and are thinking about a new roof, one of the best moves you can make is to learn as much as you can about roofing materials and other options.
Getting Started
If that home improvement video of that homeowner that installed their own roof has you thinking “Hmm, I can do that,” put the brakes on. A home improvement video is usually edited to take out all the “extras” the DIY maven does not want you to see.
Considering the length of the average home improvement video is about three minutes, you are missing out on a lot of what happens with a new roof installation. There is a reason that there are professional roofers. Roofing is an acquired skill that comes from on-the-job experience and direction from someone that has mastered the craft.
You cannot learn what you need to know about roofing options, repair, and or installation from a home improvement video. Before you start buying materials you need to know what options are available and which options are best for your specific region.
Making Simple Repairs
A detailed home improvement video can be a good tutorial for making a simple roof repair. For example, you lost a couple of asphalt shingles during the last storm. Following along with a home improvement video that describes how to replace missing shingles can be a good solution.
Your roof is one of the most critical systems in your home, it is not something you want to risk to chance. If you are apprehensive at all about making roof repairs, forget the home improvement video tutorial and just call in the experts.
A roofing specialist can quickly diagnose any issues with your roof and get the repairs done to perfection. You do not want to have to worry about the safety or the reliability of your roof. Even the best home improvement video cannot address all the potential obstacles you may face during the repair process. You may find halfway through the repairs that you are out of your league and have to call in the experts anyway.
Decisions Need to Be Made
When you are contemplating a new roof are you imagining a sloped roof? Are you thinking about the benefits of a flat roof? How about the materials? Are you considering metal roofing materials or do you want to go the cost-saving route with some asphalt roofing shingles?
There are a lot of things to think about when it comes to roof installations that your run of the mill home improvement video just does not address. Gathering all the information you can about your options is vital to making an informed decision.
There are primarily two types of roof structures. The sloped roof and the flat roof. The sloped roof is the one that you most often see on residential properties, while the flat roof structure is most often seen on commercial type structures, each comes with a range of benefits and some cons.
If you are serious about a new roof, starting by making a decision about the structure of your roof is a good place to start. Which type of roof is best for your home? See, already that home improvement video did not give you this vital part of the information you need.
A Flat Roof
A flat roof structure is a roof without a noticeable pitch. One of the biggest benefits of a flat roof is how it affects the interior space. Because the roof is flat you get more interior space. Think about an attic in a house with a traditional sloped roof. Valuable space is lost because of the slope. The ceiling slopes on the interior and makes it difficult to stand upright in the attic. With a flat roof, you can truly utilize the space directly under the roof.
Remodeling contractors can help you take your sloped roof and make it into a flat roof. A flat roof can also be easier to maintain. A flat roof does not use shingles. It can be coated every few years to keep it in good shape and worry-free.
Of course, it is not all good news. A flat roof is not really great for very large (width and length large) homes. It will have to be created with a pitch in several areas to ensure that pooling does not occur. You wind up with a roof with many peaks and valleys which drives up the cost.
Just like a sloped or pitched roof a flat roof can be complemented with gutter installation to help keep water flowing away from the house, but gutters may not be as effective on a flat roof as it is on a sloped roof. Gravity keeps things moving in the right direction when it comes to how water travels.
One final thing that a flat roof can bring to the table. Energy efficiency. There is some evidence that a flat roof can help you to get more energy-efficient heating out of your home. Of course, it is a lot easier to have a flat roof installed from the beginning. If you are not trying to change your roof because of a home improvement video you saw and you are thinking about what type of roof you need for your new home build, it is easier for a home builder to install it from the start. Retrofitting your current home with a flat roof can mean some major architectural and structural changes.
Sloped Roofs
Sloped roofs are roofs that are built with peaks. Why is this the residential favorite? Sloped roofs look better on most style homes. Flat roofs look better on very modern minimalist type styles, but sloped roofs look better on every other style of home.
Sloped roofs are fewer maintenance headaches for the homeowner. They require minimal maintenance and if you choose the right materials can last up to 50 years (metal roofs). To get a new look out of your old roof all you really need is roofing remodeling contractors that can do a little re-roofing job to your current roof.
Sloped roofs are naturally better at moving water away from your home. Pooling does not occur (if your roof is done right), and most sloped roof materials can take tons of wear and tear without ever failing.
You can improve the energy efficiency of your sloped roof by using highly efficient roofing materials. There is a range of products on the market that are made with energy efficiency in mind. A roofing contractor can provide you with all your material options and explain what the differences are to help you make an informed decision.
Sloped Or Flat? It Really Depends on Where You Live
Another risk of using a home improvement video as guidance for choosing which structure roof you want for your home is different structures do better in different regions. For example, if you live in a heavy snow area (a region that gets a lot of snow in the winter) a flat roof may not be the best option. Why? Snow is heavy and it tends to pile up on flat roofs. You may have to spend a lot of your time literally shoveling the snow off your roof or risk failure.
A home improvement video may not be the best guidelines for you to follow if you live in Minnesota and the creator of the video lives in Texas. The region that you live in and the weather that is most likely to occur plays a big part in choosing the right structure for your roof and additionally in choosing the roofing materials.
The Materials
While there are primarily two major types of roof structures there are numerous roofing materials that can be used to shore up your roof. Here is a shortlist of some of the roofing materials that are available:
- Metal panels
- Asphalt shingles, slate shingles, stone covered steel shingles, tile shingles, clay and concrete tiles, green roofs, and rubber tiles.
- Rubber roofs, natural product roofs, solar tile roofs.
There is a litany of materials that can be used to create a roof. Of course, cost plays a big role in what type of roofing material most homeowners select. The home improvement video probably did not give you all the details about cost-plus value or cost plus return on your investment.
According to the National Home Insurance Organization asphalt tiles are still the most popular home roofing tiles, and here is why. They are fire retardant, abundantly available, come in a wide range of colors, and they are the least expensive of all roofing materials for sloped roofs.
Depending on the asphalt tiles you choose, your roof can have a life expectancy between 15-30 years, which means you get a pretty good return on your investment. If you have the money and want to never have to worry about your roof again, metal roofing may be the right choice for you. A metal roof comes with no to low maintenance and has a life expectancy of 50 plus years in some cases.
Deciding which roofing material is right for your home starts with talking to a roofing expert to get all the details, examining your budget, and looking for the best value. A new roof installation is a big investment no matter how you twist or turn it. Taking the time to make the right choice is vital to getting the value that you deserve.
A Word About Energy Efficiency
One of the best ways to find energy efficiency materials that you want for your roof (besides consulting with a trusted roofing company) is to look for the energy star rating on the roofing materials. The energy star rating can help to reveal the products that are going to give you the best energy efficiency for your roof.
The higher the energy star rating the better energy efficiency the product has to offer. For example, if you live in the southern tier states in the US, you get a lot of hot sunny days, a good material for your roofing would be any product that can reflect some of that sunlight away from your home. In this case, you want to look for roofing material for your roofing installation that has a high energy star rating for reflective properties.
One of the keys to making your roof more energy-efficient year-round is to use a high-quality underlayment. The underlayment acts as a blanket for your home. It is a barrier that is placed under the exterior roofing materials to shore up the energy efficiency of the roofing material.
Roofs Are Complicated Systems
Most average homeowners do not realize how complicated their roofing system is. It is typical that a home improvement video does not address the complexities of a roof either. This important system (and it is a complete system) is tasked with not only protecting your home but is tasked with protecting every other system in your home.
Before you make changes to your roof, or even make repairs, it is always a good idea to get some professional input. A home improvement video cannot possibly give you all the information you need. You can get some general ideas about roof repair and the different types of structures and materials from a home improvement video, but you should always follow up that basic knowledge with a conversation with a pro.
Good luck with your roofing project, here’s to years of trusted protection from your new roof.