Best Roof Material For Re-Roof

I was asked yesterday what I thought was the “best roof material” by a client replacing their wood shakes. They own a very nice home that they built 20 some years ago and it was quite interesting to hear them mention that at the time they just went with consensus of the architect and contractor when it came to roofing material and never thought they’d be replacing it. Now they’re sorry they didn’t give more weight to the importance of choosing carefully and they don't want to make a similar mistake twice.

My answer – and I admit to being completely prejudicial here – was that a metal roof should be a top consideration. There are a number of very good-looking metal roof options for wood shake replacement, it will have a service life many times that of their wood shakes (and asphalt shingles), it won’t burn, it’s made from recycled materials, it’s light weight, and low maintenance. What’s not to like?

It still strikes me as rather hard to comprehend, but so many home and building owners to this day still think of “metal roofs” as looking like something only found on “barns or commercial buildings.” A large number of people still think of metal roofs as having the “long, vertical ribs,” even though metal roofs come in more varieties of styles than any other material. In addition to the aforementioned long panels, metal roofing materials can be had in tiles, simulated shakes, diamonds, shingles, and even custom profiles. In fact, these particular homeowners were concerned that they’d have to choose a roofing material that didn’t offer the profile and texture of their shakes. Metal solves their dilemma. Beautifully.

They were located in an interesting neighborhood because from their front entry you could see neighbors with asphalt shingles, wood shakes, and concrete tiles. They were certain that they wanted something better than a composition shingle, and were worried about the weight of the neighbor’s concrete, and so they were delighted to discover that metal offered the most solutions – and the least downside.

Once more, my clients are teaching me that the answer to the question of the “best roof material” is, without question, metal!