Roofing
Materials While asphalt shingles account for close to 90 percent of all residential roofing jobs, they certainly aren't the end of the story when it comes to roofing. Sheet metal, cement tiles, wood shakes or shingles, traditional slate or ceramic tile are all readily available. For low-slope roofs, high-tech polymer membranes now compete with the old asphalt roll roofing, coal tar, and asphalt-mop technologies. Your decision may not be easy, but it will probably center on appearance, cost, and practicality. Pleasing the Eye |
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Pleasing
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Lasting
Satisfaction For a homeowner, however, long-term future costs may not be so important. Americans move, on average, every seven years. Even with asphalt shingles, odds are you'll sell your house before you have to reroof; so spending tens of thousands on an expensive roof may not make sense. Besides, if you sell the house, you may or may not recover the cost of your roof. Once you've selected a material, don't
cut corners. Pick a roofer with roots in the community, who backs up his
work and will do a careful, thorough job on the details that count, like
flashing, fastening, and sealing. To avoid a leak or blowoff, use heavy-duty
underlayments, and high-quality cements and sealants where needed. Roof structure matters, too, so take the
time to have your roof examined before deciding on a material. Roof rafters
or trusses must support the weight of the roofing, and that varies greatly
from product to product. Metal roofing is by far the lightest at 40 to
60 pounds per square for aluminum, 80 to 150 pounds per square for steel.
Asphalt shingles are quite a bit heavier, and weigh anywhere from 240
to 400 pounds per square. Concrete and clay tiles tip the scales at 500
to 800 pounds for the lightweight versions, and 900 to 1200 pounds per
square for regular tiles. Standard thickness slate weighs 700 to 800 pounds
per square, and more for thicker varieties. Roof framing that can support
an asphalt or wood roof may not bear up under the weight of tile or slate,
so if you want to roof with slate or tile, you'll need the framing to
match. |
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Copyright Sudprasert Engineering (C)2002
10 February, 2003