With so many options, choosing a roofing or sliding material for your home can seem like a daunting task. Appearance, cost, case of installation, life span, value, and maintenance all play a role. Do you want to pay extra for a cedar shake roof, or you will be content with a less-expensive asphalt shingle that imitates shakes? Do you mind having to repaint wood siding?
The roofing and siding materials that you will choose has a direct impact on the following:
- Cost of the roof
- Maintenance
- Energy savings
- Durability
Our representatives are trained to apply the Alpha Minded Process™ to help you arrive to an educated & informed decision
The Alpha Minded Process™ : Total Cost to Own
We help you prioritize what factors are important to you, and make your decisions accordingly. Your Alpha Guru will work with you to analyze and create an estimate for “total cost to own” with the materials you select–so the price that you elect to pay upfront reflects your long term savings including painting, re-roofing risk, as well as your long term utility savings on heating & cooling. Prices of roof products are as varied as much as the array of options, especially within different areas of the U.S.
Traditionally, homeowners have preferred using asphalt shingles for roofing. However, there has recently been a surge in demand for residential roofs made of metal & tile. While metal may not sound appealing to most ears as a roofing material, technological advancements have improved aesthetics of roofing materials. However, the use of both of these materials has been in use for hundreds of years.
Cool “energy efficient” roofs, can reduce roof temperature by as much as 100°F during the summer, and thereby reduce the building’s energy requirements. The basic concept of a cool roof is to make the roof out of a material that reflects energy and emits heat. When selecting a roof, aim for high solar reflectance, endurance of high reflectance over time, and high emittance. Vice versa when the whether gets cold, these roofs do an outstanding job at making sure your home does not lose any heat to the outdoors.
The durability of roofing materials varies dramatically. The expected useful life can range from 10 years to the life of the building. This has direct economic consequences for the building owner and broader resource implications for society. In the U.S. alone, between 9 and 10 million tons of asphalt roofing waste is sent to landfills annually. A longer-lasting roof reduces the amount of waste sent to the landfill and makes better use of its embodied energy.
The amount of maintenance each product requires is another important factor when choosing roofing or siding materials. Some products are virtually maintenance free, while others require regular upkeep. Roofing maintenance Is often due to the damage of roofing components such as torn or cracked shingles, or a break in the metal flashing. Some enjoy the opportunity to repaint their house every 10 years, while others dread it.
The Alpha Style Selection Process
Once you and your Alpha Guru have identified your roofing material, you’ll still need to choose a style and color, which is where your Alpha Guru will walk you through the style selection. Asphalt roofing is available in an infinite number of colors and styles, including red scallops to green dimensional to gray three-tab shingles. House siding colors and styles are constantly changing. Whether you want your home have the look of that dream house you saw in a magazine, match your next door neighbors, or just use your spouse’s favorite color — your Alpha Guru rep will analyze your existing neighborhood for the colors & provide suggestions based on your wishes.
Architectural features on the house, and even after materials already installed on the house, may aid in your decision making. Stucco siding and metal roofing are usually a good fit, as are vinyl siding and asphalt shingles. Alpha only uses modern stucco products now utilize epoxy, which eliminate the chipping and cracking that used to be prevalent in cheap stucco. Did you know that you can skip painting by having the stucco tinted to the color you want? Strucco, vinyl, brick and stone siding all require little maintenance. However, wood and fiber cement siding products may need a coat of paint, stain, or sealer every ten years.
Alpha Durability: Standing Up to the Storm
Consider the life span of the products that you want to install on your roof or exterior walls. Some materials are extremely durable and guaranteed to last 50 years or more, while others need to be replaced in as few as 12 years.
The longevity of some products is influenced by your geographic location. Salt air along the coasts has been notoriously damaging to wood siding products, and areas subjected to high winds are prone to roofing and siding materials blowing off. The way you care for your exterior also impacts its longevity. If you regularly paint your wood siding, immediately repair any roofing or siding damage, and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines for each product, the materials will last longer.
Roofing: Slate, concrete, and clay tile are the most durable roofing products. They’re heavier than other materials, and usually have a lifetime warranty. Some slate and clay roofs have been known to last hundred of years. Metal roofs, despite their light weight, are remarkably durable. Warranties vary by product and manufacturer, but warranties of 50 years or more are becoming standard. Since wood shakes are available in different grades, their durability also differs. Top-quality shakes carry 50-year warranties, while the lower-end-shakes last about 30 years. The life span of asphalt singles also widely varies. They should last a minimum of 20 years, with the thicker, more durable architectural shingles guaranteed for up to 50 years. Roll roofing has the shortest life span, lasting between 6 and 12 years.
Siding: Brick is generally considered the most durable product, and it can carry a warranty of more than 100 years. Stone and stucco sidings are also noted for their durability, and they generally carry 50-year warranties. Standard warranties for fiber cement siding are 50 years, too. Although the life span of wood siding varies, depending on the species of wood, climate conditions, and amount of homeowner maintenance it receives, you should expect wood siding to last a minimum of 20 years. Some wood siding can last well over 50 years. Vinyl siding is available in different thicknesses, from 0.035” to 0.055”, with the thicker siding being the more durable and carrying lifetime warranties. The lighter-weight vinyl sidings are usually guaranteed to last between 30 and 50 years.
