Roofing Options

When building a new house one of the most important “ingredients,” if you will, is the roofing material. There are lots of choices and, these days it’s an expensive line item on the construction budget. House Plans featured in Southern Living (www.slhouseplans.com) tend to showcase the roof material in there home designs. So many plans are designed with wood shakes and shingles or metal. Even in the rendered drawings on the Southern Living website, the texture and appeal of these materials really make the home designs special.
Like icing on the cake, the roof can be the finishing touch for your new home. The most popular choice in roofing is the asphalt shingle or asphalt/fiberglass shingles. They are economical, easy to install, and fire resistant. Life expectancy is 15 to 25 years. Wood shakes and shingles tend to be pricey, while wood-fiber shingles offer the look of wood at a cost comparable to good-quality asphalt/fiberglass. Another popular material is V-crimp galvanized steel, better know as “tin,” and, although it’s more expensive, it will outlast shingles with proper care