Is Shingling a Roof the Only Choice You Have?

Is Shingling a Roof the Only Choice You Have?

Whether you are building for home or business, you will find that you have more options when it comes to roofing than simply shingling a roof with asphalt shingles. Shingling with these types of shingles is often popular simply because they are a much more cost effective option for many roofs—especially if you aren't certain how long you will be living in a home or occupying a space for a business. In fact, most people move before they've outlived the life of their shingles in today's mobile world.

If you are planning to put down roots though it may very well be worth your while to explore all of your options before deciding on asphalt shingles for shingling a roof. Remember, even if you do sell your home before the life expectancy of your roof expires that solid roofs in great condition are a selling point for most homes and businesses.

You have many options available to you. Some of these options are more decorative in nature than others and some carry a much stiffer price tag than others but the options remain impressive. You even have the option of using one type of shingling for the great portion of your roof and other shingling options to highlight or accentuate certain points or features. You can make all sorts of statements when shingling a roof and you are only limited by your budget and your imagination.

You can even opt out of shingling a roof altogether. Though more common with business roofs, there is always the option of bitumen roofs, built up roofs, metal roofs, and membrane roofs to consider. While not generally as aesthetically pleasing as shingles are for a roof these roofing types are better suited for many applications. If you are exploring all of your options though it would be a shame to overlook these options for roofs—especially if you are in need of a commercial roof.

Other options for home roofing include clay tiles, wooden shingles, asphalt shingles, metal. Each roofing type offers its own unique strengths and weaknesses to consider. Of these options, asphalt shingles require the lowest up front investment. The downside is that they also need to be replaced the most often. This leaves them having a negative impact on the environment and may actually workout to a greater overall cost when all is said and done.

The bottom line is that you have many options available for shingling a roof that go well beyond simple choosing which asphalt shingles you wish to purchase. Do not think though that you can't get a perfectly lovely roof by shingling a roof with asphalt shingles that will last quite a while when properly cared for and maintained.

Dave Deschaine - Maine's Professional Roofing Contractor - http://www.daviddeschaine.com

Roofing In the Winter? You Guys Do Roofs This Time Of Year?

Most people do not think that you can install roofs during the winter months. Actually, the truth is, you can install roofing all year. I believe why people think that way is because of the way the asphalt shingles were made before the 1970's. Those shingles were called organic shingles, which had a saturated asphalt paper type matting. The matting is a substrate covered with asphalt, and then with stone dust and small colored rock granules.

Today's asphalt shingle are made with fiberglass matting which is saturated with asphalt, and the colored stone granules that are pressed into the asphalt. This fiberglass matting that is much more plyable, and gives the shingle more flexibility and tensile strength. The most important part of installing the shingle is nail placement, and angle of the nail. We use 6 nails per shingle, which help hold the shingles down during heavy winds, and especially on the waterfront properties. The manufacture recommends using 4 nails per shingle, but by adding 6 nails per shingle it extends the wind resistance to 80 to 100 mile's an hour depending on the shingle chosen. Underlayment should always be used under the shingles as a vapor barrier. There are many different types of underlayments, which include Ice & water shield, tar paper, and synthetic.

We have always use 3' or 6' feet of ice & water shield along the eave's and overhangs, then tar paper on the remaining roof decking. Then install your choice of asphalt shingles. For maximum protection against water penetration, would be full coverage ice & water shield completely covering the roof deck. We primarily use architectural shingles for most of the roofing installations today, because of the durability of the laminated shingle compared to the old 3-tab design.

Laminated shingles are glued together with asphalt, and the weight of the shingle determines the life expectancy. This means a 30 year shingle weighs 265 pounds a square, and a 50 year shingle weighs 300 pounds a square. This is determined by the amount of asphalt, and colored stone granulates, that gets pressed into the fiberglass matting. To get back to installing roofing during the winter months, our installers really like installing roofs during the colder months, because they really take a beating from the heat during the summer months. Some of our veteran roofing technicians, would rather install roofing during the winter. Remember you do not have to wait until summer to get your roof installed. Call now or schedule your appointment online. We install approximately 20-40 roofs during the winter months. We have our roof maintenance packages available for shoveling roofs. If you are having any problems give us a call, and we would be glad to come over and see what we can do to help.