Better roofing options abound

Dear Jim: My houses have always had typical dark asphalt shingles, butthey dont seem to last more than 15 or 20 years. Now that my roof isleaking again, what are some of my options other than standard shingles? Ron G.

Dear Ron: Fifteen years is a short life for even the least expensiveasphalt shingles. Inspect the condition of the shingles. If the edgesare not curled up and you do not see any breaks, the shingles may stillbe fine. Have a roofer inspect for other sources of the leak.

There are several alternative roofing materials that will last muchlonger than asphalt shingles. Many also reduce your air-conditioningcosts during summer. From an energy efficiency standpoint, there reallyis nothing worse than your dark asphalt shingles.

Asphalt shingles get very hot in the summer sun and this heat radiatesdown into your house well into the evening. This heat also causes thedegradation of the shingle base material and shortens its life. Althoughit may not look as good, white is the best choice for shingles.

Metal roofs are probably the most durable and energy efficient. I have asimulated wood shake roof on my own house. It is made from recycledaluminum beverage cans. It looks great, will have a longer life than Iwill and blocks the summer heat. Its only drawback, as with manyalternative roofing materials, is it costs substantially more toinstall.

Other durable and attractive roofing materials are slate and tile. Thesematerials will literally last forever. Both are relatively energyefficient because they are not attached tightly against the roofsurface. This allows air flow underneath them to carry away some of thesuns heat.

Have an experienced roofer check the roofing structure before installingslate or tiles. These materials are heavy and common trusses maynot be designed to handle the weight, including a snow load. Thesematerials are typically used on houses with a fairly steep roof pitch.If the weight is an issue, but you really like the appearance of slate ortile, lightweight plastic simulated roofing is available. It is producedin panels so the installation is quick on the existing roofingstructure.

Fiber-cement is another durable and attractive alternative to asphaltshingles. This compound can be molded into almost any contour tosimulate other roofing materials. With the fibers in the cement, it ismuch lighter than real slate or tiles.

High-quality real wood shakes can have a long life. They are pressuretreated for durability and fire resistance. Check your localfire/building codes. One final new option is solar shingles. Theshingles are covered with solar cells to produce free electricity.

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Better roofing options abound