Are All Roofs Created Equal

As we enter another summer in South Florida, 2 things seem to come to mind for Homeowners: “Rainy” Season and “Hurricane” season.  The latter being fueled by media reporting and the expert’s predictions on the quantity and severity of the impending storm season.  Many homeowners may begin to get that knot in their stomach wondering if their home is prepared to take on some of Mother Nature’s wrath.  Of course, one of the most significant areas of the home that keeps our personal belongings, furnishings, life collections, and most importantly; our families…safe is the roof covering on our home.  At this time of year, many homeowners choose to hire a contractor to either perform repairs to their roof or completely replace the roof on their home.  So many questions arise, with the most important one being:  Are all roofs created equal?

The answer to this question, and many others, will be addressed here on a summarized basis to provide direction when deciding to make the large investment in possibly the single most important weather protector of your home.

With the severity of the storm seasons of 2004 and 2005, we have seen an influx of new contractors and materials to our market place, making it more difficult to figure out when we are receiving the best possible “Value”…notice we didn’t say best “Price”.  They are different.  The amount of choices for contractors and roof types is greater than ever, and the homeowner’s investment in time to perform “Due Diligence Inspection” when choosing a contractor and roof system could prevent major headaches in the future.

TYPES OF ROOF COVERING

There are many types of Roof systems available to the Homeowner today.  It can get confusing because unprofessional or unlicensed contractors prefer to market products that allow them to bid “Cheaper”, or provide “Faster” production, regardless if the products provide the waterproofing capability or longevity that the homeowner desires.

After the removal of the “Old” roof system, and all rotten wood has been replaced, the wood should be refastened in accordance with the requirements of the building code.  When this is completed, the inspector will usually perform an inspection and make a notation on the permit document.  The next step is the installation of the underlayments, which is where the differences in types of material and methods get confusing.

Underlayment, as defined by the National Roofing Contractors Association, is “An asphalt-saturated felt or other sheet material (may be self-adhering) installed between the roof deck and the roof system, usually in a steep-slope roof construction.  Underlayment is primarily used to separate the roof covering from the roof deck, to shed water, and to provide secondary weather protection for the roof area of the building”.

With the recent building code changes and insurance industry requirements, the underlayment of your roof system is critical.  The underlayment can be the most important factor in determining the longevity and waterproofing capability of your new roof system.

Roof covering choices

For many Florida Homeowners, this is the “Finished” component.  This is the visible part we see when looking at our home, and will usually be a tile system made of concrete or clay, an asphalt-based composite shingle, wood “Shake” shingles, or a metal panel roof system.

Asphalt composition Shingles

The composite asphalt shingle roof system for many of us is what we grew up with in the northern geographical areas, prior to our jump down to Florida for the warmer climate.  The asphalt shingle is comprised of shingle strips that get overlapped and nailed to the roof deck thru the underlayment.  There are many types on the market today, allowing the homeowner a vast number of choices in color, design, and thickness.  The material composition has improved over the past several years, increasing the shingles ability to resist fungus growth, and more importantly; provide greater wind resistance.

Concrete/Clay Tile

Tile roofs are a popular choice of roof covering in South Florida and they have been for decades.  Roof tile is made up of concrete or clay, and comes in many shapes, sizes, and colors.  The installation method for tile has varied over the years, from using a concrete mixture as the primary method of adhesion, to nails and/or screws, and more recently to the use of a “Foam” adhesive.  There is a cost difference associated with the different installation methods, as is their ability to resist wind.  The “Product Approvals”, as mentioned earlier, are required by government agencies during the permitting process and indicate the wind “Uplift” pressure designs for each method. This information can be helpful in providing the homeowner with a better understanding of the pros and cons to specific methods, but also can be confusing.  Discuss these methods with your professional contractor.  Additionally, the major tile manufacturers have extensive information available through their customer service phone lines and their websites, where you can also get an idea of the different shapes and colors of available tile.  The shape of Roof tile generally is either flat, or provides a rounded peak.

The rounded (“Roll”, “Spanish S”, “Barrel”) tile has become popular in the past several years, especially with the new construction and real estate growth experienced in our area over the past decade.  The difference in the rounded tiles is basically the size of the “Roll”, whether it’s a couple of small rounded Peaks (Roll Tile) or 1 large rounded Peak (Spanish “S”).  Barrel tile is the larger single ½ round tile that is installed over a bottom single ½ round tile, also called caps and pans.  This is the most expensive and used less frequently than the others.   The colors, shapes, and sizes purely dictate the overall cost and aesthetic appearance of the finished roof and should be reviewed extensively.  The best way to get a clear picture of which tile would have a pleasing aesthetic appearance is to see the preferred tile installed on an actual home.  Deciding on a tile from brochures or small samples does not provide an accurate representation of what a specific tile would look like on your home.  Some tile manufacturers and professional contractors have showrooms, which give the homeowner the opportunity to see several types, styles, and colors of available tile, and also will provide guidance during the selection process.

Metal Roof Systems:  

We have witnessed a growth in metal roofing over the past several years.  While used primarily in commercial applications up until a few years ago, metal roof manufacturers have introduced different systems to accommodate different architectural appearances for homeowners.  Metal “Panel” systems have a “Flat” panel style appearance, similar to what is often termed the “Key West” style, while some recent products provide either a “Tile” look, or a dimensional look with textured surfaces that look similar in design to concrete or clay tile.  Reviewing these roof systems should be done in the same manner in which the tile selection process is outlined above.

Wood “Shake” Shingles:

Wood shingles, or “Shakes”, are wood shingles made from cedar.  They provide a more rustic appearance to a residence than any of the previously mentioned styles of roof coverings.  They are installed using nails thru the underlayment system.  Although not as common as years ago, in certain geographic areas the appearance is desired, and when maintained properly, cedar shakes can provide years of service.  In today’s marketplace, there are also manufacturers that offer products made from composite materials that aesthetically resemble cedar shakes, without the costs associated with the maintenance of real wood.