There are many types of roofing materials—some of which are brand new—with a range of plusses and negatives. You can re-roof with the same type of roofing material that you currently have or investigate alternatives. Some materials are environmentally friendly and some are long lasting or low maintenance. And who doesn’t love low maintenance?

Before making your choice, consider the life-cycle cost of your roofing material. Some materials, though much more expensive, require less maintenance and have a longer life expectancy than others. An asphalt composition roof might last just 20 years whereas a metal roof might last more than 50. Consider both the current and potential value of your home, and its age when calculating whether a roofing material is actually “too expensive.” It might just be more cost-effective in the long run.

The following table describes some of the roofing choices available:

Roof Type	House Style	Advantages	Disadvantages
Composition (asphalt shingles)	Can be used on any house from contemporary to historic. False thatched roof with the wrapped roof edge on 1920s Tudor style.	inexpensive ranges from low-cost 3-tab shingle to architectural shingles with extra durability and style many colors, types, and manufacturers suitable for most residential applications easy to repair fire resistant	relatively short life-span (15–30 years) scars easily when hot subject to mildew and moss environmentally unfriendly
Wood shingles or shakes	Bungalows, ranch, contemporary, cottage, historic	natural look weathering to a soft grey offers some insulation value blends in with the environment easy to repair or replace long lasting if maintained (30–50 years)	expensive usually requires professional installation high maintenance tends to rot, split, mold, and mildew poor fire rating unless presure treated
Metal (steel, aluminum, tin, copper)	Bungalows, ranch, contemporary, cottage, historic (virtually all)	available in different looks including cedar shingles, slate, or standing seam many colors light weight durable long life span (at least 50 years) low maintenance can be installed over existing roofs excellent performance in high wind, hail and rain environmentally friendly	may be difficult to install can be expensive may need periodic painting
Tile (concrete, clay)	Mediterranean, Italian, French Eclectic, Spanish Eclectic, Beaux Arts, Mission, and Prairie. May also be attractive on some contemporary or ranch style homes.	non-combustible many colors and styles attractive fireproof easy to maintain extremely durable when maintained	expensive heavy used primarily in new buildings because of weight and structural requirements installation and repairs can be tricky fragile; walking on roof may break tiles
Slate	Colonial, French, Italianate, Exotic Revivals, Chateauesque, Beaux Arts	beautiful, distinctive appearance fireproof long life span low maintenance	very expensive requires specialized installation heavy fragile high maintenance
Concrete (fiber reinforced)	Virtually any style of home	many colors and styles including shakes, tile, and stone relatively lightweight fire and insect resistant; meet many of the more restrictive fire codes low maintenance extremely durable resource efficient	can be expensive uneven quality among products
Hot mopped asphalt with decorative stone	Flat roofed California-style modern	inexpensive easy to repair	stinks health risk to installers fumes promote smog
Engineered rubber/plastic	Virtually any style of home	about 1/3 the weight of slate long lasting (30–50 years) cost effective attractive available in a large range of styles and colors with more appearing constantly made of reclaimed materials	new to market
Eco-roofs	Flat to moderately sloped roofs.	Environmentally friendly; filters rainwater through a roof system of vegetation and soil Low maintenance; can extend the life of the roof membrane substantially Provides insulation to even out climate variations; in particular, keeps houses cooler in summer Attractive	initially expensive unconventional in US, though used more than 30 years in Europe

Now you might figure that living in beautiful coastal Los Angeles that I don’t really need a roof, and for 10 months of the year you would be right. But unfortunately, in a wet year we can get a foot or two of rain. So my wife says we need a roof over our heads.

Until recently, that hasn’t been much of a problem. You see, we were very astute shoppers when we bought our home a few years ago. We picked one that ALREADY HAD A ROOF. Feeling smart and smug, we’ve been getting along just fine with our old grey roof.

It’s so high up off the ground, you have to kind of squint to see it, and it’s always looked smooth and dry. Until the winds came. This April Los Angeles had several weeks of strong, hard winds. (not Florida winds, or Kansas tornado watch winds, but good solid 45-50 mph winds roaring through like a freight train.) Since my house sits on a ridgeline, Easterly winds have a clear shot at my house. Nothing to slow them down as far as the eye can see. When the wind blows at my house you can feel it in your bones. And this year, it managed to get under our skin. Or at least under the roof tiles.

The next morning we started finding old grey roof tiles out on the sidewalk, in the street and down in the backyard. For a day or two we pretended that it was somebody elses roof blowing away. But soon enough we walked down the block, looked back up our hill and could see the gaping hole on the north slope of our roof. No deck for me. I was getting a roof.

(Okay, I confess, we did put it off for a month or two to match better with my work schedule.)

Step one on any significant remodeling job is to pick the right contractor. The first step is to make a list of who you know, and who you trust who can give you the best referrals. Who’s done a similar project recently? Who’s in the business? I’m lucky. One of my friends owns a number of rental properties, and has always been able to recommend high quality contractors who price out well below the “retail” price.

After a bit of looking around, some preliminary estimates from other contractors we chose his guy. Easy to talk to, the great eference and 50% of his normal retail price. Now lets hope that what they say about low bidders isn’t true.

So here we are on a bright, sunny May morning, with 4 men on my roof, (well on what’s left of my roof). There’s a truck in the driveway, and loads of old roof flying through the air going thunk.

To be continued…

[Originally posted at remodel.net.]