If you live in a place with heavy rain, snow, hail, or wind, your roof is one of the most important aspects of your home. Roofing is responsible not only for keeping the elements out, but also for standing up to repeated abuse without needing to be replaced every season. If you are replacing your roof and trying to decide the best kind of roof to get, read on for the best roofing styles and materials to fit your needs.
If you are in a place with a lot of precipitation that comes in the form of rain in the warmer months and snow in the colder months, a pitched roof is going to be your best bet. This style of roof is designed to shed water quickly and efficiently, without giving it a chance to sit and damage the roof, which is what causes leaks. Rain will glance off of this style of roof and melting snow will flow off more quickly than with other roof styles.
For a pitched roof for this purpose, many materials will be acceptable, from shingles and wood to tile and slate. The most durable material for areas with extreme snowfall, however, is metal. Metal roofing is ideal for dealing with ice without incurring damage. With other materials, water can work its way in and freeze solid, leading to cracks that push the roof apart over time. Metal can still be susceptible to this, but its strength combined with its flexibility mean that it will stand up better than more brittle materials.
A common problem that roofs develop in areas with a lot of rain and snow is shallow cracks that grow deeper over time. It is important to check your roof every year for developing issues and solve them before they get deep enough to cause structural damage. A shallow crack in the summer is easily fixed, but in the winter, water seeping in and freezing, then melting and running off, can widen the crack and wash away the roofing material over time. By next summer, that small crack might be a serious leak requiring thousands of dollars of work.
For areas where wind is more of an issue than water, a flat roof style is advantageous. If you live in an area where both wind and water are a problem, you will need to decide between a pitched roof and a flatroof depending on which you consider to be more of a threat.
The advantage of a flat roof is that wind has almost no effect on it. Winds pass straight over flat roofs, whereas they will buffet a peaked roof relentlessly, eventually leading to wear and damage that will need to be repaired. If you live in an area with some heavy rain as well as very strong winds, a flat roof can be a great option, but it will need yearly maintenance to stand up to water. Unlike a peaked roof, water tends to linger on flat roofs, leading to water damage over time.
A flat roof can be made to stand up much better to water if it is made of a material that does not have open seams for water to get stuck in. A popular option is to use synthetic materials like PVC, TPO, or spray polyurethane foam. The foam is a great option because it is easy to touch up each year, requiring less maintenance than other more permanent materials.
If you do decide on a pitched roof in a windy area, you will need to buy a strong roofing material like shingles or metal to stand up to the winds. Weaker material may be blown straight off the roof over time, leading to your roof requiring constant maintenance. Look to spend a little extra on your roofing material in the short term to make sure it will be a solution that lasts.
If you live in an area that gets very hot but receives intermittent summer storms, you will need to pay careful attention to the material you use for your roofing. Thermal shock is a very real risk in these conditions and can lead to thousands of dollars in damage over time.
Thermal shock is a condition that results when a roof gets very hot and cools rapidly. This is similar to when a cold glass shatters when boiling water is added. When most materials heat up, they expand, and when they cool, they retract. When brittle materials undergo this process, they are very vulnerable to cracking at the lines between hot and cold.
This is a big risk in desert climates that receive daytime rainstorms. The beating sun super heats the roof gradually over the course of the day, getting it hot enough to fry an egg. Then, when rain suddenly falls, the roof cools rapidly, dropping 75-100 degrees in just a few minutes. When this occurs, thermal shock can cause your roofing material to snap, creating extensive damage and leaks.
For this reason, clay, tile, and concrete materials are a bad choice for hot climates. Instead, look for flexible materials that stand up well to the sun. Metal is a good option, as are shingles. There are also special tiles that are immune to thermal shock, but you need to read the label carefully and make sure you are getting the right kind. Traditional tile is very vulnerable to thermal shock.
Choosing the right style and material for your roof can save a lot of money in the long run, Armor Services can assist you. Getting a roof that is designed to be strong against the weather in your area is a great investment that will lower your maintenance costs. Pay careful attention to what the weather in your area is like, and if your roof is being replaced because of damage, consider what caused that damage. Look for a style and material that will stop that issue from occurring in the future, or you may be replacing the roof a second time in a few years.
