Real Estate Innovation

Dealing with Your Roof When It Gets Old

Most homeowners are surprised to learn that major elements of their home are not designed to last as long as the rest of the home. One example is the roof over your head. Some roofs will last 80 years while some will only hold out for 15.

When considering the number of years different roofs might last, it is vital to keep in mind that while materials and other issues certainly play a role, the biggest issue is the impact of the power of nature.

When you think about it, a roof lasts an amazingly long time. It expands every day when the sun beats down on it and then contracts when night comes. It takes all the wind can give, gets pummeled by rain and even holds up snow many feet thick.

Given the beating a roof takes, it is not surprising that the type of roofing material used makes a huge difference. A slate rock roof is like putting tank armor on your home. It is going to last for at least 70 years, but it is going to cost you an arm and leg to buy and install.

If you have a small budget, the cheapest roof system available is the infamous wood shake shingle roof. Well, it is cheap to buy and install, but will cost you in the long run. Why? It will only last between 10 and 25 years.

Unlike slate roofs, there is another concern with wood shingle systems. Fire is the problem. Embers landing on wood shingle roofs almost always turn them into fire pits. You can buy far retardant treated wood shingles, but they are not much better.

A happy middle point between the cost of slate and the fire risk of wood roofs is the tile roof. It is highly fire resistant and will not cost you an arm and leg to install. Most tile roofs will also last up to 45 years, which is a nice lifespan.

One really interesting new type of roofing you might want to check out is solar shingle roofing. These roofs come in rolls that are spread out in vertical columns down your roof. They are layered so that they look like flat shingles overlapping from top to bottom.

The solar shingle is pretty amazing. Initially, it turns your roof into an energy producer. In some states, you can feed that energy into the local utility system and actually make your meter run backwards, which eliminates your utility bill. Nice, eh?

As your home ages, your roof will start to fail. Instead of spending endless money on repairs, consider your options. From solar shingles to slate to tile roofs, there is a perfect solution for everyone.