House’s roofs are like its crown. When it does not match the design, the house’s look will not be pleasant to see. Gable roof design matches with Craftsman, Contemporary, Colonial, Rustic and Tudor design. The flat roof design is for the Modern style. And a single slope design can be applied to either Contemporary and Modern style. But aesthetics alone is not supposed to be the only factor when we choose the roofing for our house. Functionality must be considered too.
Materials
Roofs are made of various materials, such as metal, fiber, slate, wood, asphalt, and ceramic. Each material has its own pros and cons. And in this writing, we will focus on metal roofing because it is durable, long-lasting, and requires a minimum budget to install. Metal roofing ranks on the top regarding its practicality, efficiency, and life expectancy. And in addition, metal roofing is environmentally friendly because it is highly recyclable.
Copper roofing
Copper roofs have been found in many historical architectures around the world. Doors in Amen-Re temple in Egypt were a centuries-old design, and they had coppers covering on them. For roofing, ancient Romans were known to apply the metal on the Pantheon. And later in medieval ages, coppers could be profoundly found on the roofing of churches and cathedral.
Copper roofing is the best at suppressing the noise from rainfalls if compared to the other metals. But this also means it can easily dent and get damaged. However, because it dents, it will be less likely to break and make holes. You can consider how to repair a metal roof by yourself or you can simply call a roofer to do the job. It is not like your roofs encounter hailstones every day.
Steel roofing
Steel roofing is preferable to most households because it is the least expensive and most practical to install. Steel roofing has three types: Galvalume, Galvanized, and Weathering. The two types, Galvalume and Galvanized, are different in their coating. They try to compensate with steel’s major vulnerability, corrosion. Galvalume uses a mixture of zinc and aluminum as the coating, while Galvanized is only zinc.
Customized metal roofing
The default look of metal roofing is plain, which perhaps, will not goe smoothly with your architectural design preference. But the current technology has allowed cosmetic modification on metal roofing. Metal roofing now can resemble wood shakes, clay tile, shingles, and slates. It gets the appearance without the vulnerability. But it is better if you consider hiring an architect to determine what roofs fit your style and your environment condition. Or you can consult directly with the roof manufacturer or the roofer.
Maintenance consideration
You can do an inspection on metal roofs by yourself, but it holds the risk of causing scratches on the surface. And most metal roofs are coated, so if you scratch the coat, the roof will be vulnerable to corrosion. What to look for in an inspection is that if the sealants have worn out. Most sealants can stand weather for at least 15 to 20 years. And unless you experience a storm or hurricane, you do not need to do the checking.
Metal roofs are affordable not only for the purchase and installation but also the maintenance.