4 Tips for Choosing the Best Roofing Material for Your Home – 2024 Guide

If you’re looking to renovate the roof but can’t make your mind on the best roofing material, then this is the article for you. When it comes to roofing materials, there are so many viable options. But things get complicated the more you dwell deep into it.

To choose what’s best for your roof, you will need to look at other things. Because of that, we are here to give you our 4 tips for choosing the best roofing material for your home.

Without further ado, let’s start.

1. Durability is Important

Durability is quite possibly the most important factor that needs to be taken into consideration. Whenever choosing a roofing material, always enquire about the durability of the material.

We put such a high emphasis on durability because a roof isn’t something we replace or renovate every five years. Ideally, you’d want your roof to last for decades.

Seeing as this is a rather expensive home addition and improvement, it’s important to pay more and last for longer. Not only that, but a durable roof will keep you protected from the elements.

When it comes to the most durable roofing material, the only options are steel and aluminum. Both materials are metals and metals are very tough and resistant to most forms of elements including rain, snow, ice, heat, etc.

But if you really want to make it that more durable then what you can do is apply a coat of protective layer. This layer adds more durability on top of the already durable materials themselves. Steel with an added coat of protection can last anything between 60 and 100 years!

Not only that, but steel reflects heat in the summer, making your home much cooler when it’s supposed to be.

2. The Cost and Your Budget

Whenever discussing roofing materials, you will need to create a budget and look at the costs of each.

Fortunately, we know exactly which one is the most expensive and which is the least expensive material. For obvious reasons, having a clear budget will keep you in line and understand how much you can spend.

If a particular material is well outside your budget cost, then it wouldn’t be smart to go over the top on it. Respecting your financial boundaries will make sure you don’t end up owing money to whoever comes in and replaces or renovates your roof.

We heavily advise that you always set aside a bigger budget. Cheap roofing materials will not last long and will instead cause numerous problems. A cheaper roof will only end up costing more on repairs and maintenance. A more expensive and quality roof will save you hundreds and possibly thousands of dollars in the coming years.

Do understand that a roof is not something that you should go cheap on. This is quite possibly the biggest investment you can make, so make sure to put aside a larger budget.

The easiest way to enquire about the costs for each material is to go directly to the company you plan on hiring. They will give you a clear cost per square foot for every material and a total cost. Countless companies provide such services, such as Cavalry Roofing, and they even provide other services such as gutter cleaning and siding.

3. Consider Installation

It’s important to consult with experts regarding installation whenever choosing roofing materials. This is a highly important decision to make as every material weight differently.

Some material’s weight doesn’t suit the structure of your home. If they’re too heavy, then they can hinder the installation process. The heavier materials you go with the trickier to install they’ll be.

According to Mighty Dog Roofing Greenville, SC, installation is the most difficult part of the roofing process. This is because every material has a different weight and some can be too heavy for certain homes. Heavy materials like metal roofs are fine as long as they’re covered in asphalt to keep them grounded but this means you will spend more time on the installation than just going with lightweight materials like traditional shingles or tins.

4. What About Looks?

Looks matter, regardless of what you think about it. Every roofing material looks different than the other. And while this is a purely personal choice to make, some materials are more aesthetically pleasing than others.

It is widely considered that ceramics are the best when it comes to enhancing your roof’s colors and appearance. Aluminum roofing is very dull but offers solid colors.

There are tons of pros and cons to each material, and you will need to go through them to decide which works best. More about this topic you can find on refinedexteriors.com.

Types of Roofing Material

Now that we’ve given you the tips, let’s take a look and explain the materials themselves.

• Metal

Where metal excels is in protection against the elements. However, metal is one of the noisiest materials that you can install. This can be particularly negative during rainfall. But with proper insulation, you won’t hear a thing.

• Clay and Concrete

Clay and concrete tiles are surprisingly popular in areas that frequently experience high winds and perhaps even tornados. They are highly durable against the elements but you might need to add extra support to bear the weight.

Be careful when standing on clay and concrete tiles as they are easily breakable when a person stands on them.

• Asphalt

When it comes to the most common roofing material, none is more common than asphalt. Asphalt is America’s dream boy. They are highly durable and perform excellently against the elements.

But there are different classes of asphalt. You should talk to the company regarding the various classes of asphalt shingles and ask for an explanation of all of them.

• Stone-Coated Steel

This is a hybrid between metal and stone, and one that is highly effective against damage from the elements. You will likely come to the conclusion that most of these materials perform great against the elements.

Stone-coated steel can withstand winds up to 120 miles per hour, but the real MVP is that they’re highly cost-effective.

• Slate

Slate is one of the types of materials that will last for DECADES. It is estimated that slate can last up to 100 years and is highly waterproof, resistant against mold and fungus, and against fire.

Slate is highly popular in areas of the country that frequently experience wetter climates. However, do know that slate is very expensive. But, if you consider how much you’re getting from it, it is money well spent.