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Whether you are purchasing a new house or owned your current house for more than several decades. Your roof is just as important as the foundation that holds your house together. Many homes come with different styles of roofs to look at it metal, tile, or shingle roofing have their pros and cons. Along with asphalt, shingles provides resistance to leaks, wind, and can withstand harsh weather conditions, longevity of an asphalt/shingle roof is aided by its ideal weight, is not too light, making shingle uplifting issues non-existent, and neither too heavy.
If your current roof is a shingle roof or you’re deciding to go with the shingle roof option; here’s some things to consider… The type of shingles you select for your roof, the weather purposing in the roof you choose, and the installation of shingle roofing. We’ll start the covering the basics starting with shingle types.
SHINGLE TYPES
Shingle types can be very broad but there are three important types that you should consider when deciding on the right shingle to select. These types are the 3-tab shingle, the dimensional shingle, and luxury shingles.
3-tab shingles are flat, and they have a single tab shape and size. And are generally rated for winds of up to approximately 60 miles per hour (mph)They are uniform, which gives them a flat look and lasts for decades are inexpensive and just like most shingles are made from a fiberglass source.
DIMENSIONAL
The next type is referred to as dimensional style shingles; this shingle is very strong and durable. Thicker and of a higher quality these shingles are rated for winds of between 80 mph and 120 mph. Dimensional shingles can last 30+ years, and has a texture and appearance that resembles to be as it says “dimensional”.
And luxury shingles as expensive as they can be still cheaper than slate tiles. Luxury style shingles also give a multi dimensional appearance however they are known for maximum durability and are a heavier shingle. Comprised of very strong adhesives, they hold more granules on the top surfaces. They are also made from asphalt of a finer quality than 3-tab shingles.Which leads us to wonder how these shingles hold up during weather conditions.
WHETHER CONDITIONS
Roofing shingles and weather conditions seem to have a love/hate relationship. While roofing shingles are multi-weather functional and create a traditional look for many homes. They serve a strong purpose during extreme weather such as hurricanes and even after constant rain, shingles do not rust or corrode. But wonder what those stain on your roof are?. These unsightly black streaks or smear-like stains may indicate a type of roof algae, known technically as, Gloeocaspa Magma
CLEAN SHINGLE ROOF
This blackish algae appears on many roofs across neighborhoods, gradually turning your home’s asphalt shingles a hideous dark brown or black. Roof algae can be mostly found on north and west-facing shingles and in neighborhoods with mature trees. Even with rain can come a little mildew over time, so just remember a periodic roofing inspection and cleaning can help preserve the longevity of your roof for years and years longer. Even the extreme rain conditions can be important, most importantly also consider wind conditions. Unlike tile roofing, with a strong wind which can blow off and break. Shingle roofing is easy to install and very easy to replace. By single-shingle installation, this allows any shingles blown off by extreme winds, to be replaced without interruption to the other shingles around the damaged area.
However, just like wind and rain, the sun can have an impact on shingles as well. However, shingles lose their granules over time, due to rain, wind, wear, and UV damage, the more light the shingles absorb. More absorbed light means more damage, and so the downward damage spiral continues. Overtime with the sun directly beaming on a roof, the shading in a shingle color can possibly fade; or even worse with the wrong roofing color selected, this can cause less energy efficiency from your roof to your home.
And as a lastly discussed home energy efficiency is more important now more than ever before. You want to select the right shingle type but also at the right price, the right color, and will give you the longevity you’re looking for in roofing lifespan. Roof shingles last a minimum of up at 20 years, and certain styles as previously discussed can sustain 30+ years. With efficiency comes color and as surprising as that sounds choosing the right color shingles for your roof could also be a main factor in lowering your energy bill.
FACTORS
Dark colors absorb heat from the sun which in return causes less energy efficiency in certain weather conditions, however if you live in an area where energy efficiency requires absorption of heat, colors such as green, black, and dark brown are best. If you’re in a weather area that requires you to have more of a cooling preference as an energy efficiency, colors of shingles such as white, gray or light brown would be great options and a way of reflecting light.
Great thing is as far as pricing goes roof shingles is a roofing option can be inexpensive and beneficial for the long-haul.
Deciding on the right roof is always a hard decision to make. You spend a lot of time in your home fixing all the little things on the inside and when something like the roof needs to be replaced or requires attention; it comes with a lot of decision making. We hope we’ve covered several things that will help you with any decisions that you may be indecisive about. Many options to consider whether its the type of roof shingles you choose; three tab, dimensional, or luxury. Making this decision based on your living weather conditions, or just researching the beneficial factors and a value that is less costly to your pockets. Shingles for roofing will not be going out of style or be discontinued no time soon.
And if your current roof is due or an inspection or even at the end of its lifespan, our professional team at Premier Roofing Pro are highly skilled and ready to help your home become more efficient, starting from the top. Our scheduling of regular inspections and maintenance can help to lessen the overall potential for long-term damage.
CREDITS AND MORE INFORMATION:
https://www.hgtv.com/outdoors/outdoor-remodel/top-6-roofing-materials
https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/roofing/buying-guide/index.htm
https://www.iko.com/na/learning-center/roofing-101/types-asphalt-roofing-shingles/
https://www.worthyinspections.com/blog/why-roof-inspections-are-important
