What’s the carbon
footprint of our roofs
How to choose your
roof
What’s the purpose of a roof? To keep your home dry and
protected from the weather! So how hard could it be to choose the roof that’s
right for you and your house or home. To make a truly informed decision there are some very interesting
factors you might want to consider.
But first here are some interesting facts about roofs and
the roofing industry.
·
Some are said to last 200 years
·
Some 1 month (they’re called tarps)
·
Some can support wildlife
·
Some hold carbon
·
Roofing is one of the most dangerous occupations
around
How do homeowners
decide what kind of roof to put on their home? Which roof is right for you and
your home? In this book I will try to show you as many options as possible.
After you read this book you will have a completely different outlook on
roofing. You will be armed with all the information you need to make a truly
informed decision. As with all things
there are some essentials.
Here are some good questions to start with.
·
Is your home going to be a family heirloom?
·
Do you want the best value? More expensive,
longer lasting etc.
·
Or just keep it from leaking and protect the
contents of my home.
·
Are you concerned with environmental impact?
There are 7 essential elements of creating an optimal roofing
experience. Obviously an optimal roof is one that doesn’t leak; ever. The
elements are as follows.
1.
The system. As in, how materials are integrated
into one dynamic.
2.
The material itself. Whether its shingles, metal
panels, or rubber membrane.
3.
Flashing. Making sure water doesn’t get in
through chimneys, valleys, and other roof penetrations.
4.
The installer himself. Will he install all the materials
and such in a manner that gives the roof maximum potential to last as long as
it should. Does he have the necessary skills?
5.
Warranty. If the roofer is confident in his work
and himself he will back it with a warranty. You should not get charged for
repairs for the first 15 years of your roofs life.
6.
Environmental impact.
7.
The homeowner. Yes, the customer himself. You
will be as big a part of the whole process as any of the above. I will go into
more detail later in this letter.
All of these will affect your decision. For some people different criteria will decide
their choice of roof. For some the hard dollar cost will be most important. For
others maybe it will be the per year cost. And others still it will be a
combination of these plus environmental impact. As you will see there are some
interesting variables in some of these roofs. Often people just simply want a
certain look for their house.
I will go in depth with each of these elements. I will try
to show you what to look for in each of them.
The 7 essential elements of a successful roofing experience.
And just to be clear successful is defined as a roof that doesn’t EVER leak,
thereby preserving the structure and contents of the house. I see quite a few
beautiful old houses that have deteriorated over the years. Some is neglect by
homeowners and some botched assignments by roofers. The bottom line is water
has leaked into the house for too long.
Ok, for the 7 elements;
Systems;
In my mind a good system includes no caulking. I feel if you
have to use caulk you’re using a bad system. Part of a good system includes the
overall house design. One example is routing dryer vents to the soffit instead
of through the roof. Another is putting a chimney in the middle of a valley,
and depending on sophisticated flashing designs to waterproof it. Generally,
though systems are simply how everything is combined in the roof.
Slate, for example must be installed using copper or
stainless steel nails and copper flashing. I have seen slate roofs where slate
was in decent shape, but the steel nails were rusted through. On the flip side
then I think it to be overkill to use copper flashing or stainless steel nails
on an asphalt roof. The copper and stainless steel will easily out live the
shingles.
Systems also have to do with the area you live in. I live in
Pennsylvania so the systems I describe are used in this area. Most of them are
used pretty much anywhere though. Snow loads and monsoon rains are factors to
consider.
Materials;
Materials are somewhat synonymous with systems. This is
dealt with in a later chapter of this book.
Flashings;
The materials used in the flashing is important, but less so
than the system. An example of systems in flashing is the pre-formed factory
made flashings for skylights. This dramatically improved the skylight flashing
system. In this case the system was lacking. As the flashing is now formed in
this system it’s much easier to make the flashing in the factory or metal shop
than it is to form it on the job.
The warranty;
I have a 15 year warranty on all work that we do. There is a
story behind it too. A roof that my company installed failed after 10 years. It
turned out that all the plywood should have been replaced when the roof was
originally done. So after 10 years the homeowner calls me and says the roof is
leaking. I sort of brush it off thinking its not my problem. Well the homeowner
bugged me and used all the guilt provoking accusations and threats of lawsuits
that I ended up doing the whole freaking roof again, changing all the plywood
for absolutely no charge to the owner. So after that I figured if I do that I
may as well advertise the warranty as such.
Environmental impact;
This I deal with later on in the section on materials.
The homeowner;
So what do I the roofer want in a customer? So aside from
the obvious; someone with lots of money and willing to spend it. For me I guess
it would be trust and friendship. Some people say friendship has no place in
business. I totally disagree. If I do more than one job for someone I have no
problem with him getting more than my quote every time. After all I need to be
kept honest too. Even if we’re long time friends. My friend has the right to
make sure my pricing is competitive.
Number 2 is an extension of the trust issue. Hopefully you
will trust me enough that there will be no nitpicking. Nothing is worse than a
customer who is always nagging. Wanting this and that fixed.
When a customer trusts you it gives you the freedom to make
the right decisions and take a bit more time to do a good job.
On the other hand; see there always is the other hand. The
few customers that test your patience do make you infinitely better. You hone
your game more. The next time you do a job for someone who appreciates you, you
pass their test with flying colors.
Then of course there is the guy who pays on time and without
complaint. Man I love you guys. I might say money isn’t everything, I mean
after all I didn’t put this number one. But seriously, if it wasn’t for the
money I would not be in business. Roofing is hard work. There was a time when I
didn’t like it as good as I do now. So making money for my family and my future
retirement is exciting.
After having said all that, to homeowner who is constantly
nitpicking, I say bring it on. You guys make us all better roofers and
tradesmen. And give us good stories to boot.
My goal is to freak out everyone with our excellent service.
The materials and systems which are closely linked will be compared
on the following,
1.
Per year cost. We take the manufacturer’s
warranty and divide that by total roof cost.
2.
Expected life. This along with total cost will
make up per year cost.
3.
Total cost.
4.
Insulation value. This has more to do with
heating costs.
5.
Heat absorption. This is different than
insulation and has more to do with the urban heat island effect. It also has to
do with cooling costs.
6.
The skill level required for successful
installation. To some extent this is factored into the total cost.
7.
Attractiveness. As in, does the roof look good?
8.
Environmental impact. This is the impact of the
manufacturing process as well as where the material comes from. Is the material
a sustainable resource?
9.
Maintenance requirements, either by the
homeowner or a professional.
10.
Uses other than waterproofing. Such as growing
food. Water retention.
Roof systems
A roof system is the whole thing combined and made up of
parts such as. Roof slope and materials used. There are basically 2 types of
roof, flat and sloped. The system deals with the slope or lack thereof. But
also it deals with the penetrations in the roof. Vent pipes, chimneys, valleys,
etc. Each system represents a different approach to dealing with these problems
as well as introducing different benefits.
One example is for a
slate roof you would prefer a steeper pitch because it helps minimize the
chance water has of getting into the house. The faster water runs off your roof
the less chance of leaks. On the other hand a benefit of the roof garden is
water retention and or flood control. It’s a different system with different
ways of dealing with the waterproofing issue. The issue isn’t whether a flat or
steep slope roof is better than the other. Rather it’s about how you deal with
those issues and what different types of benefits you want to introduce.
With slate you want the water running off as fast as
possible. With the roof garden, part of the benefit of the system is water
retention. Slowing down the runoff to take flood pressure off the waterways,
creeks, and rivers.
The most common systems in the United States
are.
For sloped roofs there are shingles and metal panels
Flat
roofing, rubber, roof gardens, etc.
Shingles and systems
Sloped roofs
Sloped roofs
For sloped roofs there are 2 basic systems, which are
shingles and panels. The shingle system is basically a series of squares
installed overlapping each other. The top half of the shingle is usually
covered by the shingle on top of it. The nails are driven through the top half
so that the nails are not exposed to the weather and the water runs off. An
important part of the system is the slope itself. The steeper the slope the
less time the water is on the roof. It will quickly run off.
With the roof garden system it’s the opposite. The roof is
flat with dirt on it. The dirt soaks up the water and delays the run-off,
saving the city sewer.
The following are materials and systems within the sloped
system.
Asphalt shingles.
Asphalt shingles cover about 80% of the homes in the United States. One of the things I like about asphalt is they are flexible. When you go to do a repair, you can bend the shingle up, remove the nails, and slide another shingle in place and drive a new nail. So they cost little in maintenance. Often asphalt roofs are put on a walkable pitch so access usually isn’t a problem. With it being a 20 to 50 year roof the access is more important. A slate roof usually can have a steeper pitch because you’ll go longer between replacements.
Asphalt shingles cover about 80% of the homes in the United States. One of the things I like about asphalt is they are flexible. When you go to do a repair, you can bend the shingle up, remove the nails, and slide another shingle in place and drive a new nail. So they cost little in maintenance. Often asphalt roofs are put on a walkable pitch so access usually isn’t a problem. With it being a 20 to 50 year roof the access is more important. A slate roof usually can have a steeper pitch because you’ll go longer between replacements.
A big new development
with asphalt is that it is now recyclable in parts of this country. The
shingles get ground up and put into an asphalt paving mix.
In
my opinion this type of shingles has been a very worthwhile invention. Asphalt
is cheap and lasts a decent amount of time. You can have a roof over your head
for not much money upfront. When compared to slate the per year cost isn’t as
low but for the average homeowner it’s the way to go. Newer asphalt shingles
also have grandules that deflect the heat of the sun and keep your house
cooler.
Make sure your roofer guarantees the shingles for blow-offs.
This has to be the most easily preventable problem with asphalt. Lots of
roofers say they can’t help it when shingles blow off. The shingles haven’t had
time to seal yet, is the most common heard excuse. I say its all bunk. I don’t
remember ever repairing blown off shingles that were nailed properly. They all
are nailed to high or too deep, such as driven right through the shingle.
Asphalt shingles are probably the easiest roof to install.
Most of the directions are on the shingle wrapper. It is amazing though, how
often simple things like proper nailing are overlooked in the name of speed.
Cedar
Cedar is actually the only roofing product that is made from
a renewable resource. There is no gouging big holes in the earth to harvest it.
Sustainable forest management is the key, though. There is some evidence that
the forestry industry is becoming more responsible. Thinning, well-planned
harvesting and replanting make for good forest management. The trees absorb
carbon, cleaning the air through a process known as photosynthesis. When the
trees get older they absorb less carbon, so harvesting the mature trees and
planting young ones makes sense. The younger trees are growing faster and
therefore absorb more carbon. Sustainable forestry also helps minimize forest
fires by removing end of life cycle trees. And the cool thing is the roof lasts
about 50 years, enough time to let the young trees mature.
A word about
sustainable forestry
Sustainable forestry cannot be stressed enough. Logging
requires building roads to get to the trees and hauling them out of the woods.
In some places they use zip lines and such, but it still disturbs wildlife
habitat. However when compared to some of the other materials and methods such
as mining it’s not such a bad option. The Economist Magazine did a special
report in September of 2010 on the forests of the earth. According to the
report North America is gaining trees thanks to increased awareness of the
value of our forests.
Supposedly it is an
insulator as well, but this we haven’t confirmed yet. We are in the process of
testing this. It scores pretty high on the keeping your home cool in the summer.
Cedar also is recyclable as mulch or garden products. It is biodegradable so it
won’t sit in landfills for thousands of years.
The one major drawback for cedar is that it isn’t fire
resistant. In some areas code calls for fire retardant shingles. To pass that
code the cedar shingles have to be treated with a fire retardant. Most likely
this is a chemical. This makes it a drawback for me, since most fire treated
wood products will not last as long. Not to mention the use of a chemical. To
date though, I haven’t researched this.
Fasteners;
Make sure your roofer uses stainless steel nails. They are
more expensive but very worth it.
Slate
To quote Joseph Jenkins who wrote the book “the slate roof
bible”, slate is the world’s finest roof. It’s waterproof, fireproof, natural,
and can last centuries. Slate has a long track record.
Once upon a time far
in the days of roofing yore a roof was chosen with a eye toward value, a long
lasting once in a lifetime project. Roofing was a big project and not taken
lightly. The roofer himself was somebody who people took time to get to know.
Get to know his kids, his other customers.
Slate was a very popular roof and roofing was something you
didn’t do very often. For sheer longevity you simply can’t beat slate. It could
possibly be the most labor intensive of all the roofing types out there. But
the fact that it lasts so long makes it by far the cheapest on a per year
basis. You also want to make sure you get a good contractor because it is so
expensive and after all the time and money involved you don’t want to have to
fix a bunch of boo-boos. Also the design of it makes it critical to install
properly. You want a fairly steep pitch and you don’t want anyone walking on
the slate as it can break.
Often slate roofs can be repaired rather than totally
replaced. That can be a bit expensive too because a properly designed slate
roof incorporates a good slope. Therefore you have access problems. The roofer
spends much more time just setting up to get to the spot that needs repair.
Sometimes we have to rent lifts.
As for environmental impact the slate has to be quarried.
This means either making big holes in the ground or mining it. But for
recycling it is a natural material. It is considered clean fill at the end of
its life on your roof.
Fasteners;
Make sure your roofer uses copper or stainless steel nails.
Regular steel or galvanized will not last nearly as long as the slate itself.
Metal shingles
Here the shingles are made of metal and as with all shingles
you need a steep slope and proper installation. The benefits of the material
will be explored later. However with steel shingles you need more skill to
install. They’re also not so popular so you’ll have a harder time finding
someone who can install it.
The second system for
steep slopes is panels, most of which are made of metal.
Metal roofing
The metal panels come in 2 main styles. Standing seam and
corrugated. Most standing seam has hidden fasteners which are done in a way
that allows for the metal to expand and contract. It seems to me though the
differences are mostly a matter of cost. The standing seam does look nicer too.
Metal roofing is definitely recyclable. It doesn’t come from
a renewable resource though. It needs to be manufactured rather than just cut
and split like slate or cedar. Also it requires mining. Refining is another
part of the process to turn the ore into roofing material. Once it is in the
metal form though it can be fairly easily recycled.
Overall it can last an awful long time. You can have the
panels installed on lower slopes than shingles. As it ages you might have to
paint it a few times. The standing seam roof looks good too. It can be painted
different colors and with different pigments to deflect the sun.
One drawback to me is
the snow on a sloped metal roof slides right off. I have seen it pretty much
chop up bushes. So it’s a good idea to include snow guards into your
consideration. This will add to your cost as snow guards can cost $2 and up.
They should be installed every 6 to 12 inches across your roof. On most steeper
slope metal roofs there is also the issue of access for repairs.
Systems for flat or
low slope roofs
The single ply roof is most common on flat roofs. Actually
maybe it’s the roll roofing and tar that is most common. But the single ply is
definitely the best bet.
EPDM rubber is most commonly used by my company. Black is
the most common color, but white is becoming much more popular. White obviously absorbs less heat in the
summer thereby reducing cooling costs. Rubber usually lasts 30 or 40 years. It
depends on the type of underlayment board you use. It is recyclable and to my
knowledge isn’t made from a renewable resource.
Roof gardens, mostly
for flat roofs
A relatively new development in the United States is roof
gardens. These roofs are usually flat and have a roof such as rubber. On top of
the rubber is 2 to sometimes even 10 inches of dirt. There are actually many,
many benefits to this type of roofing system. Benefits that are still being
discovered. Roof spaces have enormous potential in providing urban dwellers
with the amenity and recreational space essential for healthy living. Usually
there is restricted access from the street, so there is the benefit of safety
and security. For city dwellers this can be a private little nature space.
Slowing water runoff is a huge part of the roof garden.
Keeping water from entering the watershed helps reduce flash flooding. This is
a big part of why I think this could quite possibly be the one roofing system
with the most potential.
There is 2 types of roof gardens. One is called extensive
which is 1 to 4 inches of dirt. With this system you have less maintenance and
more of a brownfield look. The other system has more dirt and takes more maintenance
such as irrigation, weeding, and such. But for avid gardeners and
environmentalists this is where the fun is!
Food production is another possibility for the green roof.
With the price of food going up this takes on an economic benefit. You could store
all your rainwater and then use it to irrigate. Environmental benefits include storm water
retention and wildlife habitat. This reduces cooling costs in the summer and
reduces heating costs in the winter.
This roof type definitely takes a high skill level and
possibly maintenance from a roofer. But the benefits are there for anyone
willing to put forth the effort.
Roofs and
their history
Roofs obviously have a long, long history. I think it would
be cool to do like an evolutionary history of them.
Educated decisions
This chart uses a
2500 square foot roof on a pitch of 7/12. Your roof will vary according to
pitch, accessibility, and also depends on the amount of dormers, valleys, etc.
other factors include going from one system to another such as cedar to asphalt
where you would need to add plywood.
Roof
type
|
Cost
per year
|
Expected
roof life
|
Made
from renewable resource
|
Recyclable
|
Asphalt
|
$209.00
|
25
|
|
Yes
|
Asphalt 50 year
|
$140.00
|
50
|
No
|
Yes
|
Slate
|
|
|
No
|
Yes
|
Standing seam
|
1
|
|
No
|
Yes
|
Corrugated metal
|
1
|
|
No
|
Yes
|
Rubber
|
$475.00
|
|
|
Yes
|
Roof garden
|
2
|
|
Not completely
|
|
Cedar shingle
|
$400.00
|
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
|
|
|
|
Defining the terms in the chart
Per year cost
Cost per year is
simply the expected roof life divided by total cost.
Total cost
The hard dollar cost.
What you will have to pay when the job is completed.
Expected life
Insulation value
Supposedly the cedar has insulation value. But I don’t know
of what benefit that is since its recommended to vent it.
Heat absorption
The worst for heat absorption has to be the flat black roof.
During the day the sun beats on it and the temperature can reach 150 degrees.
During the night the roof reradiates the heat back into the atmosphere.
Environmental impact
Environmental impact as used here means to guess as close as
possible (not an exact science) the total impact to the environment. Obviously
building houses itself has an impact on the environment. But we want to reduce
that as much as humanly possible. We want to choose (or in my case I want to
show you which has the least impact). Living in tents would probably have the
least impact.
Attractiveness
I admit this one is a bit subjective. Maybe I should look at
it as resale value. That would probably vary by neighborhood.
Maintenance
requirements
The intensive garden roof would definitely require the most
maintenance. The extensive garden roof which has less soil on it requires much
less since it’s more like a brownfield. Just about any roof that lasts more
than 30 or 40 years will require; or should require some maintenance. Most of
these should be done by a roofing professional.
Uses other than water
proofing
In this case the roof garden can be used as just that, a
garden to grow food. The garden roof also supports some wildlife and helps
reduce what is called the urban heat island effect. But this might be more of a
feature or benefit rather than an actual use. These days you can get solar
shingles, so that your roof will then generate electricity.
Renewable resource
This is a resource that regenerates after you harvest it.
Cedar is actually the only roof that is made from a renewable resource. It is
cut from mature trees and when the mature trees are cut the younger trees take
over. Slate would be a natural resource and can be used as clean fill at the
end of its life, but once it is quarried it will not regenerate. Metal is
completely recyclable, but it to uses resources that will not regenerate.
Recyclable
These days almost all roofing material is recyclable. This
simply means there is a use for it after its life on the roof is used up. And
it also means it doesn’t have to end up sitting in a landfill.
And now about the
roofer!
This is a subject that’s a little hard for me to talk about.
I mean after all I am a roofer and I also like to make a living. With anything
I tell you here you do have to keep in mind that I am a roofer. I would love if
everybody chose me to do their roof. But I’m not going to get every roof so I’m
ok with it.
I have had jobs go bad. I ended up losing money. On more
than one occasion I ended up taking a loss and letting another roofer take
over. Once I went back 10 years later and completely replaced a roof, plywood
and all, because it should have been done in first place. It ended up buckling
and causing leaks. So we went back and did all that totally free of charge. I
try to remain friends with everyone, but I doubt everyone holds me in high
regard. That doesn’t keep me from trying though.
More than anything else this is where I think the project is
made or broken. Most times it’s the roofer you’re upset at. You can pick the
best material and have the best system, but if your roofer doesn’t have the
skill to install it properly it will not stand a chance.
He is in charge of the project. If he doesn’t care how your
project turns out and only wants his money look out.
You should check
extensive references on your roofer. If he is on linkedin or facebook make darn
sure you look him up. Call all the references he provides. Yes, he will give
you his best references. But if you establish a relationship with his
references you can call them after he screws you and tell them about it. If
he’s still good friends with them he will hear about it from them.
After all this though, you have to keep in mind that you
could get screwed. Above all you must trust the roofer. If you don’t trust him
you will irritate him and he won’t have the confidence he needs to do a good
job. A good roofer should also be a good
communicator.
I once gave a potential customer a list of references. I had
a bit of a habit of not returning phone calls right away. Well this reference
of mine ratted on me! This is a good thing! When I next spoke to the potential customer he told me about it. Well
I had to admit to it. And guess what it made me try to change the habit.
Skill level required
for installation of your roof
This is huge. If a roofer is in over his head there is not
much to be done if things go awry.
Clean up
A word about
fasteners or nails
Another example is improper nailing of the shingles and
plywood. For the plywood I have seen entire rows of nails missing. This will
create buckling plywood and gives the roof a wavy look. Bumps and dips are
usually created by not having gaps in the plywood. The plywood expands and
pushes against the next sheet, creating the bubble.
So the deal is, after you have chose your material. You need
to choose the contractor