When it comes time to replace the shingles on your home, you will need all the information you can get in regards roofing shingles installation basics. Therefore, why not start at the beginning, with the types of roofing shingles. There are four popular categories of shingles, wood shakes, slate, laminated, and asphalt shingles. To know which you should be choosing, you should understand how each one works and what features they have, all of which can help you determine which is right for you.

Asphalt roofing shingles are the most popular of all types. They are constructed with paper, glass, or fiber, with intense durability. These shingles are designed to last between twenty and thirty years.

Laminated roofing shingles are also becoming extremely popular. These shingles have a design that adds depth, color, and character to any room. Constructed with many different materials, such as asphalt, it creates a look of expensive roofing materials, without the large costs.

Slate roofing shingles also referred to as stone shingles are heavy but durable. Popular, but not overly used before it tends to break easy and can be extremely hard to work with. Many people enjoy the natural, handcrafted, and colorful look that slate shingles offer, as well as the durability, which allows the shingles to last for more than 100 years.

Wood roofing shingles, also known as shakes, are constructed with different treated woods such as pine, spruce, or cedar, and although cedar is the best type of wood used. While with first installation, the wood shingles are bright and lively colors, after the first year of use, it will dull quickly to the color of gray. Furthermore, splintering, warping, and shrinking are common complaints with wood roofing shingles, and generally have to be replaced within thirty years or less.

If you simply do not know how to or want to install your own roofing shingles, your best bet is to hire a professional roofer. When contacting roofers make sure that you opt for a company that is well established, carries a business license, and has permanent addresses and telephone numbers. Ask to view the companies insurance, bonding, training, and certificate information.

You will also want to choose a company that provides you with a full, written estimate of every aspect of the job; this includes time of completion, warranty, labor costs, and materials they intend to use. Before choosing a roofing shingles installer, make sure that you obtain a minimum of three estimates. This allows you to compare prices, as well as warranty, services, and ultimately work ethics. Obtain references, this is obviously important, you are entrusting the roofer with a valuable possession, your home. You want to be sure that they are qualified, trustworthy, hardworking, and professional.

Green Roofing Materials

Living Under Green Roofs
by Roof101 – Green roofs have many meaning in the world of roofing materials, which we will try to set straight in the following. When talking about green roof systems, the meaning is, most often, a vegetation-covered roof planted over appropriate turf. Roof systems that are merely painted green, naturally, are not included by the term green roof. Some refer to roofs with plants and pots to be green roofs, although, as the description of green roofs will show you, this is not really the case. Additionally, green roofs may refer to eco friendly or solar panel roofs.

Advantages of Green Roofs
Green roofs provide homeowners an alternative to a garden, if there is one or to go along with it. The green roof provides all that a garden (or a patio) might, including a place to grow flowers, fruits and vegetables. With these growing on the roof, water will not spill as much, but rather be used for gardening purposes. Besides other technical advantages a green roof supplies, a biodiverse green roof can filter pollutants, reduce heat, increase wildlife and help the house function as an autonomous unit, elements that are foreign to any other roofing material but are part and parcel of a green roof.

The State of Green Roofs Today
True, green roofs are not as popular as one would expect them to be. Perhaps because the market remains immature, or the industry is not doing enough to promote the technologies that are already available. It doesn’t change the fact that they are sensible. In fact they are more common in Europe. A green roof might be the right choice for you too. Contact us and we will have our green roof consultants let you in on what it takes to tend to a green roof and what the advantages you will enjoy from such an option are.

by Roof101

More Green Roofs Articles

Green Roofing Materials

Living Under Green Roofs
by Roof101 – Green roofs have many meaning in the world of roofing materials, which we will try to set straight in the following. When talking about green roof systems, the meaning is, most often, a vegetation-covered roof planted over appropriate turf. Roof systems that are merely painted green, naturally, are not included by the term green roof. Some refer to roofs with plants and pots to be green roofs, although, as the description of green roofs will show you, this is not really the case. Additionally, green roofs may refer to eco friendly or solar panel roofs.

Advantages of Green Roofs
Green roofs provide homeowners an alternative to a garden, if there is one or to go along with it. The green roof provides all that a garden (or a patio) might, including a place to grow flowers, fruits and vegetables. With these growing on the roof, water will not spill as much, but rather be used for gardening purposes. Besides other technical advantages a green roof supplies, a biodiverse green roof can filter pollutants, reduce heat, increase wildlife and help the house function as an autonomous unit, elements that are foreign to any other roofing material but are part and parcel of a green roof.

The State of Green Roofs Today
True, green roofs are not as popular as one would expect them to be. Perhaps because the market remains immature, or the industry is not doing enough to promote the technologies that are already available. It doesn’t change the fact that they are sensible. In fact they are more common in Europe. A green roof might be the right choice for you too. Contact us and we will have our green roof consultants let you in on what it takes to tend to a green roof and what the advantages you will enjoy from such an option are.

by Roof101

More Green Roofs Articles

A building that you live in qualifies as a “residence.” Good roofing contractors for you, then, will be experienced in residential roofing — which is different from commercial roofing. Commercial roofing is usually flat and designed to take into account complications normal homes don’t have. Metal roofing is a great choice for any home.

Metal roofing comes in aluminum, copper, tin, and other metals. It’s often easier to pick your residential roofing materials than to pick a roofer to install it. There are some things you cannot control: weather, nearness to water or factories, how much it rains. Your location and its weather will largely determine which residential metal roofing material is right. Now, is there a good contractor?

Metal Roofing Alliance

You might hate “cowboy” contractors who do poor work — and so do good roofers. Just one “cowboy,” however, can cast a bad light on every roofer or builder. Good roofers, then, will adhere to every local and state law, self-policing. Visit Metal Roofing Alliance (http://www.metalroofing.com/) to get reliable recommendations for a metal roofing contractor in your area.

This website lists distributors and contractors, suppliers, roofing material manufacturers and roofers. It is a reliable source to help consumers find good roofing options. They were founded in 1998 by a few people from the industry who wanted to help fix its bad reputation. This great website is user-friendly. You can learn anything you need to know about residential metal roofing.

More Questions To Ask

Be sure to ask friends and family members for referrals to roofing contractors. This is especially true if they have recently had a roof installed. Find out if they were happy with their roofer. Check with your bank for a list of trustworthy roofers.

Be sure to ask lots of questions when you meet with a residential metal roofing contractor whom you are considering hiring. If you don’t understand what they are talking about or if you don’t like their answers, move on. With a good roofing contractor, you will get answers as to how your money is being spent. Reputable residential metal roofing contractors also give you, in writing, their detailed estimates for the job. You can also reach them easily via phone or their office. Don’t just hire the first roofer that you find. To find a roofer who will be a good match for your job, do a little comparison shopping.